GOOD Questions. GOOD Ideas.
Without Q where would James Bond's gadget ideas have come from? In this 12th issue we continue developing the 'ideastorming' alphabet of effective tips. techniques & tweaks for converting ideas into exciting and profitable revenue streams - we focus on the letter Q. This follows our 11th issue where we added the letter P to the 'ideastorm' alphabet: P - PRODUCTIZE IT.
If you're new to us it is recommended that you read issue 1:?One Idea is All it Takes
About:?Trevor Nel is an 'ideas-generating machine' and co-founder of?WISDOMS?. You can connect with WISDOMS? and become: 1. a?PATRON?and/or; 2. a?PLAYER?, and/or; 3. a?PARTNER?- follow each link for more info.
So far our 'ideastorm' alphabet looks like this: A - ACTION IT; B - BUILD IT; C - COLOUR IT; D - DRAMA IT; E - EXPAND IT; F - FLIP IT; G - GOOGLE IT; H - HACK IT; I - INCORPORATE IT; J - JUMPSTART IT; K - KISS IT; L - LEVERAGE IT; M - MAGNIFY IT; N - NANOTECH IT; O - OPEN IT; P - PRODUCTIZE IT; ..now we add 1 more letter to the 'ideastorm' alphabet:
Q - QUESTION IT: Way back (+-1996) I wrote in Ch. 3. of Another GREAT Day In Africa - 'Here’s a profound observation.. the amazing thing about GOOD questions is they force you to think about a GOOD answer!'
..the amazing thing about GOOD questions is they force you to think about a GOOD answer!
It's not too far a jump then to propose that:
GOOD Questions lead to GOOD Ideas
So, let's focus on some really good, simple questions to ask when 'ideastorming'.. those old chestnuts of 5Ws & 1H - Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? :
Who? Who will/should benefit from the idea (from MOST to least - likely to be identified as stakeholders)? This addresses the concept of WIIFM for potential stakeholders.
What? What new ideas, products, services, tweaks, can you/we come up with to service the above 'Who?' stakeholders? What will it/they (the new ideas, products et al) 'look' like? Visualize them. Describe them. Rough sketch them. Give them shape/form. Put them through the 7-Step Framework Product Development process.
Let me admit to being just a little biased towards the author of this 2017 article - 5Ws & 1H - who wrote: 'For brands looking to bring a new product to market, success shouldn’t be a matter of finger-crossing; it should be a matter of first establishing what consumers want or need, then delivering a product to satisfy those wants or needs.' Many years ago, in Ch1. of Confessions of a SERIAL Entrepreneur, I wrote something similar: '..there is one simple secret to business success, and that is my favourite starting point in developing a business:?
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'Find out what people want or need.. and give it to them at an excellent price.'
When? When does this idea need to get to market? For some, SPEED is of the essence. For others, 'slowly, slowly' is their preferred timeline. This is very personal and unique to the innovator/s. Try this for size: How To Determine Market Viability & Conduct Product Research (2022 Guide)
Where? Where do we intend to launch this new idea/product/service? Will it be local, regional, national, continental or global? This brings into play a variety of strategic decisions regarding manufacturing/production, logistics, distribution, digital strategy, et al.
Why? Why do you/we even want to get this idea/product/service to market? Simon Sinek - Start With Why (excellent summary link) - exhorts all to BEGIN with YOUR WHY.
“People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe” - Simon Sinek
How? 'How'.. is the process (the action steps/s and structure/s) that moves an idea from concept to product/service to delivery. It is the know-how needed to 'industrialize' or digitize the flow from development to manufacture/production to consumer.
Perhaps the biggest HOW of all is.. How To Ask GOOD Questions? I just love this excellent article by two dynamic young Harvard Business School professors - The Surprising Power Of Questions. Extract: 'The wellspring of all questions is wonder and curiosity and a capacity for delight. We pose and respond to queries in the belief that the magic of a conversation will produce a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.' They GET it!
And the biggest QUESTION of all? Why haven't you/we started? Get started on moving your ideas from just a spark into a viable concept.. get started.. NOW!
Remember..?just one idea is all it takes.
Next week: issue 13 - ?We continue developing the 'ideastorming' alphabet of effective tips. techniques & tweaks for converting ideas into exciting and profitable revenue streams - we'll move on to the letter R.
Trevor Nel?is author of numerous publications & articles, including :
The structure, alphabetic platform, on which 1Idea has been compiled is great and makes it easier the remember the gist around each letter. Now that i've dished out a compliment..... Not to come across as argumentative just for the sake of it so as not to inhibit people deciding whether their questions are stupid, bad or whatever i do think that there's no such thing as a stupid question. Testing whether there is a need, really a need, as opposed to a "nice to have" is very apt, as there are so many tyre kickers around, and can be addressed by a "try before buy" approach when the product is in beta phase ie conditions agreed to by both the buyer and seller as to the "having met" criteria that would constitute a purchase. A variation on this is to work on the MVP scope together which if built will result in a purchase.