6 Ways to Explore and Experiment
Recently I’ve been told a Guinness over a couple of scoops of ice cream is delicious. I’ve been told sky diving is very liberating. I’ve also been advised doing housework won’t kill me.
As leaders we need to be constantly exploring and experimenting with new ideas. Some of these ideas should be explored on a personal level and some of them on a professional level. It’s easy to fall into ruts, especially at work and these days to stand out and be up to speed on the norms of your industry you have to be trying new things.
Explore and experiment with the following:
Your operating hours: Most of them are for the convenience of the owner or the employees, not the customer.
Marketing: How much have you tried with experimental marketing online? My new experiment with online video (BizWizTV.com) is showing great promise.
Your dress code: How can you be the top of the heap when your employees dress from the bottom of the barrel?
Your promotions: What would it take to get customers lined out the door? Remember those days?
What new technology can you explore and reward? Who is your foursquare mayor? (I have businesses sending me thank you comments via twitter for checking in to their places.)
New combinations: For example, people love to mix fountain drinks. Why not offer suggestions with funky names? The Reduced Rooty – Diet Coke with a splash of Root Beer (my personal mix of choice)
Contacting your B2B customer: Call up your B2B customer and ask them to pick a number between 1 and 10. Whatever number they pick tell them they win and send them a gift or a reduced rate on their next order, etc.
We’ve lost the fun in business. Put it back with your experimentation. Not everything is going to work, but people will enjoy the excitement along the way!
In case you were wondering – I’ve been told I am over the weight limit for a tandem sky-diving jump. I’ll take their word for it. The Guinness milkshake is on the agenda for this coming weekend, and vacuuming, dusting, cleaning glass and folding laundry DIDN’T kill me – who knew!