strategy

Nov 21, 2011

Innovation Insight: If I Wanted to Be a Lawyer, I Would’ve Gone to Law School

One of a series by Ken Tencer, Spyder Works CEO

Once every quarter, I receive a beautiful invitation from my company’s law firm to attend a seminar to learn some important new fact about changes in the law. I never go.

Once every quarter, I receive a beautiful invitation from my accounting firm to learn something new about sales, marketing or motivation. I almost never miss it.

I applaud both firms’ efforts to engage their clients, but in this world of information overload, it’s more important than ever to engage in meaningful conversation with your customers. Service providers add value by enhancing the customer’s skill-set, not by telling them how they’ve improved their own.

Innovation isn’t about what interests you; it’s about what fascinates your customers.

By Ken Tencer Blog, business, business strategy, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial Thinking, entrepreneurship, Innovation, strategy, The 90% Rule No comments Tags: business, business strategy, Entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, Innovation, Ken Tencer, strategy, The 90 percent rule, The 90% Rule

Nov 16, 2011

Innovation Insight: “Smooth, uninterrupted airflow with no unpleasant buffeting”

One of a series by Ken Tencer, Spyder Works CEO

With Dyson’s new bladeless fans, generation of kids will be denied the chance to stick pencils through the screen of the household fan to see what happens when they touch the spinning blades. Otherwise, you have to love U.K.-based Dyson, because its innovations are so obvious, yet so breakthrough: safe, bladeless fans that move air without the rumbling and rattling, using technology patterned after jet engines; dual-cyclonic vacuums that suck up more dirt, more efficiently; and airport hand driers that really work.

By Ken Tencer Blog, business, business strategy, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial Thinking, entrepreneurship, Innovation, Spyder Works, strategy, The 90% Rule No comments Tags: business, business strategy, Entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, Innovation, Ken Tencer, Profit, social media, strategy, The 90 percent rule, The 90% Rule

Nov 7, 2011

Innovation Insight: “Type and navigate with ease”

One of a series by Ken Tencer, Spyder Works CEO

Research in Motion is takings its lumps these days, but I am impressed by RiM’s new 9900 series BlackBerry. Since fully touch-screen phones came out, I have resisted. I am not a short-form, emoticon kind of guy, and I never felt touch-screen phones were conducive to the long-form e-mails that occupy my day.

I always hoped somebody would combine a sturdy keypad with touch-screen navigation. Well, BlackBerry’s done it. Who knows, if the financial pundits would only leave them to their innovating ways, we might see more of the ground-breaking innovation that took RiM to the top for so long.

As tough as it may be, every company needs to block out the noise and keep a focused eye on new and relevant product introductions. Always.

By Ken Tencer Blog, branding, business, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial Thinking, Innovation, social media, strategy, The 90% Rule No comments Tags: business, business strategy, social media, strategy, The 90 percent rule, The 90% Rule