If you're seeking opportunities to innovate, it's helpful to consider the "jobs" that your customers or prospective customers need to have done by your product or service. In Harvard Business Review, consultants Lance Bettencourt and Anthony Ulwick show how to break down those customer tasks into a series of discrete process steps:

• Define: Look for ways to help customers understand their objectives, simplify the resource-planning process, or reduce the amount of planning needed, as Weight Watchers does for dieters.


• Locate: Help them to locate the inputs needed to do the job or streamline the process of getting those tools, as U-Haul does for people moving.


• Prepare: Help to make set-up easier, as Bosch did by adding adjustable levers to its CS20 saw to accommodate the most common bevel adjustments.


• Confirm: Help them gain access to the types of information needed to confirm they are ready to do the job.


• Execute: Help them avoid problems or delays as they execute the task, perhaps making performance more consistent in different contexts.


• Monitor: Provide feedback on whether the job is being successfully executed, as Nike does for runners through the Nike + iPod Sports Kit's real time info.


• Modify: Give customers updates, adjustments or maintenance they need for the task, something Microsoft does with automatic updates.


• Conclude: Simplify the process of concluding the task, as 3M's Coban Self-Adherent Wrap does for securing wound dressing at the end of treatment.

These days, workplaces try to have an inclusive work culture. It's the nice thing to do, and we all want to be nice.

But consultant Lisa Haneberg says that often we are too inclusive -- too nice. "We let everyone get involved in every decision to the point decisions are either impossible or take forever. Inclusion is not right for every situation -- or all phases of every situation. Group decision making does not always lead to better decisions," she writes on her Management Craft blog.

She stresses that participation and inclusion are good things -- but not all the time or in all situations. Time is precious, and we all need to respect time and strive for efficiency in getting things done. That means sometimes saying "no" is the best and most caring response you can give.

Beyond that, remember that everyone has a unique job with particular tasks and projects they ought to own and lead. It's not a good use of your time to be involved in every decision or project.

"Take the time to openly discuss when it's best to divide and conquer and when the work would be significantly enhanced with participation and collaboration. People may resist stepping away from some tasks -- but it's the right thing to do and the more you talk about the value of divide and conquer, the more it will become a viable part of the culture," she says.

Consultant Scott Ginsberg always wears a "Hello I'm Scott" nametag to make himself approachable and on TheSideroad.com he offers some other powerful phrases to facilitate conversations with others:

• "I need your help." When approaching a receptionist or service agent, this will appeal to their helpful nature.


• "You don't know me, but…" Don't try to be an immediate friend when phoning somebody for the first time. Be honest.


• "I don't know anybody here." At an event where you don't know anyone, use this line to disarm the preoccupations of someone you encounter and solicit his or her help.


• "I don't know what that means." This humble phrase in a conversation shows you're listening, want to learn, and willing to admit to not knowing everything.


• "I'm new here/this is my first time." Again, this appeals to the helpful nature of others.

When Mark Cuban was 23 years old, sleeping on the floor and starting his first company MicroSolutions, with no assistant or organization, he was a procrastinator. Accounting was a shoebox of receipts.

"But I lied to myself and said that I could deal with it. That I would make time to get it all figured out and organized. That if I only set my mind to it, I could be a detail person," the owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team writes on his Blog Maverick.

But it doesn't tend to work that way. You are who you are. Entrepreneurs and want-to-be entrepreneurs tend to be less than honest with themselves on their strengths and weaknesses. To be successful, they have to face the reality of who they are and what they are.

• Consultant Sheryl Kravitz offers two quick ways to find out whether your clients love or loathe you. Clients who love your work pay quickly and rarely, if ever, challenge an invoice. They also respond quickly to your calls and e-mails.
  (Source: RainToday.com)


• Famed personal productivity expert David Allen sends out an e-mail about twice a year giving staff a choice to opt in or out of particular kinds of e-mails he sends.
  (Source: Simply GTD With Kathy blog)


• One small firm shows prospects a book of testimonials. Then they say, "we hope when we've completed our job for you, you'll be willing to write one also." That seed increases the likelihood they are going to be looking for something good to say, and will enjoy the relationship.
  (Source: Seth's Blog)


• The best question to ask in recruitment, according to recruitment expert John Sullivan, is: "What criteria will you use to determine if you will accept a job offer?"
  (Source: DrJohnsullivan.com)


• To improve your sales, try not blaming anybody for anything. Every time you want to blame someone, sales consultant Patrick Evans urges you to look at the positive in the situation, and keep pushing towards your goal.
  (Source: Sales Caffeine newsletter)

We have worked with clients who wrestle with the stylistic differences between writing for online media compared to other types of business, marketing or public relations writing. Marketing guru Seth Godin posted a good piece on this topic in April. (See April 7: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/) Among other tips learned from blogging formats, he notes that we can:

• Use informative and engaging headlines more often. A busy reader (who isn't?) and people who scan content or have trouble reading large amounts of copy will really appreciate good headlines. But the heading must be more than a label -- it should tell a story or make a point. To illustrate, consider scanning a label, such as "New Events," compared to a better headline that teases: "Dunk the President and Make a Splash at our June 2 Fundraiser".


• Don't be afraid of lists. As Godin points out, people like lists. You can use them effectively online, in a report or as part of a long memo or email. (Even in a short Water Cooler Q&A!)


• You don't have to say everything all at once. You can add other ideas in subsequent emails, letters, brochures or reports, using a strategy Godin calls "drip, drip, drip." We think it's also essential to match up the content with your reader's state of mind. For example, a conference prospect will first want material that helps evaluate the appeal of your event before looking at detailed pricing options and registration procedures.


• Offer insight, not gimmicks. In the instantly connected online world, bloggers must really have something to say if they're going to hold their readers' interest and keep them coming back. The same rule should apply to all your content.

The desire to create experiences for clients or customers is a topic that often emerges when we facilitate planning discussions. An experience can be interactive, dynamic, personalized, unexpected, trouble-free, easy to access, or a social, shared experience.

Sergio Zyman, in Renovate Before You Innovate, highlights five key elements of an experience that could be the focus for your effort to manage experiences: the physical elements, the customers' intention or what they want from the experience, communication and interactions, the impact or feeling created by the experience, and the impression that lingers afterwards.

8020Info offers counsel to help your organization present more effective experiences as part of your strategic planning. We would be pleased to discuss your needs and welcome enquiries at (613) 542-8020, or by email at watercooler@8020info.com.