Explode Out of Your Box with New Ideas

So you’re sitting there at your computer wondering how you can get some fresh new perspective or creative ideas to start the New Year off with a bang?  It’s easy; you just have to be open and receptive to finding the ideas that are constantly surrounding you.  Reach out and grab them!

1. Need more sales or more clients?  I talk to people in companies, firms or organizations constantly that unbelievably are still not harnessing the power of social media.  The lame excuse that I constantly hear is that they “don’t understand it”; and some even poke fun at people that have a Twitter, Facebook, WordPress or LinkedIn account.  No matter what your business, the power of the information connectivity with your core audience is at an all-time high.  You just need to solve the problem of not only how to connect with them, but when and what to offer.
2. Make it easy for your clients.  Customers will flock to someone that builds a better mousetrap.  Let’s face it, as a human race we’re all basically lazy people.  If you are selling a product, make it easy to buy.  If you are selling an idea, keep your content current, easy to understand and receive.  Look at your business from the customer’s perspective.  What roadblocks can you eliminate to make it easier to do business with you?  How can you engage your customers so you stay in the forefront of their mind?  (Hint: see #1 above)
3. Humor.  Want to hear something funny?  We all do!  Some of the most memorable Super Bowl commercials ever have all had a great humorous element to them.  That’s what made them so wonderful.  Make it fun!   Engage with others in a silly, unpredictable way to gain attention, or make a memorable moment.
4. Get out of your rut.  Do something new.  Go for a walk, get outside, join a club, or volunteer.  See things from a fresh perspective.  Be open along the way for an inspiring moment, conversation or idea.
5. Talk to a kid.  That’s right.  Ask a kid for their advice on how to solve your problem.  Children aren’t bogged down with the “right & wrong” ways of thinking about being creative.  It’s ok to color outside of the lines, and can lead to great new sources of creativity.  Challenge the status quo – “Do we HAVE TO do something this way?”
6. Read a book about something you don’t know anything about.  Ben Franklin, Australia, Japanese Brush Painting, Tennis, Astronomy, whatever.  Take something from that experience and try to link it to your challenge.  How have others risen to a challenge or succeeded?  What techniques or methods in a different industry can spark a new way of looking at your challenge?
7. Try something with the knowledge that it can fail miserably and it’s ok.  Food recipes just don’t fall out of the sky – lots of really awful cakes get baked first.  Think about all the great inventions that we take for granted every day.  Some of the greatest ones were discovered by a happy accident, or the result of an experiment in developing something else.  Are you open to fail?
8. Think about how to do something following the three tenets of sustainability.  Reduce, Reuse or Recycle.  In your group what materials can you reduce to achieve the same result?  Can you reuse something and repurpose an item for new life?  What can you recycle and gain a benefit?
9. Ask for help.  That’s right, I said it.  Admit you don’t know everything and call in an expert, mentor, consultant or someone that’s traveled that road before.  Be prepared to be challenged though.  The only thing worse in not calling in an expert is not listening to their advice.  Even if this flies in the face of how you currently operate.
10. Take a class and expand you mind.  Learning from others is a great way to expand your knowledge base and apply your learning to your challenges.  It really doesn’t have to be in your area or industry either.  Just get out there an do it!!