"Alternative" your customer thinking

Every bold innovation stems from a fresh perspective—a shift in the focus of seeing things. This novelty lies not in a pure change of perspective, but in original thinking about what is being observed. To develop a truly innovative strategy, commonplace phenomena must be rethought. In the competition for innovation, original ideas are indispensable.

Is there any way to promote original ideas and make yourself a recognized trendsetter? Here are five "new perspectives" that inspire extraordinary imaginations.

Contrarian

"Contrarians" challenge what is generally considered common sense across the industry. As "rebels", they observe things like others, but often do the opposite. When some ideas spark skepticism, they think it might be worth following.

"Barriers" despise formal rules set by their industry, government, or other legislatures. Terry Halverson, owner of the Admiral Thriftway supermarket with three chains, is such a maverick "buck the trend".

At his store, customers are drawn to the lively activity in the store. On the platform, there are ovens, stoves, cooking oil, wine, pots, bowls, scoops, plates, everything is available. The presenters give demonstrations, and usually the dishes can be made in 15 minutes or less. Weekly events are posted on bulletin boards, and customers can make their own shopping trips, take time out to learn how to cook, and taste the prepared food.

When asked how he was able to pull off so many tricks and how to pay for the event, Halvorson replied: "Most chains are looking to cut costs as the best way to make money, but I think , if you want to make money you have to spend it first, and we got all the money we spent at the event. The product used in the demo sold very well."

As customers reach the checkout desk, they have a new surprise . According to the usual sales strategy, the shelves at the exit should be stocked with razor blades, chewing gum, etc. customers want to buy temporarily, but at Admiral Thriftway, people see Bon Appetit (French: good appetite, A gourmet magazine, $15 each), premium chocolate imported from France, uniquely flavored salad dressings, flavored oils, and other specialty products. Why did Halverson put these high-priced products in the front row?

He explained: "In the supermarket, where do customers have time to stop and look at these high-end products that are worth buying, other than at the checkout? And that can lead to higher profits for us."

Admiral Thriftway does not take the high-end line, its overall price can only be regarded as mid-range at best. Halverson claims he will open more locations with this style to serve people of different income brackets. "Typically, the wealthy spend a lot on new cars and vacations, and those with less money spend on special, fancy food, but most of my colleagues don't think that way."

Most supermarkets do not have as much sales as Admiral Thriftway. Halverson is truly a maverick retailer. Not only can he strategize with the vision of "moving against the trend", but he also has the courage to take the risks brought about by innovation.

Off-the-beaten-path

"Off-the-beater" outperforms competitors in the same industry and sets their sights on products or services in other industries. They noticed that customers were moving among alternative industries and realized that there must be business opportunities.

This way of thinking is especially effective in breaking away from "evenly matched" industry competition.

Venture Law Group (VLG) goes beyond traditional law firm practices, providing a full range of legal and financing services to emerging companies. Company founder Craig Johnson focuses on startups with brilliant ideas but lack of funds to pay outrageous legal fees. Although there are venture capitalists to provide them with funds, professional management consulting companies to provide them with management advice, top people in the administration, and law firms to solve a lot of legal matters, emerging companies have to Dealing with many different industries, I couldn't find a company that could provide a "one-stop shop" or integrated service until VLG came along.

VLG started out as a venture capital firm. VLG has built a solid reputation among venture capitalists and emerging companies because of its proven track record of investing in projects with a high probability of success. Once a promising project has been selected, VLG will spend several weeks developing a business plan and financing. Customers are not required to pay until funds are available. Once the project is operational, VLG will ask for a small stake in the newly formed company.

VLG has gradually gained an important position in the minds of clients, not as a legal consulting firm that can be replaced at any time, but as a full-service partner. VLG is bold and innovative, inventing this "one-stop shop" for emerging companies, thereby avoiding fierce competition with peers.

Foresight

Foresight is when the rules of the game change, to abandon those old ideas and boldly step into new fields. Imaginative innovators carefully identify trends that are likely to have a significant impact on the development of the industry, and then make decisions about what underlying demand will be stimulated if the trend continues logically.

Kinko's company is a good example of taking advantage of trends. In its early days in the 1970s, Kinko's was a company that provided photocopying services to universities in the United States, and it has now transformed into a business personnel service. This transition started in the 1980s. Then-CEO Paul Orafela and his management team noticed many new trends, including the phenomenon of working from home and outsourcing of office operations.

Kinko's quickly became the world's leading provider of document management and business services. In addition to a variety of photocopying, Kinko's also provides 24-hour color printing, binding and display services, network interface, video conferencing, network download printing and document management services. Kinko's also forms strategic alliances with other companies in order to further meet the needs of companies and individuals. For example, it cooperates with FedEx to provide convenient and fast services to customers all over the world. The dramatic shift in Kinko's market positioning shows that strategic foresight must be acutely aware of trends and then estimate what customer needs will be when such trends do arrive. Kinko's competitors may have received the same message, but lacked the vision of Kinko's.

Create Belonging

How should a company coordinate the relationship between customers if different customers share the same love for the company's products and services? Doing this well allows us to avoid boring marketing jargon, treat customers as statistics, and think in terms of making customers "belong".

A sense of belonging can unite those who share similar values and interests, sparking latent needs. Opportunities arise when a good or service or a company has a unique appeal to members of a group.

Harley-Davidson was inspired to create demand with "belonging". The motorcycle company's stellar customer network, called the Harley Owners Association, is a 15-year-old organization with 325,000 members and 940 chapters who are connected by the same hobbies and lifestyles. The company provides training to 7,000 chapter staff on how to attract new members, organize events, and decide whether to open a chapter. Harley-Davidson is much more than a motorcycle company to its customers, it has become the "headquarters" for all those who love motorcycles.

Interesting and Beneficial

Close competition forces corporate strategies to shift in two extremes. Some companies focus on the price and function of products or services, hoping to arouse the rationality of customers or we call it "eyes without tears". Others try to create a special experience, hoping to evoke the customer's sensibility or what we call "tear eyes". Now, customers are not surprised by these two tricks.

Supermarkets are an industry that ultimately seeks utility. But a supermarket chain called HEB has an unusual take: What if the supermarket was designed as an entertainment venue where people want to spend their free time?

In Austin, Texas, HEB has established an experimental store, transforming the store into a mood-boosting venue.

Mall designers recognize that a store can be distinctive because it sells something or not. They ditched the popular brands like Budweiser, Tide, Frito-Lay and Coca-Cola and replaced them with a wealth of specialty products. Their guiding principle is: don't kill individuality while trying to give everyone the product they use.

"When this plan was put into action, we were actually placing a bet," said HEB vice president John Campbell, "everything had to be delicious and not too prepared. Trouble. Our customers only buy natural, green, specialty high-quality food. You can buy one or two great products in different specialty stores all over the city, but you can't buy them all in one store, And that's what we're here for."

It's one thing to produce great products, but quite another to get customers to change their appetites, tastes and shopping habits. To meet this challenge, the mall has engaged in a series of activities that are both entertaining and educational. A chef was hired to teach customers at a cooking school, where customers paid $35 to purchase various ingredients in the ingredients section while learning to use new products. When they get home, they can cook up an 8-course meal for 20 people.

Customers who don't want to cook dinner can dine in one of the supermarket's 4 different restaurants, sitting inside or outside on a picnic table in the shade.

There is also pure entertainment, with concerts in the supermarket two nights a week. There are also special parties for children, handicrafts monopoly, and sports competitions. There are also massage rooms and gift wrapping departments in the supermarket. You can also taste a variety of delicacies in the evening.

HEB's Austin supermarket hits $1 million in weekly sales. The original shopping experience has made this market the second most visited tourist attraction in Austin, after the Texas State Capitol.

Original text excerpted from the book Invent Opportunities No One Else Can Imagine by Art Turock with permission. The book is published by Career Press Inc. (Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, USA). The author registered copyright in 2002. Translated by Xiao Dongyan.

Since 1986, Art Turock has worked as a resource specialist for more than a thousand companies, including Fortune 100 companies IBM, Merck, 3M, Motorola, and AT&T.