Great idea…but why should I care?

You may have the greatest idea in the world, but can you convince your customers why they should care about it?  What makes it SO unique and different that they will choose it over your competition?  These questions should be continually top-of-mind if you are pursuing a new business, idea or product.  We recently held an in-depth training workshop for entrepreneurs  and inventors on how to refine their ideas and products and to examine what the value is or why people should care.  The workshop utilizes a training program called Eureka Winning Ways, developed by entrepreneur Doug Hall.

The biggest take-away I got was, “why should I care”?   Whether it’s from a customer, investor or employee, you need to be able to answer this in a clear, precise way.  (Hall recommends two sentences or less.)  Other potential questions you should be prepared to address are, “What is so much better that I would want to buy, use or invest in it, compared to the competition?  What if it costs more, how are you going to convince buyers that it’s so much more superior?  What’s in it for me, the customer?”

Think in terms of real value or why it would be important to a client or customer, for example, it saves time, money, does something better than anything out there.  Just saying it’s cheaper than the competition isn’t necessarily going to change someone’s mind.  But, if it’s cheaper and works better in half the time, now you’ve got my attention.

Here’s an excellent blog from this week’s online Harvard Business Review; the headline mentions ‘trust and customers’ but it’s really about how businesses such as Amazon and Zappos have differentiated themselves from others, gained customers and earned that trust.  What other things make your favorite business or product stand apart from the competition?

What’s better than sliced bread?

Maybe it’s time to upgrade this saying; I’m not sure that sliced bread is the best-invention-ever anymore.  Do you have the next big invention or idea?  Want to see if it’s worthwhile to try and market?  Or perhaps you want to explore better ways of reaching your market and commercializing your product or service.  Register now for Profit 101:Commercializing Great Ideas – a half-day seminar focused on generating or refining innovations, products or services.  The workshop is part of New Vision’s Technology Roadmap initiative (TRI), to help inventors, entrepreneurs and established businesses commercialize bright ideas.

The Roadmap is designed to help inventors, entrepreneurs and established businesses get their bright  ideas, new product lines and inventions in the ‘fast lane’ to commercialization.  We are working with Impact Washington to help people evaluate and commercialize their bright ideas.  The first part of this initiative is for everyone that is interested in launching their inventions or product ideas – Yakima County inventors and entrepreneurs with innovative new products or inventions that are close to market-ready or past the ‘idea’ stage and existing businesses that want to expand or diversify products or areas.  We will then take applications from interested parties and a panel of judges will select up to five individuals or teams for in-depth assistance.

Profit 101:Commercializing Great Ideas will be held on Wednesday, April 28th from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  Cost is $30, which includes lunch.  Registration deadline is this FRIDAY, APRIL 23rd!

Contact Tammy Everts, Business Development Director, 509-575-1140 or tammy@ycda.com for more information!

Help us find Entrepreneurs & Inventors

We are looking for entrepreneurs, inventors or folks who have great ideas, inventions or products but may need some assistance.  Our Technology Roadmap Initiative is designed to help innovative people learn how to evaluate and commercialize their ideas, new product lines and inventions.  Participants in the Technology Roadmap Initiative can win a $2,000 Eureka Ranch Merwyn Assessment to evaluate their ideas and determine how they can commercialize potential products or ideas.   The Merwyn Simulation is one of the nation’s best systems for gauging the success of ideas or new products!

Existing businesses that want to improve, expand or diversify product lines or services can also participate in the Technology Roadmap Initiative.

$30 entrance fee includes registration at two upcoming business seminars: Entrepreneurship 101 and Commercializing Great Ideas (Profit 101).  For more info on these seminars or to register click here.

Technology Roadmap Initiative participants wanting to be considered for the Merwyn Assessment must return our full applications by May 3, 2010.  Click here for applications and more information.

Missed the Tech Roadmap Orientation? Read on:

If you missed one of the Technology Roadmap Initiative (TRI) orientation meetings, you are not too late to participate.  Here’s a quick summary:  Phase 1 (April 6th – May 3rd) is open to anyone that wants to participate and/or submit their idea/invention/product/service to be chosen for further assistance and assessment in Phase 2. As part of Phase 1, we are offering two upcoming workshops, as follows.

Entrepreneurship 101 on April 20th – a fast-paced, jam-packed hour with information about entrepreneurship, starting a business, financing realities, and more.  The second workshop is Profit 101 – which is an interactive half day workshop focused on idea refinement and generating and refining your ideas/inventions/products/services.

For one $30 fee per idea/invention/product/service you get to attend BOTH workshops if you want (one includes lunch) AND/OR it includes the application fee for submitting your idea/invention/product/service for consideration into Phase 2.

Visit the TRI page to learn more.  Give me a call and we can go over it!  If I get enough interest, we will hold another informal orientation session next week, so let me know if you want more information.

Contact me, Tammy Everts, Business Development Director, 509-575-1140 or tammy@ycda.com to get your idea in the fast lane today!