Today I am sharing an example of how your innovations can be marketed by your business partners.
Last week, I moderated a case study on monetization of a technology for a professional society. A large company working on specialized printing of metals found an issue in the parts made. The lead cause, among others, was the flow of gases in the equipment used. They put together a team of engineers who analyzed the flow. After simulations, the team designed an add-on part that could fix the problem. And guess what?
The solution worked and more. They could not only print defect-free parts but could also operate at a much higher load.
One time the service technician from the equipment maker was in their facility. He saw the part, the results, and was beaming with wide smiles. He asked if he could discuss the potential of using it with other users. This is a huge sign!
When technicians volunteer for a product, pay close attention. They understand the ground issues better than most.
Fast forward, this company now has an established flow of customers who are lining up to use their part. They get a fair amount of leads from the equipment maker. Their customers are also getting them other leads. This is the best form of marketing one can aim for.
What can we learn for our innovation journeys?
The best innovators tend to be the ones that experience the problem themselves.
The defects were something that could not be tolerated. A fix was required. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention.
Complete solutions >> Hacks
Arguably, the defect could be addressed with a hack. Those are not built for scale and certainly not for industrial production. Their solution was a result of flow analysis, simulation, prototypes, and fine tuning. Hence, it worked for much greater loads and is now built to last.
When engineers are happy with something, listen to them
The technician really cared for the other users of his equipment. Else he would have to listen to their complaints. When he saw that there was great potential in the add-on part, he became a strong advocate at his company.
In this case study, there was a good insight for how a collaborative approach resulted in a win-win partnership for businesses. Adopters could get to market easily and the innovators got a favorable outcome.
There’s a case to be also made for marketing of innovations. Something in a lab cabinet needs to be put out there for others to use. Bringing awareness to that is the innovator’s responsibility.
It all starts with having an acute understanding of the problem at hand and determining who else is facing it. If you fix it well, your partners will become your advocates. It helps them too – win-win!
That’s it for today.
Happy ideating 😊
Hemang.