10 Course Model 2: Development – constructing the idea into a concept

Good ideas are a-dime-a dozen. It is what you do with the idea and how you communicate that makes a difference. Writing an idea is the bridge between ingenuity and innovation. When an idea is constructed in writing or artistically designed it becomes a conceptual prototype. When writing a description of an idea using systems thinking formats written in third person will guide the reader through sequential deductive reasoning stages as if they are contemplating the thought themselves. Also, writing in third person also gives a connotation of fact similar to a newspaper article. A written document also transcends the judgement and thinking of the author into a tangible product suitable for presenting to others.

How much time does someone have to capture a potential gatekeeper’s short-term memory to sell their innovation? 5 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute? But wait… there is so much to offer. Many people think, “more is better”. However, in the world of power-decision makers, long lists of features and benefits will cause prospects to disconnect.

I don’t know what to eat? Selling a large array of features, benefits, or a story is an effort that can ruin an opportunity. In a study conducted by Sheena Iyengar, Columbia Business School Professor and international expert on choice, it was discovered when buyers had to choose between a smaller display of grocery products and a larger presentation of options the smaller display sold more products at a rate of 600%. In the same study, 97% of people who were shown the larger display of options chose none, whereas 30% of prospects bought at least 1 item from the smaller display. Often innovators and companies lose great opportunities by leading with a key emotional value only to lose the close (approval to proceed) when they showed the audience everything they could do for them. Like telling a person you cook great chicken and when they see a huge buffet of Thai, steak, spaghetti, fish, pizza, cake, ice cream… they don’t know what to eat.

There is no black and white. Buying products and ideas is a cognitive process to evaluate all options. In most cases, buying a concept is not a “black and white” answer of hard value such as price over use. A buyer, or advocate of an innovation, must also consider the impact of disruption caused by soft values, such as what will the boss think, risks related to endorsing something different, political adversaries, operational requirements, and other things that are important to get done by end of the week. Prospects must sort through all of the hard and soft commitments related to each benefit or feature. The reason is because most likely they will have to defend their endorsement in their organization to get approval to proceed.

Chunking. Chunking refers to the approach of making more efficient use of short-term memory by grouping information into easy-to-understand categories. Chunking takes unstructured details and groups them into sequential classifications. The resulting chunks, or groupings, are easier to commit to short term memory and value comprehension. This enables decision makers to have quick clarity to make choices and shorten approval cycles. This approach also helps innovators to focus their efforts by making sense of mass amounts of details. Here is a strategy for chunking

• Break large amounts of features and benefits into groups based on usage.
• Align the groups of features and benefits into categories based on customer needs (solutions)
• Organize the categories into sequential stages of thought and give each segment a heading or brand name relevant to the use of the information.