Recently, I’ve been developing a few of my own products for launch in my marketing consultancy.
In the past, I have done as what traditional marketing dictates:
“Understand the needs of your marketplace, find a solution to fill that unfulfilled need.”
And yes, that has resulted in some good results.
But really, that is what every decent business owner is doing.
Ultimately, I end up with a good, but not an awesome product.
But I’m sure you don’t just want to develop good products, but awesome products that have customers raving about you and the media circling you like hawks!
So where do you start?
I look to the example of Steve Jobs, who has developed more awesome products in his lifetime than most of us will do in 100 lifetimes.
Did he develop products in the way that most business people do?
Did he ask customers using focus groups, surveys and doing market research?
No!
Yet he developed the most sought after technology products in the history of mankind.
What did he do?
I believe here are his 3 steps to creating awesome products, which I personally use, and you can use in your own business too.
- Ask different questions
Most marketers will ask the same old common questions that our competitors ask. Such as:
“What does my market need?”
“What solution can I offer my market that people will pay for?”
That’s why we all end up competing in the same space, create very little in terms of innovation and make ordinary money like everyone else.
What if you asked different questions?
What if you asked yourself the following questions instead, questions that I believe Steve Jobs would have asked himself:
“What product can I create that will inspire and excite my customers?”
“Will this product capture the imagination and dreams of my customers?”
“What emotions will my customers feel when they hold this product in their hands?”
By asking yourself these questions, you are on the path to develop really awesome products that will make you stand apart from the competition.
Remember, most people don’t know what they need. So if you ask them what they need, you are simply going to get the same answers as everyone else out there.
- Look within
It was said Steve Jobs spent a lot of time meditating.
While I’m not a big fan of meditating myself, I think it is important to have those times of quietness where you can listen to your subconscious mind and intuition.
Scientists say that we use only 10% of our brains. Through relaxation, reflection and meditation often we are able to get a glimpse of what the other 90% may be trying to tell us.
We spend so many hours thinking and working every day, yet how much time to we spend reflecting, journaling or in meditation?
I often get the best wisdom and ideas when I’m in the shower, journaling or in a semi-sleep state when I’m about to wake up.
For example, I actually refocused one of my businesses and created new products years ago based on inspiration I gained from an early morning beach walk on Bondi Beach in Sydney.
That business ended up doing 5x the revenue compared to my original business.
Yes, I know you may be busy, but take time out as a routine and you’d be surprised what inspiration you can gain by taking some time off.
- Test the concept
Truth be told, sometimes despite all the inspiration and introspective time, seemingly good ideas can still be duds.
Even Steve Jobs produced some duds in his lifetime, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you do!
Maybe you are ahead of your time, maybe your marketing message is not refined enough, maybe your product needs to be refined a bit more. But don’t give up.
I would suggest testing your concept by running some ads on Google or Facebook.
Create the product and craft a marketing message. See if people click on the ad.
Judge by the response to your ads and see if your product is something people are interested in.
Refine and test again.
At the end of the day, imagination still needs to be supported by empirical proof from the marketplace.
So there you have it, the 3 steps to develop products that will inspire and capture the imagination of your market.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, please leave your comments below.
