AIM Archives - Month: October 2015

Dan Adams Delivers Keynote Speech at the ASC Conference

Dan Adams Delivers Keynote Speech at the ASC Conference

Cuyahoga Falls, OH (October 23, 2015) – for immediate release Dan Adams, president of The AIM Institute, took the stage as morning keynote speaker for the Adhesives & Sealant’s Council 2015 Fall Convention & Expo in Pittsburgh, PA on October 21, 2015. Adams speech, “The Awkward Realities of B2B Innovation: Why They’ll Laugh At Us In 20 Years”, was met with ... Read More

Don’t count on your R&D people being brighter than competitors’.

24-Research-and-Development

Will you win because your R&D people are 20% smarter than the competition’s? If that logic sounds shaky, here’s a suggestion: What if your R&D worked only on problems customers truly cared about… while competitors kept guessing what to work on? Would that be a competitive advantage? This is easier than you think… but maybe you’d rather try to hire geniuses.

More in white paper, Catch the Innovation Wave (page 4)

You don’t know what you don’t know.

23-What-You-Dont-Know

When developing a product, you know what you know (facts)… what you think (hypotheses)… and what you don’t know (gaps). But breakthroughs usually come from what you didn’t know you didn’t know. Only your customers know this, so you must let them guide you. This provides the spark of innovation, which seldom occurs with old-fashioned supplier-led interviews.

More in e-book, Reinventing VOC for B2B (page 3)

Interview B2B customers in a way that allows—even invites—surprise.

22-Business-Surprise

We’ve coached hundreds of B2B new product teams and here’s the awkward reality: When teams begin using advanced methods to interview customers, they are usually surprised by what customers want. This means the teams had been planning on developing a product that interested them, not customers. This is a sobering experience. Have you had it yet?

More in article, The Cost Cutter’s Guide to Growth (Originally published in B2B Organic Growth Newsletter)

You can’t achieve profitable, sustainable growth behaving like your competitors.

21-Competitive-Behavior

Unless your company has smarter employees, some inherent unassailable advantage, or a markedly different approach to satisfying customers… pesky competitors will always limit your growth. What if you and your competitors were all committing the same innovation errors… but you corrected them first? Good news: There is much to correct.

More in article, Seven Mistakes that Stunt Organic Growth

Eliminating Commercial Risk in New Product Development

Eliminating Commercial Risk in New Product Development

Cuyahoga Falls, OH (October 5, 2015) – for immediate release Most companies are concerned with two types of new product development risk—technical and commercial. According to The AIM Institute’s Dan Adams, author of the white paper, “Timing is Everything: Exposing Deep Flaws in B2B Innovation Today”, commercial risk in product development can be virtually eliminated. But, ... Read More

Boost your new product launch by knowing what your ad agency does and does not “own.”

20-Advertising-Agency

A proper product launch defines who to tell, what to tell and how to tell. You own who and what to tell, while your ad agency or PR firm should focus on how to tell. Hand them a strong Prospect Profile and Message Brief for “who and what.” Otherwise, they’ll waste your money guessing.

More in article, Stop Squandering Your Product Launch Budget (Originally published in B2B Organic Growth Newsletter)