other than you intended. Find out what those ways are and identify how you can change the situation. “What else do you do when you use our product or service?” This may identify additional opportunities to sell products to your existing customers. In addition to asking questions, it is useful to visit places, where customers use your product, and observe. How do they use your product? What else are they doing? What other products are in this environment? What seems to cause difficulties? You can also run brainstorming sessions in environments where customers use your products. Invite in a few customers and suppliers and get to work. Actually putting yourself into your customers’ shoes while brainstorming is great for insight and inspiration.

Putting It All Together Open innovation is an approach every company, from the one-man-band to the world’s biggest multinationals, can use. It has the advantages of bringing new perspectives, insights and inspiration to your idea generation and development process.

Nevertheless, you need to consider how much internal information you wish to share with whom and ensure that you retain – or can license – the intellectual property to ideas that you receive. You also need to design initiatives that generate relevant ideas that meet your business needs.

Actually putting yourself into your customers’ shoes while brainstorming is great for insight and inspiration.