Think big. Now think bigger.

Thinking big can be a difficult task. Something always seems
to get in the way. I call the barrier to new ideas and innovation “Safety Of
the Past” or SOP.  We use the way we
understood things yesterday to craft how we respond to and make decisions about
today. It’s time to put the SOP to the side, think big and then think even
bigger. I’d like to offer three areas you can look into to identify areas of
opportunity for thinking big.

• Service – When was the last time you looked at
  every customer interaction that takes place for your product or service? Are
  there ways to impact the experience taking each step from the mundane to the
  special? On a recent flight on American the flight safety video contained
  subtle humor along with the appropriate teaching. I found the guests on the
  plane laughing while learning. American took something common and made it entertaining.
• Technology – Technology is transforming decision
  making, community as well as transactions. The pace of this transformation is
  increasing and there are members of your target audience who are growing up
  with the Internet as a norm. Customers, your sales team, your employees and
  strategic partners are finding new ways to be efficient with technology. Take
  time to envision what technology can do to help create your future. Don’t just
  create an app. Help your customers through a creative use of technology.
• Relevant content – Web sites are no longer
  electronic brochures. Web sites are opportunities to teach and inspire. Flat
  and irrelevant words on an electronic page will be ignored faster than you can
  imagine. Create content that is likely to help the visitor. Don’t think about
  selling with the content you create. Develop information that customers would
  like to hear and know. Put yourself in their shoes.

These are just three areas of opportunity to think big.
Forget the safety of the past. Spend time looking ahead into what the future
might hold. Once you have uncovered steps to take, make those a reality and
then think even bigger. Get in the habit of living with change and innovation.
You might as well. Your customers are doing that every day.

Any thoughts about where you can begin to think big?