To be competitive in the global market, everyone must take some responsibility for Massachusetts innovation. If we’re not an innovator ourselves (and there are all kinds of innovation, so don’t sell yourself short), we can be innovation supporters. (It’s a little like being a Red Sox, Bruins or Patriots fan but I won’t embarrass you by calling you an athletic supporter.)
Think about it. What can you do to support Massachusetts-based innovation? Here are a few ideas:
- Get out — out of your home, out of your office, away from your desk. Take a walk where you’ve never been before. Change your route. Keep your eyes and ears open along the way. (You can also “get out” virtually. Try out a new path through the blogo-sphere.)
- On your ramble, did you meet any innovators? See someone doing something different, unusual, inspiring? Make a connection. Introduce yourself. (It’s easy, stick out your hand, say “hello” and tell them your name.)
- Be curious. Learn something new. Ask questions.
- Ask yourself, how can I help this innovator? Do you know a prospective client, partner, new hire? Make an introduction.
- Get excited about something — let yourself fall in love. Swoon, publicly. Gush! Tweet it. Blog about it. Add it to your Facebook page. Snap a picture and load it on Flickr. It’s OK . It’s also OK to fall in love with a part of something. You may not like the product itself but the business plan is appealing. Or the business plan looks disastrous but darn, that product is very creative. Whatever. Be positive about what you do like. Remember what mom said. And, if you can’t say something nice, move on and find something you can be enthusiastic about.
Innovators, your turn. Want to be “adoptable”? Here are a few ideas for you:
- Make sure you have a clear and concise elevator pitch. Can you explain what you are doing so anyone can clearly see the benefits? Even people who might not be your target audience? (But who might be great connectors and provide a link to a potential customer.)
- Do you know who your target audience really is?
- Do you know who your competition is? Do you know what they are doing? What makes you different, and better?
- Are you making it easy for others to help you? Do your business cards have your website? And your Twitter I.D.? When you are out at an event, is your signage clear? Have someone look at your table for you. Can they tell the name of the company? Can they tell you what the company does? What’s the name of the featured product?
- Are you passionate about what you are doing? Are you excited? (Some people have a tough time getting worked up about a product or idea if the creator is ho-hum about it.) Conversely, if you are over-the-top crazy, you might be making your audience nervous. So maybe you need to cool it.
- Don’t expect every person who comes along to be your soul mate. There is a certain amount of “what’s in it for me” at work with a lot of supporters you will come across. What is their agenda? How do you both win? What’s their innovation?What makes them interesting? How might you work together?
