[Imagination Club] A New challenge to Innovate

[Jeffrey Baumgartner]

Thanks to Harmony for sharing a real life challenge with 
the Imagination Club. 

A few good suggestions have been proposed. But I think we 
are not pushing the envelope far enough. Remember this club 
is about stretching your imagination. So, go ahead. Push 
your ideas to the limit and don't be afraid to suggest 
crazy ideas. That's what the imagination club is all about.

Here are some ideas of mine - bear in mind that I do not 
condone these ideas - I only suggest them.

1) If the company is selling to your southern neighbour 
(ie. the USA), why not promote the software as "The only 
environmental software that complies with all US Homeland 
Security provisions on Environmental Terrorism". Of course, 
the company will want to look at the Homeland Security 
legislation. But with any luck, it won't actually use the 
term environmental terrorism anywhere with in ;o). 

2) Get a copy of the competitors' letterhead. You could 
probably do this by posting them a letter that requests an 
answer. If nothing else, you could always create a 
letterhead using the logo off their web site.

Make a copy of the letterhead and on it write a letter to 
all top prospects in North America. invite them to attend a 
free workshop on environmental automation in Bangkok. 
Inform them that first class air fare will be paid and tell 
them that rooms have been booked for them in the Oriental 
(probably the most expensive hotel in Bangkok).

Then send each participant a letter, care of the Oriental, 
informing them that the seminar has been cancelled at the 
last minute and as a result, the participants will not be 
compensated for their travel expenses. 

Participants will doubtless not have a very good feeling 
about the competition after that!

3) Again, using fake letterhead, write press releases to 
the main business publications denying that the CEO has 
been arrested for running farm animal pornography web sites 
and that such accusations are completely untrue. Further 
state the the CEO most certainly did not star in such 
pornography and that the main actor in "Farmer Jones Gets 
Naughty with the Sheep" only looks and sounds like the CEO 
but certainly is not the CEO.

Jeffrey
Your Fearless Moderator

On 11 Aug 2005 at 17:34, Harmony Thiessen wrote:

> Thank you to each one so far, for sharing your profiles.  I
> have an increasing sense that this group has some excellent
> Mastermind potential and relevancy. Would you care to apply
> your creative insights to the following?  
> 
> A Vancouver developer has invented an improved software
> application of environmental automation to offer to the
> global market. In fact, Vancouver has several manufacturers
> of various software in this discipline. The inventor also
> owns a reputable service company which specializes in the
> maintenance and repairs of environmental controls, and has
> had the unique opportunity to find out the "bugs" first
> hand.  Approximately 1 million dollars has been invested in
> the design.  
> 
> They have won the bids and installed their units in a few
> city (government) buildings and ice-rinks (for curling or
> hockey). They do have a technical website for those who
> understand the lingo - which are probably not the decision
> makers in this case.  
> 
> The competition in NA anyway is with a couple large 
> companies who have been in the business for decades, but are
> using antiquated systems (by comparison) and take their
> market share for granted as they have had no reason to fear
> competition to this point. They have the name, and years of
> identification in the market to rely upon.  
> 
> Our new company has superior product, but is now in the
> research rich and inventory poor position. They do offer a
> very completive price however to prospects and can compete
> with the "big boys" effectively on bids. Their Problem as it
> appears to them: Product not known, therefore not trusted.  
> 
> We want to take this product to the NA market. Our target
> markets are: mechanical engineers, property management
> companies, and finally the dealers who supply the controls
> to the aforementioned.  
> 
> How does the small company introduce their product with the
> highest level of credibility and finest use of financial
> resources?  
> 
> I look forward to your responses.
> 
> 
> Harmony Thiessen
> Vancouver, BC
>