Ideas, even really great ideas, don't add a lot of value. Its the "idea and" that really matters. The idea and the execution. Or the idea and the persuasion. Or the idea and a the expert communication that leads to a new perspective. Or the idea and the data and analysis
A few days ago I listened to a free "teleseminar" put on by a self storage marketing consultant, Derek Naylor. He did a decent job sharing some ideas. Most of them I've heard before, but there were a couple of good nuggets. Did I mention that the call was free (except my time)?
I've also read a few good books lately: Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz, Go Put Your Strengths to Work by Marcus Buckingham, and the classic Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini. These three books are packed with good ideas. Total cost: less than $50.
Seth Godin's Blog is free.
The ideas are everywhere and they are not that expensive. Mounds of really good ones can be had for a bargain. What we are striving for at Crescendo is the And. We have a super-bright people. We have lots of ideas for how to improve the performance of our properties, how to find more and better deals, and how to make our work more fun and meaningful.
Figuring out how to implement and test the ideas we already have is where the real value lies. For me at least, this is the low-hanging fruit. My guess is it is likely the same for you.
