The power and benefits of brainstorming can not be denied.
Listen in as we share our thoughts and practices on brainstorming.
Click here to download your copy of our brainstorming worksheet.
When to use Brainstorming
It is used when a large number of unrestrictive, divergent ideas are needed. For example, if you are:
- thinking of an idea for the name of a business
- creating marketing plans
- trying to identify a new product or line of products
- trying to improve a current product
- trying to create or improve a business system
- identifying prospecting methods
- developing lists of criteria
When you face a problem and are looking for answers, brainstorming is a great way to harness you (and your team) collective knowledge and come up with solutions. Here are six tips on how to get the most from your brainstorming sessions.
- Think outside of the box. You and your team should try to be innovative and pioneering in every aspect of your work and your business, every day. Brainstorming is great for those times when you get stuck and can’t find a solution.
- Get out of the office and into a creative environment. Weather permitting we’ll spend the day at one of our favorite hotels (The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel) and kick around ideas and outline action plans to solutions. There’s something about changing the scenery by getting out of the office that is conducive to creative thinking.
- Fresh minds and fresh ideas. We’ve all heard the adage you can’t see the forest for the trees – right. Sometimes it is beneficial to bring in others (strategic partners, different departments, coaches, etc…). You never know where the creative idea might come from. Don’t discount others and don’t stuck in the rut of the same people all of the time.
- Write everything down! Record every idea, even the crazy ones. Even though the crazy usually aren’t implemented they are typically the ideas that are seeds for the ideas that are implemented.
- TAKE ACTION. SUCCESS Loves Speed and action gets things done. We’ve seen to many great ideas end up in a cemetery of notebooks never to see to the light of day. You MUST implement deadlines to take action, try things, measure results and grow.
- MAKE IT FUN. If the brainstorming event isn’t thought of and anticipated as fun your ideas will be stifled.
Interested in Brainstorming but not sure how or where to start? Take a few minutes and complete our “Strategy Session” form for a 15-min strategy session which we like to call a mini-marketing plan.
Not ready for a strategy session, no worries, give us a call (951) 291-1774 or drop us a line at Contact@MusselwhiteMarketing.com today.
