Brainstorming is a methodology that will help you at several milestones when you are launching your company.
It is a widespread tool that has been used for many years; the way it works was consolidated and defined in the middle of the last century.
Like any tool, you need to know how to use it properly for it to really help us and meet the goals we set ourselves before we start.
What is a brainstorming session going to be useful for?
The idea stage of our project:
• Validating the different hypotheses about the product, service or idea we want to launch.
• Better defining the concept and the value proposition for our potential clients
• Name testing: finding the right name for the product or service to be launched
The pre-launch stage:
• Defining the marketing mix with our target audience: price, distribution channels, communication…
• Choosing the most suitable name for the product or service, as well as the logo that best defines it
• Learning about possible barriers to entering the market and purchase intention
• Defining the different uses of our product or service
With the product or service on the market:
• Detecting new market niches and new uses
• Correcting our marketing strategy
• Comparing ourselves with the competition and seeing how to beat it
These are some of the areas in which brainstorming will be useful to you. Now let’s see how to do it with a degree of success.
The storm begins:\
- Get together with a group of people who are different from one another, between 7 and 12 so it stays manageable\
- You need a quiet room or area to work in\
- Get hold of a flipchart, a whiteboard or a classic blackboard, or a poster on which you can write down what they tell you\
- Explain to the group what you want them to contribute to, what problem you want to solve\
- Set the length of the brainstorming session beforehand: no more than 30 minutes\
- In the first stage absolutely anything the participants say goes, even if it seems crazy\
- Nobody may criticise the other participants’ opinions; act as the moderator\
- Encourage every member of the group to take part\
- Keep a note of all their proposals and group together those that are similar\
- After the 30 minutes, take a break
Break, “relaxing cup of coffee”, time to analyse
11. Now it is time to group together all the results or contributions that are similar
12. Filter out the ones that you all agree make no sense and delete them from the list
13. Work on the selected ideas in more depth and develop them further
The end: after the storm comes the calm
You will need to thank all the participants for their invaluable help.
• If you have a budget, you can give them a small gift.
• If you have tested a product, you can give them a sample or let them be the first to try it.
• If it is a service, a free trial of it.
• If you have a website or an app, invite them to try the beta so they can give you more feedback
But above all, after the brainstorming session, analyse the results and take action.
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