Talking to others!!!

Talking to the right people can inspire all kinds of new ideas and help you to test the ideas you already have.

Talk to your customers. What improvements would they suggest? Does your product have a group of 'expert users' who are already adapting it and using it in ways you had not thought of?

Look at your competitors. How do their products and services differ from yours? Seek the opinions of your suppliers. Sometimes they will have thought of something you have not. You can meet both these groups at trade and industry fairs, where you can also encounter those outside your local business environment - sometimes 'new ideas' are already being used by your international competitors.

You can get new ideas and test existing ones by doing research on the web and in print media. Who are the experts in your field? Look up the authors in the material you research. Contact universities with departments covering technology applicable to your business.

Do not forget to test your most innovative ideas by doing patent searches to ensure they are original. During such searches you may even find technology you can license and use to meet your customers' needs.