| Try polling potential customers to figure out what | | | | getting it. Check your cheat sheet every night |
| they want. Signing in anonymously in chat rooms | | | | after work and tally up your findings. Don’t |
| and forums is a good way to ask people their | | | | shy away from interviewing customers at your |
| opinions. Not surprisingly, people are more honest | | | | job. Just don’t be pushy. Ask polite questions. |
| with their opinions when you’re not | | | | Try not to cross company policy lines and get |
| face-to-face with them. Exploit this technique. | | | | fired. (You’ll be starting that new venture |
| Also, ask questions on forums and pose questions | | | | sooner than you planned!) |
| on blog comments. The feedback you get can | | | | Everybody has ideas, but not everybody has the |
| lead you in all kinds of directions. | | | | gusto to put ideas into action. Be open to other |
| At some point, you will narrow your ideas into | | | | people’s ideas and stop thinking that yours |
| one killer concept. Take some of the comments | | | | are sacred. A million other people on the planet |
| you receive and post them in other forums and | | | | might have got out of bed this morning thinking |
| ask other people’s opinions on that first | | | | the same thing. Maybe ten considered actually |
| group’s feedback. Another strategy is cold | | | | following up with the idea. But only one of you is |
| calling people and just asking them by phone. Not | | | | going to follow through with it. |
| everyone is going to be polite when you use this | | | | Find out what the customer wants. There’s |
| method. You need backbone and thick skin to | | | | no value in having an idea that just works in your |
| make cold calls. | | | | head. By brainstorming with your friends |
| If you still work a full-time job, you need a cheat | | | | you’ve probably had thousands of dumb |
| sheet at your desk. Start a list of complaints you | | | | ideas. Years later, someone started a successful |
| get from customers. A good way to find out | | | | business based on that stupid idea you had years |
| what customers want is by figuring out what | | | | ago. The person never met you but had the |
| they’re mad about because they’re not | | | | same idea that you had. |