‘Designing Strategies’ Newsletter
September – October 2007 Volume 4 – Issue 18
Just when you think you know everything there is to know about rubber bands! I recently returned from speaking at the S.P. Richards’ Advanced Business Conference in Nashville. Attendees were owners of smaller office product and furniture dealerships. What an event! Energy levels were high and 
excitement abounded the entire four days. I walked the exhibit floor to learn about the audience I would be addressing. There were not only office furnishings on display, but every type of pen, paper, pencil, art supply, adhesive, paper clip and rubber band imaginable.
As I walked the aisles, my eye was caught by a booth for the Alliance Rubber Company. There is an Alliance, Ohio not far from my home, and I routinely visit any Ohio company’s booth, so I stopped by to say ‘Hi!’ As the crowd at their booth parted, I was totally surprised by the variety of brightly colored rubber bands on display, and the range of sizes and shapes that product took on. It was clear this company were quite skilled when it came to innovation and strategy to expand their product line.
VISUALIZE
I stepped up, introduced myself and opened myself up to “The Sales Pitch.” The wonderfully enthusiastic company representative was happy to tell me everything there is to know about rubber bands. It was somewhat shocking what I didn’t know about this very simple product! She informed me that the company had, in fact, begun in Alliance, Ohio but is now located in Arkansas. Further, I learned the most fascinating things about their product line. I always assumed that ‘a rubber band is a rubber band’; they come in two or three sizes and they are tan. Boy was I wrong!
Did you know there are anti-microbial rubber bands? Perfect for hospitals, doctor’s offices and anywhere people want to stop germ spread. How about latex-free rubber bands for people allergic to latex? They have even developed a line of rubber bands color coded by size and width. Think about when you reach into your drawer for a certain sized rubber band. Usually, you find yourself sorting through a pile of different sizes looking for just the right one. With the color coded version, you are saved having to sort through a tangled pile of tan rubber bands to find one that meets your needs at that moment.
ANALYZE
Would you believe that they have rubber bands large enough to use around pallets loaded for shipping? No kidding. And, they offer customized rubber wrist bands for special events. Not to be stopped at colors and sizes, they make a heavy-duty band from material used for automobile tires. Oh, and they have scented rubber bands too. Who would have imagined there are so many innovative ways to make such a basic, but necessary item? Or, how many different ways a simple product like rubber bands are used? What steps can your company take to expand your product line?
How about your product line? Do you have a wide variety of sizes and styles? Did you add some useful new services through innovation lately? What hot new innovations are you thinking about, or working on? It’s pretty plain to see that innovations don’t have to require high levels of technology. Is there some unique new material you might use for your product that will enable you to move into new market segments? Can you ‘color code’ or otherwise categorize your product to add convenience and save time for end users?
At your next brainstorming or planning session, don’t just think about big, costly, complex ways to innovate and expand your product line. Consider ways you can somehow just improve your products or services. Give some time and thought to what minor changes might provide you entry into lucrative new markets, or new ways to use your products. Ask customers what other uses or styles you might incorporate to make their lives easier. Then, sit down and plan some strategies to innovate and expand your product lines.
STRATEGIZE
Working on innovation ourselves, MCG needs your help! Over the past several years, Maurer Consulting Group has developed a number of programs focused on the business of interior design. These Business Success programs have been presented at local and national venues. Some have been presented at national conferences like ASID’s Interiors conference, NEOCON and IIDEX. Others are sponsored or hosted by furniture showrooms, to draw designers in to acquaint them with their company and products.
This year our innovation exercise includes working on a section of our own strategic plan calling for developing new Business Success programs aimed at you, the industry that supports interior designers. Programs added to our curriculum this year were: ‘The Changing Marketplace: Communicating with and Selling to the Generations’, ‘Recruiting and Managing an Age-Diverse Workforce’, and ‘Target Market: Interior Design Practitioners’.
These programs have been well received, but we want to add more programs of value to you, the supply side of the interior design community. I’ve asked industry members where they find business education programs for themselves; to help them grow and improve their business skills. I usually get a blank stare as they try to recall the last time they found a program focused on their needs. MCG wants to change that situation.
So, tell us what programs would be valuable for you and your staff. Send ideas for topics you need and we will do the research and develop them into design industry business seminars. Additionally, tell us where you would like these programs offered: your facility, local design events, national shows, etc. We’ll do our best to find our way into those venues convenient for you and your staff to attend. Send ideas to: tlmaurer@maurerconsultinggroup.com
