How much should you share with potential clients when meeting with them and especially in your writing and on the web? I hear this question quite often and for years I was not a huge fan of “giving” away our IP and wisdom. Here is my belief now:

1. If you think you are giving too much of it away, you are on the right track.


2. Your clients will wonder if this is how much “free” advice you give them prior to becoming a client, how much would you then be giving them after they become a client.


3. It helps me to constantly push the envelope and re-invent with new ideas so I do not become otherwise stagnant.

While vacationing in St. George, Utah, back in December, I couldn’t help but notice this creative sign and ashtray:

“Use Your Electricity For More Than Light” said an ad that ran in the Sears catalog in 1917. When talking about Internet strategies in the various speeches I deliver, I refer to the idea of the Internet of today as the light bulb of 100 years ago. It is obvious that we barely are scratching the surface of all the potential that is available. What is even more exciting are the technologies yet be invented in years to come and their enormous applicability to our personal and business life.

One such phenomenon is the popularity and growth of social networking web sites. These web sites are places, primarily for individuals of all ages, who are looking to learn and share their interests and get in touch with people all over the world. What makes the web so perfect for this to work is ease of joining such networks, its availability which is 24×7 and the frequent access to great minds.

According to comScore, 155 million users visit such sites each day! Sites such as ClassMates, MySpace, FaceBook, LinkedIn, NewsCorp and eBay to name a few.

My organization has also been involved in implementing and building such communities. One such example, of a very exciting and successful community, is the one we’ve done for Alan’s Forums. It is a place attracting the smartest of consultants from all over the world who join for debate, networking and ideas exchange. The other, Substance & Forum, is a new community we are getting ready to launch which attracts the elite of tax mind in this country.

Talking of TED, I’ve recently watched these two fascinating and inspiring presentations from Dean Kamen – previewing a new prosthetic arm and Jeff Skoll – making movies that make change. Don’t miss them.

Click below to view the presentation:

Click below to view the presentation:

I recently have come across this outstanding site, which you must visit. www.Ted.com features inspired talks by the world’s greatest thinkers and doers. Each speaker is given about 20 minutes to deliver their powerful message. View and listen great messages from Dan Gilbert about happiness, Seth Godin about marketing, Malcolm Gladwell, Bill Clinton and many more.

To view and select from the list of speeches click here.

One of my other favorite sites for a quick reference is www.answers.com, which not only gives me the answer to most of my questions, but also the sound pronunciation, other languages and many other useful resources.

So you want to quickly learn about evolution, html or even the US constitution. Did you know that the answers to your curiosity questions or your research paper are just a few clicks away? One of the greatest inventions of the Internet is that of Wiki type technology. This technology creates web sites where anyone who has access to the web site may collaborate with others to create and develop content. The best such example is that of Wikipedia, which is the largest, free Internet Encyclopedia. Many contributors from all over the world constantly improve its content. Simply click on http://en.wikipedia.org/ and type your search words and Voilà, you too may become an instant expert.

Peter Andrews with the IBM Advanced Business Institute talks about the following reference points for most organizations interested in innovation:

1. Idea/Insight. This is what gets documented in a brainstorming session. It is the first expression of new possibilities, either as a combination or a complete novelty.

2. Research. Here, the idea is actualized. The idea is checked for precedence, put into context, tested and explored for application.

3. Development. The innovation must be directed toward a market, honed, made feasible and “owned” at an appropriate level.

4. Management/Strategy. Companies that have formal processes of innovation may go back to this stage repeatedly, but, essentially, it is here that innovations are judged, put into a business context, prioritized, validated supported and promoted.

5. Manufacturing/Distribution. Here, the innovation becomes a product or service and is made available outside the organization.

6. Sales/Marketing. The innovation must be reinterpreted for customers, made visible, explained and offered. In addition, Sales provides a venue for feedback and judgment.

7. Marketplace. The customer validates the innovation by buying and using the innovation.

Click here for the rest of the article: Roles for innovation – The right people at the right time