Are you a young entrepreneur? Do you consider yourself an “early adopter”? Are you in your young ages with a lot of challenges to convince your superior that your idea is good enough? Then the next lines are definitely for you.
Being an innovator or an early adopter
The video of “Leadership lessons from Dancing Guy” has been watched by more than 6 million viewers over the last 10 years. Why? Apart from being funny, this video is clearly showing us how an innovator or early adopter life works: being alone and maybe laughed-at first, it is enough to convince one person for the first time. Then you, together, convince another one. Then another. Then the whole population, and who is the lame by this time? Everyone, who is not following you.
““The term “early adopter” refers to an individual or business who uses a new product, innovation, or technology before others. An early adopter is likely to pay more for the product than later adopters but accepts this premium if using the product improves efficiency, reduces cost, increases market penetration, or raises the early adopter’s social status.””
How to convince others when no one is believing you?
Being an innovator or an early adopter can be hard at the beginning as it needs a lot of consciousness and courage. You really have to believe in yourself and in your product. You have to trust 100 percently, as this is the only way to convince others - hey, what I’m doing is cool for real!
Although your risk taking is very high as being the first in something, your benefits can be even bigger. Moreover, your influence on this product is the highest - if you put enough effort, the sky’s the limit.
How to be trustworthy as a next generation marketing leader?
Y and Z generations grew up totally differently than the elder ones - they were born into the life of multitasking, technology, internet and social media. Thus, their brain works differently - as a study shows, they seek more multi-sensory communications, they remember events less and they are using a different part of their brain for texting and online interactions. All of these are making huge differences between these generations and baby boomers - as a result, there are many topics in which they just can not understand each other’s opinion.
Many times it happens that young generation leaders struggle to validate their views just because of their young age - as “they must be less experienced” or “they saw less from the world”. If we just simply think it over, this is not true - this generation has grown up with Google and the internet, thus they connect and read more about the world than anyone could in the previous centuries.
The dreaded “old-school boss” and company culture
If you are in your young ages, working at a big (or even a small) company, I am pretty sure you met at least once with the following sentences (or something similar): “Nahhh, this solution is too expensive./ This is too new, we don’t trust it./ We have our old, well-proven method for this, I don’t want to change./ The company culture does not let us change/try this technology./ Currently there is no time or budget to try new things, maybe later.”
Sounds familiar? Well, then welcome to the world of old fashioned, non-flexible company culture. We do not say that the old is not good enough, in fact - it is less risky and was well-working for dozens of years. But that does not mean that new technologies can not work with the same effectiveness! Most of the time things are changed or developed in order to be more cost-effective, fast or easy.
Although company culture methods can not be changed easily, convincing your colleagues or your boss is possible - but it could be a hard work. Truly believing in your idea, showing up results, doing research and giving a try to new things can convince even the most hard-headed leaders you have.
Rebellious creativity: Apple, a great example
If you type into Google “the most innovative companies”, the first result is clearly Apple. Why? Check this article and you are going to understand.
“The company helped usher in the age of the personal computer in the 1980s with the sleek, affordable Macintosh; bolstered the age of digital-music listening with the iPod and iTunes in 2001; and laid the groundwork for the current smartphone landscape with 2007's iPhone and iOS operating system.”
Synetiq and innovation
Here at Synetiq, we work with neuromarketing, which is still a relatively new field on the Hungarian market. Being the first neuromarketing research company here who combines biometric sensors with questionnaires, convincing our clients was not easy for the first time. After showing them that our results are reliable and our insights are effective, more and more companies started to work with us. To learn more about our company, check our solutions or contact us.
What’s next?
Once you have some followers, your power is two times bigger. Or three times. Or as many times as many people are around you - they believe, then they spread your words.Then the flow starts, and bumm - one day you wake up and your name is on the Forbe’s cover page.
Do not be afraid of new technologies - the more fields you try, the bigger chance you have to be a market leader. And do not be afraid to be the first one: being the first means all others are behind you.
written by Petra Varhelyi
