"Innovators rarely have the skills of the industries they disrupt. Many times, the old way becomes overconfident that their abilities to perfecting what was, will defeat the innovator's skills in improving what it should be."
Over the last 18 months, I have been on a bandwagon to educate the dealers on the importance of delivering customer-centric solutions. Unfortunately, Today many in the Imaging Channel, are still more focused on outdated processes and products then customers.
My friends, it is 2020; we started a new decade, and it is time for the Imaging Channel's actors to switch their mindsets from products to solutions based on customer realities.
The Imaging Channel's greatest threat is their unwillingness to modify the deliverable aligning to today's customer realities. This procrastination of modification will cause outsiders to invade the channel. Many dealers and some manufacturers believe they control what the customers buy. In other words, some believe customers have no means to explore options that exclude the processes used by the current channel's actors.
Disruptive innovations are about a process, a process that reinvents the old delivery mechanism. Yes, Innovations can include products; however, it's the processes in the product's go to market strategy which disrupts the old-way. In nearly all disruptions, the innovators looked at what the old-way was doing against what was best for the customers they serve.
The Imaging Channel understands the reality of declining print; they know the truth of over specking and overselling; they know there is data available to help them improve; they know that 2000 sales mythologies are past the expiration date of relevance. However, even though most of the channel's actors know they must modify their deliverables - to align closer to the customer's real desires, they remain status quo.
Those outsiders who intend to invade will start with an education process to the channel's customers. The outsiders will have zero baggage to yesterday's rules, and these outside invaders will bet that the channel's stubborn complacency will continue a little longer.
Most disruptions are a result of the old way fighting to keep things as they are. Mature industries become product-centric because the modifications needed to remain customer-centric is too painful to their current circumstances.
"Deconstructing is always the first step in constructing a new relevance."
Disruption is built as innovators listen to the arguments of the old way to keeping things as they were. These arguments define the selfish importance of the processes the old way fights to save. These arguments define for the innovators the product-centric mindsets of those they intend to defeat by delivering a customer-centric approach.
"The old way is consumed by the innovator when the old way miscalculates the timing of current relevance."
I challenge my friends in the Imaging Channel to use their imaginations as they listen to what outdated processes their peers insist on keeping relevant even though that relevancy is contrary to the market and customer realities. Then develop a new path for their business to align with both customers and market realities.
Any time a mature industry needs to argue how relevant their products are, they are giving birth to a product-centric mindset. Innovators think with a customer-centric mind. Innovators understand customers don't buy products customers buy desired outcomes. Innovators sell products that create a better means for customers to reach those desired outcomes.
The entire Imaging Channel must understand that over-specking and over-selling based on outdated processess is creating a path for the innovative disruptor right to your customer.
I suggest instead the Imaging Channel disrupt itself.
"Status Quo is the Killer of all that will be invented."
Ray Stasieczko
CEO/Founder TEASRA,The Innovation Channel and Host of The End of The Day With Ray! https://www.endofthedaywithray.com/
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