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Advisories: These examples contain warnings and advice that should be considered as you are using the approach to cost improvement described below.

Examples: We offer brief write-ups for each method describing a situation where the idea is used or implied. Use these supporting examples in order to expand your range of ideas. These examples are neither mutually exclusive nor collectively exhaustive.

We offer you both a short version and a long version of some of these product and services concepts. We have enough examples of some of these concepts to expand the concept into more specific concepts with their examples. Use the short version to complete your innovation in less time. Use the long version for more in-depth innovation.

A Final customer buying from an Intermediary. Each of these costs represent steps an Final or end user customer must take in connection with the product purchased from an Intermediary supplier.

1. Acquire Steps: Acquire steps include all activities the customer completes preceding the purchase of the product. These steps include the customer’s efforts needed to identify and evaluate Intermediaries and travel to the Intermediary location.

  1. Knowledge: Add knowledge
    1. Company and products – Help customers recognize and recall name of company and its products.
      1. Warnings and advice Examples>>
      2. Create brand for company or product Short Examples>> Long Examples>>
      3. Attract attention of customers to brand name Short Examples>> Long Examples>>
    2. Relative benefits – Help customers understand the unique benefits of your product.
      1. Warnings and advice Examples>>
      2. Establish reputation for brand Short Examples>> Long Examples>>
      3. Deliver brand message to customers Short Examples>> Long Examples>>
    3. Process where product is used – Explain how product can or should operate in customer cost system
      1. Warnings and advice Examples>>
      2. Acquire Short Examples>> Long Examples>>
      3. Use Short Examples>> Long Examples>>
      4. Maintain Examples>>
  2. Resources: Reduce resources required for the use of the product.
    1. Money – Reduce the money the customer uses with the product. For more ideas on using pricing, please see the Improve/Pricing section of StrategyStreet.
      1. Reduce the level of payment for use of the product Short Examples>> Long Examples>>
      2. Reduce the customer’s spending on people, purchases or capital costs the customer uses with the product itself Short Examples>> Long Examples>>
      3. Reduce the customer’s spending on other products used with the product Short Examples>> Long Examples>>
      4. Improve the customer’s profits directly Examples>>
    2. Time – Reduce the time the customer must spend with the product.
      1. Reduce steps the customer must use with the product Short Examples>> Long Examples>>
      2. Improve wait times in the process Short Examples>> Long Examples>>
      3. Help customers obtain and use related products. Short Examples>> Long Examples>>
      4. Customize the product functions for the customer’s use Examples>>
      5. Enable customer to use product at will rather than on a schedule Examples>>
    3. Energy – Reduce the energy the customer uses with the product.
      1. Effort – Reduce the physical constraints on the customer Short Examples>> Long Examples>>
      2. Health – Reduce the toll the product takes ont he customer’s health Examples>>
  3. Experience: Enhance the experience the customer has with the product.
    1. Add new appeal to the senses (No Examples)
    2. Associate the company or the product with an image to increase customer pleasure in using the product.
      1. Warnings and advice Examples>>
      2. Project an image of the or capabilities of the firm Examples>>
      3. Project an image of the values of the firm Examples>>
      4. Suggest personal characteristics of the user of the product Examples>>
    3. Increase the customer’s sense of security with the product.
      1. Warnings and advice Examples>>
      2. Your investment is safe Examples>>
      3. Your person is safe Examples>>

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Basic Strategy Guide Users Go To: Step 18

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