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You work in a certain niche, and because of that niche, you have built a network of peers. Perhaps you share best practices with them, perhaps you simply like each other’s social media updates, or maybe you compare your performance to theirs.
Why are they useful to you?
These people are the best people out there for benchmarking your idea with because you’re going to be a solving problem that they are familiar with. They might not be as familiar as you, because you’ve really explored and researched the problem, but they are very useful to talk to in order to gain greater insight.
Meet up with them
Invite them for a coffee, present a problem and its solution, ask for their critical feedback, and use everything to help formulate your idea. They are going to be able to offer additional layers of detail to your idea. Make an effort to meet these people face to face at conference or events, as it will build a useful rapport.
Communication mechanisms
If you’re part of an email ring, a message board, a forum, or a Facebook group, whatever it may be, you can conduct a survey of the fellow members and find out what they think of your idea. The formula is the same: present the problem, and then present the idea. You can put a video or a presentation together for support, or as the main focal point, as people like to assess information and ideas in different formats.
The benefit of peer group discussion
As well as the insight and expertise that they can bring, you can also turn them into avid supporters by including them in your journey from the very start. By asking them questions and listening to their input, they will support your project because they feel that they have made a contribution to it. Because they have bought into your idea, further down the line, they might turn from a supporter into a customer.
Cast your mind forward…
Let’s say 18 months down the line, you have a product ready. You’ve got a sales meeting with some execs, and when you walk into that meeting, they all know about you already. They know your product, your idea, and you. They had an input in the start, they know you’ve designed your solution for people just like them. You’re going to make that sale so much more easily. Don’t forget, people talk, so when you share your idea to the public, the public will share your idea with each other. Don’t worry about your niche idea being stolen, be more glad that word of mouth is working its magic on your idea, growing your support and authenticity.
Mark Shayler and Daniel O'Connor are hosting a webinar on how to validate your ideas. We will take you through it, help you validate ideas and have a Q&A. More info and register below.
