You've heard the theory of The Long Tail, here's my twist --
The STRONG Tail.

First, a little background
The Long Tail explained, per Wikipedia:

The Long Tail is a retailing concept describing the niche strategy of selling a large number of unique items in relatively small quantities -- usually in addition to selling fewer popular items in large quantities. The concept was popularised by Chris Anderson in an October 2004 Wired magazine article, in which he mentioned Amazon.com and Netflix as examples of businesses applying this strategy. Anderson elaborated the Long Tail concept in his book The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More.

The Long Tail is thusly named because when charted, these smaller sales of a large number of items trails off into the distance like the long sloping tail of some prehistoric beast.  

1,000 True Fans
Keep the Long Tail concept in the back of your mind as I tell you about another Wired writer's thought provoking concept of "1,000 True Fans." Kevin Kelly is the co-founder of Wired, and posits this theory:

A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author -- in other words, anyone producing works of art -- needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living. A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can't wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans.

A solid concept. I loved this idea as soon as I heard it. The theory rings true, because I know that I AM one of those 1,000 fans for a number of performers and writers (Hi Gitomer!) The 1,000 True Fans theory also fits nicely into the Long Tail continuum.  

Which brings us my theory of The Strong Tail
The Strong Tail begins to form at the very end of The Long Tail. It's made up of the amazing small quantity of super-fans who are willing to pay a premium for access to your product/service/presence. There are only a few of them, but they are willing to open their wallets wide for access to exclusive items. If The Long Tail was represented by the tail of a Brontosaurus/Apatosaurus, The Strong Tail is represented by the tail of a Stegosaurus. It has the long sloping tail of the former thunder lizard, but the latter's tail culminates in a set of spikes that reach upwards to match most of the overall tail height.

These 'spikes' are investments in rare one-of-a-kind signed editions, original art, limited edition prints, private performances, one-on-one consulting and conversations. These items come at the end of The Long Tail because there are very few of the items available, but the price to own these items (and the passionate people who must possess them) drives the profit on these rare items higher up the chart. Instead of 1,000 True Fans -- you may only need three of them to pay you for individual consulting advice. You may only need two of these people willing to pay you $50,000 each for a private corporate seminar. Or you may only need a single individual to shell out $100,000 for an original painting.

That's The Strong Tail
What do you think of this newest adaptation?

Please leave a comment below!

Though there are many reasons why people fear the adoption of new ideas, here a few of the common ones I've run across...

1. Failure
What we're doing might not be perfect, but it's working? Why risk changing it for something better on the chance the idea fails?

2. Blame
If this new idea doesn't perform as hoped, they'll hold me personally accountable.

3. Status Quo
Whoa, buddy... No rocking the boat!

4. Work
Putting a new idea into effect sounds like it's going to require a lot of extra effort, and my to-do list is already full.

5. Judgment
Some people might not like this idea, and perhaps they won't like me for being associated with it.

6. Change
Sure, change is inevitable -- but you go first. I might not like the way things are, but it's a lot easier to complain about it than to make any improvements.

7. Pessimism
That idea will never get approved. We tried something like that before and it didn't work in the past, and it's not going to work now.

8. Risk
Seems a little 'iffy' to me. It's much safer if we keep doing what we've always done.

9. Alone
I'm not willing to go out on a limb and show support for that idea. Who else is backing your concept?

10. Doubt
If this was truly a good idea, wouldn't someone have thought of it before? Maybe we should wait...

My friend Phil Rist from BigResearch shared this quote with me yesterday and it's right on target. It seemingly merges all of the fears above into this single statement:

"And let it be noted that there is no more delicate matter to take in hand, nor more dangerous to conduct, nor more doubtful in its success, than to set up as the leader in the introduction of changes. For he who innovates will have for his enemies all those who are well off under the existing order of things, and only lukewarm supporters in those who might be better off under the new."
~ Niccolo Machiavelli
from The Prince

Embrace new ideas -- don't be a 'fraidy cat.

Brand new website I learned about via www.springwise.com this week. It's the latest crowdsourced business incubator. Quirky.com allows anyone to submit product ideas, plans, etc. for $99. The community then decides which submissions to develop, and the top votes result in a new product released WEEKLY.

It's certainly a bit bold to announce you'll be producing a product every single week, but the concept is certainly promising. Obviously spawned from concepts like threadless.com, Quirky stands a chance for survival if the submissions are creative, yet boot rooted in enough reality to justify production and sale to a supportive audience.

I think Quirky will need to quickly grow their consumer base beyond their site subscribers in order to maintain any long term viability. Unlike the crowd at threadless.com, not every member is going to be a prospective customer for every item produced.

Learn more by visiting the Springwise summary page or the company website at Quirky.com. A video produced by quirky to provide a quick overview of their concept is embedded below.

Continuing the ABCs of Innovation, I now turn my attention to the letter "E."  You can catch-up by reading my previous posts, starting with: A is for Awareness.

E is for Excitement!
Excitement actually plays a dual role in the practice of innovation...

First, you have to feel excited about an idea if you're going to work passionately toward making it a reality.  Here are three tips for building and maintaining excitement about a project:

1. Work in an area for which you already have passion.

2. Envision the rewards you will enjoy once the project is complete.

3. Celebrate small victories on your path toward your end-goal.

"Get excited and enthusiastic about your own dream. This excitement is like a forest fire -- you can smell it, taste it, and see it from a mile away."
~ Denis Waitley

Second, it is only through an exchange of excitement (causing others to feel the same excitement that you feel) will get others to provide the buy-in necessary to move your idea forward.  These three tips will help you win allies by arousing in them a similar passion for your project:

1. Pitch your project in terms of how the other person will benefit.  Don't focus on your own selfish interests -- focus on THEIR self interests!

2. People buy on emotion and justify with facts. You might not be "selling" them a physical product, but you certainly want them to buy-in to your project, and that means all the same principles apply.  Push their emotional hot buttons to get them excited enough to say "yes" -- but include enough facts and data to help them justify their decision.

3. Recruit support from people who are passionate about the focus of your innovation.  Don't try to sell a salad to someone who hates vegetables.

"In motivating people, you've got to engage their minds and their hearts. I motivate people, I hope, by example - and perhaps by excitement, by having productive ideas to make others feel involved."
~ Rupert Murdoch

What are you doing to excite yourself and others about your ideas and projects? Are you doing enough?

Continuing the ABCs of Innovation, we now turn our attention to the letter "D."  You can catch-up by reading my previous posts: A is for Awareness, B is for Bold, and C is for Create.

D is for Difference.
Please be sure you note the word is "difference" not "different."  Just being Different doesn't always make a Difference.  Different is merely "not alike." Difference is the degree to which it differs.  This may seem like splitting hairs, but as Mark Twain said:

"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."
~ Mark Twain

Xbox is different from Playstation, but when you begin to calculate the level of difference between those gaming systems and the Wii, you are blinded by the lightning and no longer notice the lightning bugs. 

It's no longer a great creative feat to choose a different path. The path you choose must make a difference.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.
~ Robert Frost

Continuing the ABCs of Innovation, we now turn our attention to the letter "C."  Sure, it might be considered an obvious choice, but my original thought was to go with "creative" which (while still applicable) didn't have the same power as the more direct CREATE.

Some examples of how Dictionary.com defines CREATE:
...to cause to come into being, as something unique that would not naturally evolve or that is not made by ordinary processes.

...to evolve from one's own thought or imagination, as a work of art or an invention.

...to cause to happen; bring about; arrange, as by intention or design: to create a revolution.

These three definitions really made CREATE the obvious choice. They address important elements of innovation -- the most powerful innovations come from extraordinary circumstances, are usually inspired by a single bold thinker, and come into reality through an overt decision to 'make it real.'

Try these five CREATE tips to make your innovation efforts more successful:

1. Jump ahead in the evolutionary process
Don't merely come up with an idea that takes the next 'logical' step -- think three, four, five moves ahead.  Creating with 'leap frog logic' will have competitors chasing after to you. As the Great Gretzky said: "Skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it's been."

2. Don't move in a straight line
Depending on the reason you believe -- comets, an ice age, or smoking brought about an end to the dinosaurs.  An outside force that completely altered the status quo forever.  Technology has this effect on industries all the time (VCRs, Personal Computers, Music Downloads, etc.)  What can you create that comes totally out of left field that will have an unalterable effect on the world as we currently know it?

3. Be a force for change
Someone once told me there are two constants --
Number One: Change is inevitable.
Number Two: People resist change.
After that, I never quite understood why people spent so much time and stress trying to avoid something that was going to happen anyway:  Rob a bank, go to jail.  Touch fire, get burned.  Be a Cleveland Browns fan, live a life of disappointment. Why not embrace change and the opportunity it brings?  Seems like a waste of energy to try and avoid it.  Use it as a chance (and excuse?) to create.

4. Be an artist
How wonderful to think about whatever you are working on as "art." Treat every project in which you are involved as if it might one day be spoken of in reverent whispers while being viewed on display in a place of honor... and perhaps someday it will be.  Ben Franklin offered the best advice (as usual) -- "Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing."

5. Act with intent
When you create -- do it on purpose.  Make sure your success no accident -- and then prove it by going out and doing it again and again.  A single success can be explained by a lightning strike.  Repeated innovations (each one surpassing the other) is a hallmark of genius.  Franklin, Edison, Disney -- you could find worse role models.

Bring earth-changing, awe-inspiring ideas into reality and do it on purpose.
CREATE!

Continuing (finally!) with my crafting of the ABCs of Innovation, I now focus on the letter "B."  I have carefully chosen the word BOLD for this entry.  Among the definitions I found for the word are --

1. Not hesitating or fearful in the face of danger or rebuff; courageous and daring.
2. Not hesitating to break the rules of propriety; forward; impudent.
3. Necessitating courage and daring; challenging. 
4. Beyond the usual limits of conventional thought or action; imaginative.

You'll note that nowhere among these definitions are the words outrageous, unrealistic, or foolhardy.

Being a bold innovator simply means being willing to laughed at, ridiculed, and frankly -- pissing people off.  Bold ideas are those that challenge the status quo and those that enforce it.  Bold innovations are those ideas that usually result in a committee of people reflexively saying NO to whatever changes it in entails -- usually for no other reason than "we've never done it that way before."

Can you stand up to a little laughing behind your back?  Do you believe in the idea enough to fight for it?  Can you come up with one more reason to put your plan into action than "they" can come up with for reasons to kill it?

Markting guru Hugh MacLeod (the guy who draws cartoons on the back of business cards) has a cartoon of which I am especially fond.  The accompanying words are "It's not an original idea till it costs you the corner office."  I've pasted it below to inspire you -- and to perhaps decorate that cube they're going to move you to if you suggest an idea that's too bold for your company (my advice is to go find a bolder company -- you're current one isn't going to be around very much longer.)