Is it okay if I borrow another company’s ideas?

You don’t always need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to improving your company. I’m not talking about stealing trade secrets.  I don’t recommend copying another businesses website content.  However, there are times when it’s okay to borrow other companies ideas. Maybe you are looking at implementing a employee bonus program.  Perhaps you just want to give your customers better service. There are plenty of ideas out there just waiting to be used by your team. Here are some great ideas from Zappos in a CNN Money article by Jeffrey M. O’Brien. When it comes to customer service or employee morale, borrow as often as you like. 

Sometimes you can even get great ideas by experiencing them first hand. We added chat to our website years ago when I had a great experience using it while making a purchase online.   Inspiration does not need to come from your competitors, in fact, I think that some of the best ideas come from unrelated companies.  They often offer an entirely fresh perspective for you to improve on. The tire shop I have been going to for years offers free fix a flat service, that is something customers remember when they are ready to buy new tires.  I don’t sell tires but there might be something I can offer potential customers at no charge that has some value to them.

Take your time to bounce around the ideas with your team and make sure they are the right fit for your organization. Modify and make the ideas your own.  This can save a lot of time and money. Even big companies are inspired by other big companies. Have you been in to one of the new McDonald’s lately? Maybe they were inspired by Starbucks…..