Rudyard Kipling and the power of Else

Rudyard Kipling wrote the following advice for researchers:

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

Their relevance to mapping our Investment Streams is to make sure that we ask enough questions about all of our customers, what they expect from us and invest in our efforts. Some examples for the car sector:

What do my customers buy? (a car, a lifestyle, travel independence)

Why do they buy? (best credit deal, free servicing, low running costs)

When do they buy? (new registration time, start of a career, for the summer)

How do they buy? (internet searching, Magazine led, Dealer trawling)

Where do they buy? (main dealer, import agency, ex-company cars)

Who buys? (young, old, family builders, boy racers)

And now the power of Else.

Open your mind to all of the possibilities by now going back and asking:

What else?

Why else?

When else? Etc

Use your imagination, look at your competitors, look outside of your industry for Investment needs and streams that offer you a competitive edge.

What else? (service free travelling?)

Why else? (wheel chair storage?)

When? (when a pensioner can access their lump sum?)

Find and deliver a stream that others haven’t thought of to revolutionise your business!