There's no end to the number and type of ideas that flow into and around a company. They come from customers, employees, suppliers, competitors, consultants, attendance at trade shows and conferences, and brainstorming sessions. Ideas are all around us all the time. It's just that we can't predict when they will come, where they will come from or even whether we will recognize them when we see them. Where Ideas Come From Potentially, every employee within a company is an excellent source of ideas for new products.
Customers also can be a great source of ideas for new products.
Many of them have a vested interest in the new product once it has been developed. In fact, for most companies, customers are usually the best source of ideas. Customers who have problems with your products often are very good at suggesting ways of solving the problems. It's important to tap into this reservoir of ideas. Some companies go so far as to install a telephone 800 hot line that is dedicated to listening to customer's suggestions for the solutions to product problems.