Many useful innovations come right off a factory floor.
Even more come out of an effort to solve a customer s problem. Twenty years ago Eric von Hippel, a professor at Harvard Business School, found that in many industries over three quarters of new products start out as direct requests from customers. Your biggest, best customers are the most likely new product sources. Offer them additional liaison and technical aid even though they may ask for it least. Set up appropriate agreements with employees and with other companies.