I must say that Stewie Griffin from Family Guy is an absolute genius. I realize that it may seem a tad crazy that I’m pulling business and motivational lessons from this hit Fox television series, but we must look for inspiration and innovation anywhere we can find it! For those of you yet unfamiliar with Stewie Griffin, he is menacing toddler who is highly observant, cynical, has high expectations, manipulative, and vocal. In other words, he is probably a lot like 90% of your customers.

Like most toddlers, Stewie wants the world and his parents to cater to his every need. Unlike most toddlers, however, he has quite an extensive vocabulary to express his desires. (Come to think of it, he also is rather fascinated with world domination as well.)  How do you discover what your customers desires? While there are a number of ways of trying to figure out what people really want, many of them tend to be rather time consuming and expensive. I prefer a bit more of a grass roots approach to this essential business need by simply asking them.  “What product or service would you enjoy that we don’t currently offer?” is usually simple and sufficient.

Stewie has a number of pre-conceived opinions regarding nearly everything. However, they are not always based in fact. Keep in mind that your customers may have a negative opinion about a product or service because their great aunt Ethel told them something ten years ago. I’m not slamming Ethel, but sometimes just as you may need to challenge a toddler’s opinions, everyone’s opinions need to be challenged as well.

The Family Guy star, Stewie is also very vocal. He will share his experiences with people around him. Most two year olds are quite easily coached. Most clients are also easily coached. Why not ask them for simple introductions to people that they know who may enjoy your product or service. A third party testimonial and introduction is far more valuable than any other piece of marketing that you could invest in.

Some say that business is complex. I would challenge you to remind yourself that business can be simple and rewarding.  A great way to approach opportunities is by starting with a clean slate. Take my 10 day challenge by clicking here. It is free, and it can help lay a great foundation for your business and personal successes!

It is amazing what great life lessons that you can learn from Family Guy!