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4 Ways to Leverage Your Company’s Intellectual Capital

Learn how to make the most out of your company's intellectual capital.


The value of your company or organization’s collective knowledge, training, and proprietary knowledge can set you apart from others in your industry. Intellectual capital should be highly regarded, protected, and utilized to drive profits, reach new customers, develop exciting products, and otherwise improve the various aspects of your business.

So, how do you make the most of your time, team, and talent? What can you do to get the most out of your company’s intellectual capital?

When it comes to marketing your intellectual capital, you should take a proactive approach. First consider:

  • What opportunities exist in your field?
  • What niches need to be filled?
  • What unique thing does your team have to bring to the public?

In order to remain in the forefronts of people’s minds, you’re going to need to make the most of your company or organization’s intellectual capital. Here are four simple ways to do just that:

 

  1. Identify customer needs.

    How can you best attend to your customers and clients? What exactly do they need to know? What type of knowledge as an “insider” do you possess? How can you solidify the relationship you have with the people that ensure your success? What can you do to make those ties stronger? Your customers and clients are the most important part of the equation. If you know what they want and what they need, you can take better care of them.

  2. Understand your benefits.

    Now that you know what types of things your customers or clients can benefit from, it’s time to identify what types of content to offer. You’ll need to take inventory of what you already offer and find ways to improve and add to that information. For instance, if your company or organization has written and ebook, how fitting would it be to teach a class or hold a workshop based on the same principles? A good example of this is author, activist, and yogini, Kimberly Wilson. She has found a way to make the most of her own intellectual capital by offering online courses, podcasts, and retreats based on the idea of tranquility which is the theme of her two books, Hip Tranquil Chick and Tranquilista.

  3. Develop a plan.

    Come up with a plan on how to leverage your company or organization’s intellectual capital. Good intentions are solidified with a plan. You are going to need to sit down with your team and brainstorm ways to improve your business model from time to time. Your employees possess something vital to the growth and development of your company or organization. They have ideas. Big, brilliant, and profitable ideas. Tap into their creativity and come up with new ways to improve the customer experience regularly.

  4. Ask for outside help.

    If your team doesn’t possess all the skills necessary to help leverage your intellectual capital, look to outside sources. A freelancer can make all the difference in making your team’s ideas a reality. They possess the skill set that your company or organization’s people do not. It’s not about working harder. It’s all about working smarter. Collaborate and see how you can make the most of what you have and get the help you need for the things you’re less confident about.

Your company or organization’s intellectual capital is among the most valuable assets that you have. It can help you grow and prosper. The programs that you implement can give you a competitive advantage over other companies and organizations in your industry. Plan accordingly and inventory your resources. You’re likely to discover some gems you have yet to excavate.

 

Meredith Wood is the Community Manager at Funding Gates, the first ever online credit department for small businesses. By automating the entire debt collection process, Funding Gates is the one-stop-shop for receivables management. Always looking for good talk on small business (and ways to get paid), connect with Meredith on Twitter @FundingGates.

 

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