When Paget Alves (News - Alert), chief sales officer for Sprint Business, read an article in a magazine recently about Terrafugia’s flying car, he immediately thought this represented “the ultimate leap of ingenuity on business.”

After all, consider just what a flying car can do. Think about the productivity boost it could have for businesses; the way it could facilitate customer interactions; the way sales could skyrocket.

“At this point in the article, I am thinking perfect; we need a few of these at Sprint (News - Alert),” Alves said during today’s keynote speech at ITEXPO East 2012, a statement that elicited rounds of laughter.

But as Alves kept reading, he soon realized that in order to bring the flying car to his team, his employees would have to endure endless flight training programs and aviation safety courses. And then, of course, there was that oh so small issue to consider that the car costs $250,000.

“It was a good idea for awhile, but maybe not so good with all that. I have an image of my sales team going through flight school,” Alves said with a chuckle. “Needles to say, I turned the page on that idea, but I do admire I company like Terrafugia for its innovation.”

This illustrative example touched on the key point of Alves’ speech which was that today businesses are challenged to foster innovation more than ever before. In fact, when it comes to serving business customers in today’s environment, there exists two separate economies in the B2B space – the traditional, highly profitable economy (like big oil companies and defense contractors) and the innovation economy (defined by the creation of new businesses and new ways of operating).

While the innovation economy has been around for years – just think of Apple and Facebook (News - Alert) – in the past few years, there has been an explosion of business entrepreneurs around the country embracing innovation and figuring out how their products can cover several different avenues, according to Alves.

For example, Google is not just a search engine but a global partner. And Chipotle is not just a delivery of fast food products but a partner with Willie Nelson to launch home videos as well.

“As a result, new ideas about what businesses can be are breaking down traditional borders between industries,” Alves said. 

With this breaking down of barriers comes a greater attention on the business customer, who has become increasingly vocal. Today’s customers know what type of innovation they are looking for, according to Alves, so they want the business world to create it.

Consequently, companies are doing whatever it takes to figure out the customer even better. For example, Sprint is working with a large supplier of vending machines who wants to network its machines together to add sensors that can count clicks which will allow the vendor to better predict inventory and build up on products needed most. Thanks to M2M technology, Sprint can make this happen for the vendor.

“Companies are looking for something different, something creative, something that gives them a competitive edge,” Alves said. “Ultimately they want something that no one has ever thought of.”

“They are looking to us to deliver on that promise,” he added. “We have to invent solutions that will allow secure, cost effective access to the world… We say we want to be the partner of choice for solutions.”

So, as companies look ahead to the future and continue to revamp their efforts to get to know the customer even better, Alves left audience members with his most important creative advice.

“We need to increasingly think like the customer,” he said. “One marketing expert said great companies choose winning value propositions based on becoming the customer and then creatively configuring solutions that customers cannot imagine on their own. We are trying to do that and customers see our work and appreciate it.”

Want to learn more about M2M technologies? Then be sure to check out the M2M Evolution Conference, collocated with TMC’s ITEXPO East 2012, happening now, in Miami, FL. The M2M Evolution Conference is for industry professionals interested in capitalizing on a rapidly growing segment of the telecom industry. The M2M Evolution Conference embraces the any-to-any strategy of the Internet today. Co-sponsored by TMC (News - Alert) Partner Crossfire Media, it showcases the solutions, and examines the data strategies and technological requirements that enterprises and carriers need to capitalize on a market segment that is estimated to grow to $300 Billion in the year ahead. For more information on registering for the M2M Evolution Conference click here.

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