I am not sure when the last time you have been to you local shopping mall, but if you’ve been to one in the last 6-9 months I am sure you have noticed a specific store full of buzz. People are slammed together inside the large store chatting with store attendees, testing out the products and quite literally pushing other shoppers out of the way.

If you haven’t been to the mall in a while I will try to fill you in on the huge buzz that is the Apple store. It is simply crazy! There are grandparents, parents and children all enjoying the store and its products. Aside from Apple offering amazing products they have changed the way people shop. They added convenience to process! Not only is Apple an innovator of technology, but they are also innovators of the consumer experience.

I now have two Apple products, a Mac Book Pro and an iPhone, which my wife just purchased for me as a gift. Along with the phone she also purchased a belt holster for the phone, which I wasn’t too excited about and planned to exchange. It was my first trip to the store and made it with two small children so I needed to be quick and decisive with choices. As soon as I entered the store I was greeted by an Apple representative.  He proceeded to lead me through the extremely busy store to the accessories section and helped me right then and there, no waiting in any lines and processed the exchange with a hand held device. I was also able to purchase a car charger without waiting a single minute. To say the least, I was floored!

Apple hit it on the head with these stores. They didn’t stop at simply creating phenomenal products. They took a to another level by making the process convenient and quick. When I think of innovation I think about finding a need and fulfilling it. Apple could have easily opened a typical store with no added services, but they didn’t.

It is quite easy to compare the mortgage industry to the retail industry, both have seen little innovation until recently. Aside from the technology improvements for brokers and banks are there simple consumer needs that you can fulfill throughout your processes? I am not necessarily talking about your product offering either. Who knows maybe there is something right in front of your face that you have been missing that could easily and dramatically change your business and life, but you are not looking for it. Take note from other industries, search for processes and ideas that you can implement into your business. Be in an innovator!!

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