Brandmeester is a legal service provider that helps private persons in legal matters, including those who are uninsured. It gives people clarity by offering legal services at a fixed fee rather than the traditional hourly billing model. Peter Hoitinga, Marketing Director at Brandmeester, shares innovation lessons he learned from developing a disruptive proposition in this traditional market.

1) Cut your losses early

When crafting a disruptive proposition, opposing forces will surface. The hardest part of innovating is getting everyone on board. I think it starts by accepting that won't happen.

2) Client needs are central, always

My tip for getting this done is to begin with client insights, hold on to these and not make any concessions. People come to us in a panic with a strong need to regain control and predictability over their lives. Those insights were the foundation used to develop Brandmeester.

3) Keep it as simple as possible, as complex as necessary

We made the process simple and predictable with an online platform, essentially a workflow, in which we take the client through the entire process in four clear steps. We provide additional clarity because we also offer price predictability.

4) The real success is in the execution

At first, you are still training and preparing to qualify but after you qualify is when the real work begins. Then the question is: Will the plans you’ve made and trained for really work? And will you be successful with them? What’s important is how you realize your plans.

5) Better isn’t good enough – make it new

A danger in innovation projects is simply improving something old, while the real goal is to make a disruptive change. It can often be difficult to do this with people who are used to a certain process - because that feels very comfortable. This often causes a tendency to improve upon the existing process although you should change it; this change is the real innovation.

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