I drove by a small automotive repair shop recently.  Outside the shop was a large marquee sign board of the kind you see in front of gas stations and such. The sign simply read, “OBDII HERE.”

Some quick background on the term OBDII: “OBD” stands for OnBoard Diagnostics – a vehicle’s engine computer monitors various functions related to the engine and pollution controls.  The “II” (that’s the Roman numeral two) refers to the second generation of OBD.

OBDII has been with us since 1996. Wouldn’t you be astonished to find a shop that didn’t work on 1996 or newer vehicles? The repair shop could use their marquee sign to tell us something remarkable – a current special they’re running, or perhaps that they’re experts in Mazda Miatas – but instead they’re using it to tell us something that doesn’t help us at all.

The next version of Microsoft Windows, Windows 7, is being released on October 22nd.  Earlier this year, in order to put the finishing touches on Windows 7, Microsoft released a beta (that means “in development”) version of Windows 7 called a Release Candidate.  Anyone could download and use Windows 7 on as many computer as they liked, entirely for free.  In return, all Microsoft wanted was feedback about bugs and features.  Making this Release Candidate of Windows 7 available cost Microsoft practically nothing, but the feedback they received was invaluable.  Talk about ROI.

This model works for more than just software.  Have a new service you’re thinking of offering?  Contact your most valued customers and ask them if they’d be interested in helping you develop it in exchange for some freebies or a discount.  You’ll get valuable feedback, make these beta-testing customers more loyal, and you just might end up with a great new service to offer – and of course, grow your business.