Lance Bettencourt
Senior Strategy Adviser
Locale: Bloomington, Indiana
Biography: Lance Bettencourt brings a combination of academic rigor and practical insight to the innovation process. A former professor of marketing at Indiana University, he is an expert in product and service innovation, marketing strategy, and research design and analysis. His new book, Service Innovation: How to Go From Customer Needs to Breakthrough Services, was released in June 2010.
As a strategy adviser, Lance has supported innovation initiatives at some of the world’s leading companies. And with his background in academics, he is a natural for teaching training through the Strategyn Institute, the firm’s educational arm. Lance serves as a teacher / mentor, provides customized education programs, and develops customized executive education programs. In both roles, he has worked with many of Strategyn's clients including Microsoft Corporation, Colgate-Palmolive, Hewlett-Packard Company, TD Bank Financial Group, Kimberly-Clark, Abbott Medical Optics, Chiquita Brands, and Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Rockwell Collins, Neenah Paper, Trend Micro, Masco Corporation, Covidien, Hospira, American Medical System, Ingersoll-Rand, and Pershing.
Lance has published dozens of articles on marketing strategy and innovation in both academic and practitioner publications. Recent contributions include “Debunking Myths About Customer Needs,” (Marketing Management, January-February 2009), “The Customer-Centered Innovation Map” (Harvard Business Review, May 2008), “Giving Customers a Fair Hearing” (Sloan Management Review, Spring 2008), and “Client Co-Production in Knowledge Intensive Business Services” (California Management Review, Summer 2002).
Personal: I’ve been married for 15 years, with four children. I’m an Indiana Colts season ticket holder. My personal goal is to be on The Amazing Race.
Surprise Factoid: I love bowling! I carry a 192 league average.
Quote: Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. – Einstein
Good for the Soul: I love to laugh and make people laugh. I can think of few things in life that are more important than the relationships you develop with others.