Bill Bishop’s BIG Ideas

2018-03-28

The Relationship-First FormulaTo stand out from your competition, attract the attention of more great prospects, and make more money, you need to come up with a BIG Idea, something new, better and different.  But as we have seen, a product-first mindset can stop you from coming up with BIG Ideas because you can't think outside your product/service category.  However, another mindset, called The Relationship-First Formula, enables you to come up with lots of BIG Ideas.When you use the relationship-first model, you don't start your thinking with your product or service.  You start your thinking with the intention of helping. You do not approach your prospects and customers with any particular product or service in mind.  You approach them instead with the intention of helping them solve their problems and achieve their goals, in whatever way is necessary.  In this way, your intention to help is more important than your desire to sell them something in particular.  Your primary objective is simply to help them in what ever way you can.This relationship-first mindset helps you develop BIG Ideas because you are no longer attached to any particular product, service, strategy, or technique.  You are always open to new ways to help, even if you currently do not have the capabilities to provide that help.  By having this open mind, you no longer limit yourself to what you currently provide, or what your industry provides.  Anything is possible.That is how Apple achieved success.  Using a relationship-first model, they broke away from computer-only thinking.  They no longer saw themselves as a "computer" company.  They were a relationship-first "helping" company. As a result, they gave themselves permission to provide products and services that are not computers.  That's how they came up with ideas for iTunes, the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad, while other computer companies never saw the opportunity.  It is likely that Apple will continue to innovate and develop even more non-computer products and services.  However, the irony is, by breaking away from computer-first thinking, and developing other products and services, they also sold more computers.That's why we recommend you adopt this relationship-first model.  It will open up your mind to an endless stream of possible BIG Ideas.  These ideas will help you attract the attention of potential prospects.  Secondly, these ideas will help you stand out from your competition.  And thirdly, these ideas will help you make more money, and ironically, sell more of your original products.