Steal their methods

THE PRINCIPLE

Applying the methods of a successful enterprise to your own challenge leads to success

There are all kinds of successful enterprises that you can use as models even if they are not in your field. In fact, it’s better if they are NOT in your field, otherwise you will just be copying what they do too literally.

I first came up with this idea when someone who had visited my writing blog (www.timetowrite.blogs.com) emailed me asking for help coming up with ideas for a screenplay. This is what I advised:

‘Take a look at the storylines of movies you have really enjoyed and that have been successful. Consider how you could substitute different elements to build your story. For instance, E.T. is about a lonely little boy who tries to shield an alien from the authorities and help him get back home, and along the way the boy learns the meaning of true friendship.

If you were to transplant that to a different era, who might be a fugitive? Maybe a criminal, or someone with dangerous political ideas. Who might befriend him? It could be a servant or an outcast of some kind. Who would be the bad guys after the fugitive? How might the life of the person trying to help him or her be endangered?

This might seem like plagiarism, but by the time you have finished adapting it to your era and circumstances, it will come out very differently.’

Another example: one thing Disneyland does well is to minimise the annoyance that goes with waiting to get to the front of the queue at their rides. They tell you how long it’ll be before you arrive (and they always overestimate this time so you’ll be pleasantly surprised when it takes less). They distract you with video screens, live performers and music. They construct the queues so they are constantly moving, giving you a sense of continual progress.

If you have any kind of business in which the customers have to queue, Disneyland would be a great model.

In summary, follow these three steps:

  1. Identify an outstanding business not in exactly the same field.
  2. Make a list of the outstanding methods this business uses.
  3. Brainstorm how to transfer this to what you do.

When you apply their innovative methods to your realm, you’ll be lauded for your originality (how you got there will be our little secret).

Website bonus

At www.CreativityNowOnline.com, Bonus 13 is a video about some of the methods used by casinos in Las Vegas to keep you gambling.

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