Not That There's Anything Wrong With That

"I don't want to hear the specials. If they're so special, put 'em on the menu." - Jerry Seinfeld

What made Jerry Seinfeld’s stand-up comedy act so funny?

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He looked at everyday things from a different viewpoint.

Take, for example, how he viewed socks that go missing from the dryer.

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A Sock Escapes

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His style of humor was filled with off-center takes like that!

And, he was so popular as a comedian, a TV show was built around his comedy.

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Do you remember the scene from his show when he was helping a struggling comedian?

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Jerry writes down a joke on a card and gives it to the other comedian who read it aloud.

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"Why do they call it Ovaltine?

The mug is round.

The jar is round.

They should call it Roundtine."

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Beaming, the struggling comedian exclaims, “That’s gold, Jerry! Gold!”

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When we encounter things that are off center or unexpected, our automatic human reaction is to laugh.

They're funny.

But, more importantly for us in business, they are memorable because they stand out in a crowd.

We see this in our Purposeful Creative Thinking Training sessions all the time!

Raucous laughter is abundant. But, what often follows the laughter is people saying, "THAT is a darned good idea!"

Creatures of Habit

Human beings are creatures of habit. We do most things in a routine fashion.

Think about it for a minute. Most people get up around the same time every day and go to bed around the same time every night.

With only an occasional deviation, we even eat the same few meals.

We tie our shoes the same way every time - and don't even consider what we're doing or why we do it that way.

Thinking is no different. We develop patterns of thinking about almost everything and those patterns become ingrained habits.

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BUT, like any habit, our way of thinking can be changed.

Here's one method - which could very easily be referred to as The Seinfeld Method - that you can use to see things in a different light.

Consider every aspect of what you do in business. Write down what you believe to be true about each of these.

Then, write down an off-center or unexpected way of looking at these same things.

Here's an example from my book, 101 Freaking Brilliant Business Ideas:

'Normal' way of looking at restaurants: Restaurants serve food.

In the traditional way of thinking, that seems obvious, right?

But, to develop a unique concept, I asked an off-center question:

What if there was a restaurant that didn't serve food?

Below is the resultant idea; excerpted from my book.

What if there was a restaurant that opened with a completely new concept? They would serve no food.

They would simply provide the space, dishes and utensils and sell drinks.?

One way that could work is this: Patrons bring their choice of an appetizer, entree or dessert.

When they make their reservation, they get a choice of what space options are available for the group they are a part of on that time and date.

The seating would be community style and the atmosphere would be like a family meal where all the dishes are passed around the table.

How lively would the conversation be? It might start with who made what and how the dishes were prepared. It would grow from there.

Relationships would be built. Groups of people who initially found each other there could begin to make it a regular event; a meal with friends where the only thing to clean up is the dish you brought.

How much would this non-traditional restaurant save in labor costs, spoiled or unused food and other costs?

All of the low-margin, labor-intensive and hard to manage parts of a traditional restaurant would be eliminated.

Their income would come from a space usage fee and, of course, the sale of sodas, teas, juices and adult beverages - all of which have large margins.

The name?

The?Stone Soup?Café.

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Try this 'Seinfeld' method. You will have a lot of fun with it! And, it will help you see possibilities that were previously invisible to you!

Will all the ideas you come up with using this method be good?

Of course not!

But, remember what Linus Pauling said.

“The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.”

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Want to see how our Purposeful Creative Thinking Training can help your organization become more innovative and stand out in an increasingly crowded world?

Don't want to do it yourself? Our Strategy Development Services can help.

PM me?so we can discuss.

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About?Bob Sager

The founder of SpearPoint Solutions , Bob’s professional background includes over three decades of experience in sales, leadership and training. Combined with creative thinking, he uses that experience to develop business strategies that help organizations increase sales and reduce customer acquisition cost. Additionally, his team of Certified Facilitators train organizations on methods of purposeful creative thinking that are crucial to thriving in the modern?economy.

Among other accomplishments, Bob is the?inventor?of the creative thinking game, What's the BIG Idea??, author of the books, Discovering Your Greatness and 101 Freaking Brilliant Business Ideas.

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