Page 135 - The Business Idea Factory: A World-Class System for Creating Successful Business Ideas

Great ideas face opposition

When we create great ideas we expect people to say, “Wow! What a great idea! I can’t wait to buy
your products and services.” However, very often even the most successful business projects in the
world such as the telephone, radio and The Beatles band initially receive negative feedback and face
opposition.

Associates of David Sarnoff replied to his request to invest in radio in 1921: “The wireless music
box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to no one in
particular?”

After the audition by The Beatles, the Decca Records executive gave his verdict to the band’s
manager: “Not to mince words, Mr. Epstein, but we don’t like your boys’ sound. Groups are out;
four-piece groups with guitars particularly are finished.”

Western Union officials who reviewed Alexander Graham Bell’s offer to purchase his telephone
patent wrote: “The Telephone purports to transmit the speaking voice over telegraph wires. We found
that the voice is very weak and indistinct, and grows even weaker when long wires are used between
the transmitter and receiver. Technically, we do not see that this device will ever be capable of sending
recognizable speech over a distance of several miles. Messer Hubbard and Bell want to install one of
their ‘telepho ne devices’ in ever y city. T he idea is idio tic o n the face o f it. Fur ther mo r e, why wo uld
any person want to use this ungainly and impractical device when he can send a messenger to the
telegraph office and have a clear written message sent to any large city in the United States?”

You might ask, “Why does it happen?” Well, there are 3 major reasons why people say “It won’t
work” even to the world’s greatest ideas:

Firstly, people are often averse to the unknown and, just like David Sarnoff’s associates, don’t realize
the po tential o f the pr o duct befo r e they have seen, tested o r used it. Once yo u have implemented an
idea and received positive feedback from your first customers, the same people will say that your
idea is great.

Secondly, many people are too concentrated on their past experience and make predictions about the
future based on what worked in the past. For example, the Decca Records executive knew many four-
piece bands that were not popular and after seeing that The Beatles band consisted of four musicians
made a prediction that it would fail.

Finally, many people tend to concentrate on why the idea won’t work rather than how to make it work
o r what po tential it may have. Just like with the idea o f the telepho ne, it is po ssible to find plenty o f
reasons “Why it won’t work” for almost any idea. That’s why even most successful ideas in the world
initially faced opposition.

Use feedback from people you share ideas with as additional information for consideration but
remember that even the world’s best ideas initially faced opposition. If you believe in an idea,
implement it no matter what everyone else is saying so you don’t regret your entire life that you
didn’t.

It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want
until you show it to them. – Steve Jobs

If you have a good idea, 99 percent of people will tell you why it’s not good or how it’s been done