Richard Branson: Knight of Big Ideas

A simple template that can help you close millions of dollars of business deals throughout your career.

Your product must be good--that's a given. But if you're going to win, it's about the experience.The best brands understand that when it comes to offering a product or service, delivering competently on the basics is just the cost of entry: It’s necessary but not sufficient.Customers have higher expectations. They’re looking for something that makes your company stand out as a little bit above average. In b-school vocabulary, these are called “customer touchpoints,” and if done poorly they can send potential buyers fleeing to other brands.Consider cell phone companies, for example.