In a whispered voice, a B2B business executive confided to me that his company seldom spent more than $10k on their product launches… even after spending hundreds of thousands developing the product. This isn’t launching a product. This is kicking it off the loading dock and hoping someone finds it.
More in article, Stop Squandering Your Product Launch Budget
When you launch a product, do customers instantly begin buying? Or do they need months of deliberation? Start them deliberating well before your launch with engaging interviews and follow-up. Customers will help you make course corrections for a better new product… and when you’re ready to sell, they’ll be ready to buy much faster.
More in article, The Missing Objective in B2B VOC
That’s too bad. They could follow 12 rules to dramatically improve their launches. A new approach is needed for three reasons: 1) The digital age is changing everything. 2) B2B marketers have been following the rules of consumer goods marketers too long. 3) Much more rigor is needed than most B2B companies apply today.
More in e-book, 12 New Rules of B2B Product Launch
Imagine you spent two years developing a new product, and have just launched it. You’re waiting to tell your boss about exciting new sales… and waiting. As the months go by and you get more feedback from the field, you realize the market has responded to your launch with one big, collective… yawn. What went ... Read More
Many companies develop and lob new products at their B2B customers without first exploring their needs. There may be less efficient ways to understand customer needs than waiting to see if they buy your product… but I truly don’t know what they would be. Years from now, companies will be amazed that our innovation methods were so supplier-centric and inefficient.
More in white paper, Timing is Everything (page 5).
If you want to create an unbeatable value proposition with your B2B product, understand customer value by moving to the highest of 6 levels for customer insight. Then quantify value by building a value calculator, and communicate value with a B2B-optimized product launch. ... Read More
This is how one B2B marketer described their launch process to me. It’s much better to use a rigorous process, documented in five brief reports: Launch Plan Summary (with strategy, team, activities & results), Prospect Profile, Message Brief, Media Guide, and Launch Results. The middle three address who to tell, what to tell and how to tell.
More in article, How to Plan an Amazing B2B Product Launch (Originally published in B2B Organic Growth newsletter).
How can you know with absolute confidence that you’ve put together all the key elements of a winning product launch plan? Prepare these 5 product launch plan documents: 1) Launch Plan Executive Summary, 2) Prospect Profile, 3) Message Brief, 4) Media Guide, and 5) Launch Results. ... Read More
Enjoy your best-ever B2B product launch using 12 tips from the AIM Institute's e-book. Features LaunchStar software which delivers a comprehensive 2-page launch plan executive summary. ... Read More
Years from now, we’ll think it quite strange that B2B companies explored market needs by launching products to see if anyone would buy them. In the future, B2B companies will have a complete understanding of market needs before they begin developing their products, let alone launch them. Want to start before your competitors?
More in white paper, Catch the Innovation Wave (page 5).