Consider three product development stages: front-end, development and launch. Most projects reach commercial certainty in the launch phase, as sales are monitored. But you can move this certainty to the front-end. Nearly all commercial uncertainty can be eliminated before development using the science of B2B customer insight.

More in white paper, Timing is Everything (page 6).

There are many forces dragging your products toward commoditization: competitors trying to imitate your products… purchasing agents trying to standardize your products… new technologies trying to obsolete your products. In your quest toward specialty products, you’ll get no outside help. You own this one, baby.

More in article, The Commodity Death Spiral (Originally published in B2B Organic Growth newsletter).

B2B companies have huge advantages over B2C, but they may not be obvious. After all, didn’t the same fellow who bought a rail car of soda ash also buy a can of soda pop? Nope. He changed… a lot. B2B customers are more technically savvy, objective, supplier-dependent, and can predict their needs. Careful reflection of these differences leads to different approaches.

More in article, B2B Customer Interviews: Are They Different?

Isn’t a fill-in-the-blank customer questionnaire a bit… boring? If instead you keep asking, “Any other problems?”… you’ll have absolutely no idea what the customer will say next. Exhilarating? You bet. Uncomfortable? Perhaps… but only at first. With practice you’ll love it, and you’ll never go back.

More in e-book, Reinventing VOC for B2B (page 12).

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).

Customers own “outcome” space. You own “solution” space. Don’t let them into your space… unless you want to become a contract manufacturer. Instead, enter their space to understand desired outcomes better than competitors. This lets you deliver unique value in your solutions, which is handsomely rewarded though premium pricing.

More in article, Should You Develop New Products like Steve Jobs? (Originally published in B2B Organic Growth newsletter).

Tell me to increase shareholder value and I struggle to identify something I can do as an employee to raise earnings per share. Tell me to understand and increase customer value, and I can think of a dozen things to do, most of them actionable, measurable, and beneficial to our bottom line. Many of these I will find inspiring… as will others.

More in article, Why Maximizing Shareholder Value is a Flawed Goal (Originally published in B2B Organic Growth newsletter).