Any business that launches a new product or a new way of doing things, disrupts the current way a market behaves, buys and thinks. Many fail because they do not understand how to disrupt positively without putting the market's hackles up. Those that do succeed follow the simple set of guidelines laid out in this very brief presentation that outlines how to successfully enter a market with a disruptive product.

1. YOU
MORON!
The quick guide to disruptive selling without tipping the status quo

2. It’s all about balance
When you put a new idea or a new product in front of
people, you are deliberately unsettling the balance and
challenging the status quo.
Worse still, your target market may already think they
have no need for your product, because they already have
one they think does the same job.
Unless they are out looking for a new product they are
not even thinking about you or your product.
So then you get in touch out the blue and tell them about
your product - the one they are not even thinking about -
how it is the only product on the market to do
something and without it they just can’t get things done,
everything before your product doesn’t work now and is
redundant.
How do you think they feel about it?
Grateful - unlikely.
Intrigued - maybe.
Defensive - almost certainly!

3. Everyone buys emotionally..
..even the most cynical procurement
person.
As a result they commit to their
purchases, even if its only on the basis that
it was their decision to make the purchase
and they therefore believe it was a good
decision.
So no matter what, they have a personal
and emotional tie to the purchase.
So what do you think happens when you
tell them the purchase they are happy with
was not as smart as they think?

4. You are telling them they are morons
You are basically saying to them..
•You made a bad decision buying
that other product
•You made a mistake
•You should have waited for our
new product
•You moron. I bet you feel stupid
now
Don’t believe us?
Well, think about this presentation and see
how you feel the next time someone tries
to sell you something you think you don’t
need and see if you think we are right.

5. And the average human reaction to that is..
..unlikely to be one of instant realisation and
gratitude
In effect you are criticizing someone, not to
mention making them feel embarrassed in front
of their peers and that is stressful.
Stress induces defensive and even aggressive
reactions.
So what you have just done is the exact
opposite of what you were hoping to.
You have someone at least passively if not
actively resisting what you are suggesting is a
good idea
What do you think that will do for sales?

6. You can’t force change on a market
But you can help it want to change.
Part of the challenge of launching a new product
or even introducing an existing product to a new
prospect is overcoming the status quo.
Trying to force change without doing the right
groundwork and building the need to change is
why you can finish up accidentally telling your
prospective customers that they are morons.
Some people call this education, we thinks its
simply a process of providing your market with
the information it needs to question the status
quo and build up the desire to change.
Its also a process that takes time and starts with a
drip feed and builds to a crescendo.

7. Do you really need that i Pad?
Apple are the masters of disruption. Few if any
other companies have managed to make such
huge changes to the way we do things in such a
short period of time.
What’s more when they do introduce a new
disruptive product (anything beginning with i
recently) millions of people queue up overnight to
be the first among their friends to get one?
But how do they do it.
Think of it this way. How long before a new Apple
product is launched to you start to hear
♥
rumours? How many little snippets of ‘leaked’
information are you aware of?
I Then there is the language used at launch and the
way the launch itself if managed.
my iPAD Bottom line - by the time it hits the shelves we
want to change, we need those i Pads.

8. Talk Disruptive to me.
This is in our view critical.
If you are going to persuade a market to change
its outlook and look at new products and new
ways of doing things, you can’t call people
morons.
We recommend a lot of care with this:
• Acknowledge that what has gone before is good
and people bought for good reason.
• Use words like revolutionise, enhance, improve,
change, better - in short make sure your target
audience know a big change is coming
• Explain why, but be positive make people feel
excited that a better way of doing things is
coming
• Keep it focused on the audience - make their
lives better, because they don’t care about yours
• Don’t claim to be brilliant even if you are, no
one likes a big ego

9. It takes time
We look at new product cycles a lot - we are a
bit product geeky - and for every successful
disruptive product launch we see, there is a
constant - time
We mentioned it earlier, but essentially you can’t
rock up on a Tuesday, launch a product with lots
of noise and expect it to do an iPhone by Friday.
It takes time, you have to build need, create the
case, engage the market with little bits of
excitement - its kind of like the ‘Coming Soon’
posters you see on the boards covering shop
windows when they are being refitted - it makes
you curious.
When you are curious you are open to new ideas
and new experiences - ready to change.
However the key to this is that it takes time to
build this curiosity and there are no shortcuts

10. So when does the selling start?
Right from the start.
It might not be sales folk out trying to take
orders, but right from the start you are selling:
• An idea that there is a better way.
• Change as the right thing to do
All this is designed to build curiosity and a desire
to find out more.
Do it right and by the time you launch, selling the
product should be a lot easier because you will
have generated a market and demand.
Sounds pretty straight forward doesn’t it?
(One caveat though.Try this without doing the right
market research to really - and we mean REALLY - get
under the skin of your market, the evidence shows
that you are more than 70% less likely to succeed)

11. About Backwards Business
Backwards Business is a flexible business growth
programme.
It is proven to help entrepreneurs, start ups and
established businesses achieve their goals.
This brief presentation covers one of the subjects
covered in the programme.
Working on a consultative basis with dozens of
companies in the last few years, we have helped them
successfully launch more than 60 products, win major
contracts and achieve their business goals.
Every aspect of Backwards Business is focused on the
market because we know from experience that the
most successful businesses and products always are. This
is why our programmes are so successful.
The programme is now available in a variety of forms
from self help texts and workbooks through to fully
implemented programmes through our delivery partner
network.
The choice is yours – but whichever path you choose
the one thing you can be assured of is our support and
dedication to your success.

12. Find out more
Website
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www.themarketingengine.co.uk
E-mail
Send an e-mail to
Backwardsbusiness@themarketingengine.co.uk
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