Most start-up companies begin with what they think is a brilliant idea and they immediately jump to building the product, and most of these products suck. Creating innovative products that result in market breakthrough requires a process of multiple iterations of discovery that drive you deeper into understanding the market problems and how to solve them with a differentiated solution. Breakthrough products are based upon solving a significant Market Problem with a Product and Business Model that create a competitive advantage and a Market Strategy that motivates buyers to purchases your product. In this session, learn this iterative discovery process that leads to breakthrough products and how to apply it to your own products.

1. Welcome to
RISE WEEK 2012
How to Create Products That Don’t Suck
A Discovery Process for Creating Breakthrough Products
(For Start-ups through Big Enterprises)
Hosted by
Tom Evans
Principal, Lûcrum Marketing
@compellingmktr

2. High New Product Failure Rate
• Only one product concept out of seven becomes a new
product winner; and 44% of businesses’ product
development projects fail to achieve their profit targets.
• One out of four development projects succeeds
commercially. (75% failure rate)
Robert G Cooper
Copyright 2012 - LÛCRUM MARKETING

3. High New Product Failure Rate
• Only one product concept out of seven becomes a new
product winner; and 44% of businesses’ product
development projects fail to achieve their profit targets.
• One out of four development projects succeeds
commercially. (75% failure rate)
Robert G Cooper
Copyright 2012 - LÛCRUM MARKETING

4. Why Do So Many Products Suck?
1. Idea to Product

5. Why Do So Many Products Suck?
1. Idea to Product
2. One point of market evidence to idea to product

6. Why Do So Many Products Suck?
1. Idea to Product
2. One point of market evidence to idea to product
3. Market evidence & validation to product

7. Why Do So Many Products Suck?
1. Idea to Product
2. One point of market evidence to idea to product
3. Market evidence & validation to product
4. Market evidence & validation, product validation, no
clear market strategy

8. Why Do So Many Products Suck?
1. Idea to Product
2. One point of market evidence to idea to product
3. Market evidence & validation to product
4. Market evidence & validation, product validation, no clear market
strategy
5. Market evidence & validation, product validation, no
profitable business model

9. Keys to Products That Don’t Suck
• Compelling Market Opportunity
– Big painful issues
– That many in your target market
– Are willing to pay to solve
• Compelling Solution Discovery
– Differentiated Value Proposition +
– Profitable business model
– Time to market
Validation
• Compelling Market Strategy
– Motivates target market
– To solve problem with your solution

10. Model for Discovery
Four Key Steps
Validate
Plan Strategy Build Solution To Market
Hypothesis
Market Problem
Four Key Pillars
Product
Business
Model
Market Strategy
Valid Market Ready to
Validation Valid Hypothesis
Opportunity Launch
Market Growth
Product-to-Market™ Model
Product-to-Market is a trademark of Lûcrum Marketing

11. Four Key Pillars
• Market Problem – if you’re not solving a problem, there is
no need for a product!
• Product – How do you solve the market problem in a
valuable and differentiated manner?
• Business Model – How do you deliver the product and
profitably capture the value?
• Market Strategy – Who is going to buy it and why?

12. Example

13. Model for Discovery
Four Key Steps
Validate
Plan Strategy Build Solution To Market
Hypothesis
Market Problem
Four Key Pillars
Product
Business
Model
Market Strategy
Valid Market Ready to
Validation Valid Hypothesis
Opportunity Launch
Market Growth
Product-to-Market™ Model
Product-to-Market is a trademark of Lûcrum Marketing

14. Market Evidence (of Market Problem)
• Sources of Market Evidence
– Customers
– Non-customers
– Market trends/shifts
– Unexpected occurrences
– New technologies
– Competitors
– Personal experience
– Etc.

15. Market Evidence (of Market Problem)
• Sources of Market Evidence
– Customers
– Non-customers
– Market trends/shifts
– Unexpected occurrences
– New technologies
– Competitors
– Personal experience
– Etc.

16. Start With Hypothesis
– Buyer/User ‘W’
– In Market Segment “X”
– Has problem “Y”
– That happens when “Z” occurs
– We can solve it by creating/delivering solution “A”
E.g.: Owners of small manufacturing operations that
use hot water & steam are unable to manage
manufacturing costs due to the volatility of fuel prices.
We can solve this by providing a high temperature
solar heating system under a lease agreement.

17. Exercise 1
• Create a Hypothesis for a New Opportunity
– Buyer/User
– Market Segment
– Market Problem
– When it happens

18. Screening
• Alignment with company
– Strategy
– Target markets
– Core competencies
• Potential Competition
– Does someone already do this?
– Are there other ways to address this problem?

19. Validate the Hypothesis (1)
• Market problem and market segment(s)
• Speaking to potential customers (buyers & users)
– Most companies don’t and won’t do this
• Significant time investment
– Requires many conversations (cold calling)
• Minimum: 20 conversations
• May take over 100 conversations
• Iterate until validated or rejected
Copyright 2012 - LÛCRUM MARKETING

20. Exercise 2
• How are we going to get someone to talk to us?

21. Henry Ford’s Quote
“If I had asked people what they wanted,
they would have said faster horses.”
Copyright 2011 - LÛCRUM MARKETING

22. What Do They Need (To Do)?
“People don't want to buy a
quarter-inch drill. They
want a quarter-inch hole!”
–Theodore Levitt
Copyright 2011 - LÛCRUM MARKETING

23. What We Want to Identify
• Problems, Goals, Needs
– What do they want to do that they can’t do?
– What do they want to improve (decrease/increase)?
• Why is this P/G/N important?
• When does this happen (usage scenarios)
• How do you currently do this?
• What is your current satisfaction?
• What is the impact?
• Who are they (Personas)?
Copyright 2011 - LÛCRUM MARKETING

24. Whom to Ask?
• Strategic/Financial (Executives)
• Operational (Managers)
• Task Performers (Front-line)
Copyright 2011 - LÛCRUM MARKETING

25. Discover Personal Needs
Source: http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/teaching/whatareneeds.html
Copyright 2011 - LÛCRUM MARKETING

26. Exercise 3
• Conduct a short interview to validate hypothesis
– Groups of 3 (potential customer, interviewer, observer)

27. Validate Hypothesis (2)
• Create product & business model concept
– Low cost way of presenting product concept
– Mockup, prototype, wire frame, story board,
presentation, product description
• Validate product & business model concept
– Present concept and receive feedback
• Does the problem still resonate?
• Does the approach solve the problem?
• What is the Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
• Iterate until validated or rejected

28. Plan Strategy
• Define & discover at greater depth
• Competitive research (strategy, position, strength)
• Validate the market opportunity
– Business Case - Can it be profitable?
• Detailed design of product & business model
– Market requirements, product requirements, user
stories, etc.
– Pricing model, delivery mechanism, costs to deliver,
etc.
• Iterate until validated or rejected

29. Build Solution
• Define Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
– Just enough functionality to solve the most important
market problems
– For small segment of market (early adopters, etc.)
– Willing to pay for this functionality
– Fast to market
– Learning
• Continue to discover, validate, refine!

30. To Market
• Sell your first customers
• Based upon market validation work
• Targeted Market Development Plan
– Well defined target market
– Clear understanding of buyer roles and their
challenges/goals/needs
– Compelling reason to buy from you
• Value Proposition – what we do for you
• Positioning & Differentiation – why buy our solution
• Continue to discover, validate, refine!

31. Positioning Statement
• For (target customer)
• Who (statement of need or opportunity)
• The (product name) is a (product category)
• That (statement of key benefit – that is compelling reason
to buy)
• Unlike (primary competitive alternative)
• Our product (statement of primary differentiation)
Geoffrey Moore: “Crossing the Chasm”

32. Exercise 4
• Write a positioning statement

33. Model for Discovery
Four Key Steps
Validate
Plan Strategy Build Solution To Market
Hypothesis
Market Problem
Four Key Pillars
Product
Business
Model
Market Strategy
Valid Market Ready to
Validation Valid Hypothesis
Opportunity Launch
Market Growth
Product-to-Market™ Model
Product-to-Market is a trademark of Lûcrum Marketing

34. Key Principles
• Hypothesis – Discovery – Validate
• Continuous engagement with target market
– Validate important decisions
• Planning is good, but learning is better
• Fail fast – discover fast!

35. Additional References

36. Thank You!
Tom Evans
Lûcrum Marketing
tevans@lucrum-marketing.com
+1.512.961.5267
@compellingmktr
Copyright 2012 - LÛCRUM MARKETING

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