By the time it gets to you to plan a product launch, the product features and content have already decided. You get a 10 pound bag of {insert favorite word here} and are told to package it up for Sales. So you create a sales preso, a demo and work with Marcom on a really cool brochure. Wait – throw in a few trade shows too. If you’re like most folks, you believe your job is to throw the product over the wall to Sales as quickly as possible and let them figure it out, right?
Sales spends the next 3 months figuring it out only to conclude since the product isn’t selling, and since it couldn’t possibly be them, either:
1. The price is too high, or
2. There’s something wrong with the product
Then the shouting begins. The antagonist in me loves this part.
This is not what management really wants. They expect you to figure out how to sell as many 10 pound bags of {insert favorite word here} as possible at the highest price. Anyone can create a deck of slides or a brochure. Successful launches are anchored in goals that real people understand and are supported by a process that ensures the desired outcome. It takes into consideration that each product launch has unique charateristics that require different approaches.
What’s your product launch process?
