If your core product concept identifies insight into your customer,
you've taken the first step towards success. The strength and focus of
your core concept will dictate decisions made in the development and
launch planning processes.
Consider this service idea: Families with school-age children need
online, kid-friendly research tools. They are willing to pay for these
tools on a subscription basis if regular use saves time spent on
homework and/or raises grades measurably. Compare that to a similar concept:
Kids in school want to be able to search dynamic databases by key words
to locate full text articles online. These two descriptions are based
on the same general service. The first emphasizes needs; the second
emphasizes product features. Development of these concepts will likely go
in different directions:
The Service 1 development team will emphasize relevancy of
information, ease of use and design of a kid/family-friendly workspace.
The Service 2 development team will implement the most advanced
search technology available.
I would venture to say that kids doing their homework don't care
much about the technology behind the search. If they can't figure out how
to do a search, they'll look elsewhere. The money spent on the
technology would be better spent on the needs-based aspects of the product.
Focusing on consumer needs at the beginning of the process streamlines
development in the most effective direction.
The same is true with launch planning and marketing strategy. Nearly
every strategic decision, including product positioning, distribution,
advertising and promotions strategies, should consider your customer's
lifestyle and preferences. If you've defined a customer need that your
product serves, your marketing role is to tell that customer that your
product offers a necessary solution. When you don't have a defined need
or customer, the decisions on how to market a product/service can be
unmanageable. The result is often a weak product and an unfocused
marketing strategy.