Launch. Perhaps nowhere in business are the stakes so high-and the success rates so low. That’s because launching a product or service requires absolute cross-functional teamwork in lock step with a defined commercialization process. Sound daunting? It can be. So we thought it would be helpful to share a simple concept we’ve found very beneficial when thinking about launch-Launch Trajectory. Not dissimilar from an actual (rocket) launch, trajectory is defined by aim and momentum.

The right aim.
It is not uncommon for a company to use tremendous energy and resources to introduce a product only to find (for some reason) it’s not adopted in the market. Usually this means a company hasn’t done its marketing homework. To avoid this:

Build a business case on customer needs. A company can become enamored with an idea or a technology and neglect the necessary customer input at the outset of commercialization.  Market opportunity and financial assessment is necessary, but markets don’t buy products, people do.

Base positioning on emotional needs of the audience. Too often positioning statements read like functional descriptors. Remember, the battle takes place in the mind and meaningful differentiation there requires understanding the emotional variables of your audience(s). Why you think (logically) someone will buy your product is typically not the case.

The right momentum.
A company develops an incredible product based on customer needs and watches it trickle into the market. When a launch team is not in perfect alignment from ideation to sale, the missteps can be considerable and valuable early market momentum can be lost. We say:

Establish a cross-discipline launch team early in the process. Engineering, manufacturing, marketing, legal, sales – the team that represents the product should be formed early in the commercialization process (ideally immediately after the business case is established). Their buy-in and coordinated effort are critical to building the proper internal and external energy for success.

Align the launch team on a proven process. A linear process whereby product development hands the product to marketing for launch is not what we’re after. A commercialization process is. The launch team should work in unison in a Stage-Gate approach (no one moves to the next Stage until all Gate requirements have been met). If you don’t have a proven commercialization process as your road map, get one.

Launch internally first. Recognizing the internal audience as the primary audience can pay big dividends. An introduction that cascades from the launch team to the organization is a mandatory momentum builder in our opinion.

These are just a few tips on how to achieve the right launch trajectory for success.