|
|
Books, Articles and Consulting Services by Catherine Kitcho, The Launch Doctor |
|
|
|
From Idea to Launch at Internet Speed
|
| From Idea to Launch at Internet Speed: How to Identify and Develop Profitable Opportunities Catherine Kitcho Foreword by Kevin J. Kennedy, Cisco Systems Introduction by the author Chapter 1.The New Product Cycle of the Internet Era In the Internet Era, we still have the same product cycle to deal with, but the whole cycle is very compressed. This introductory chapter focuses on the stages of the cycle and the new timing that applies. PART ONE: IDEA SCREENING AND VALIDATION Chapter 2. Idea Screening: Realistic Criteria and Fast Decisions Every company uses a different process to make decisions about new product ideas, as well as a different set of decision-makers. Screening criteria must fit the company's strategic objectives and business processes. The decision-makers need to make decisions quickly, and the screening process must be simple enough for everyone to understand. Chapter 3. The Strategic Fit Criterion: Matching the Idea to the Company A company should not pursue every idea, especially if it represents a radical departure from core competencies, culture and ways of doing business. Timing of an idea relative to long-term objectives is also an important consideration. This chapter guides the reader on how to work strategic objectives into the screening process. Chapter 4. The Customer Criterion: Defining and Studying the Customer, A Renewed Focus Companies now strive to be customer-centric in the new economy, but that is easier said than done. First you must have a detailed understanding of your customer. This chapter focuses on what companies need to do in order to truly define the customer, and determine whether the customer will be a profitable one. The concept of "customer profit value" is also introduced. Chapter 5. The Competition Criterion: Competitive Analysis and Constant Vigilance As companies move faster in the new economy, so do the competitors. How do you keep up? This chapter includes tools for streamlined competitive analysis and ideas for staying one step ahead of the competition, along with guidelines for identifying which companies are true competitors. Examples are given as to how to screen ideas for different competitive environments, such as fragmented, new or mature markets. Chapter 6. The Market Criterion: Not Every Market is a Trillion Dollar Market We've all been taught to do our homework and market research before developing an idea. In today's economy, every new technology or trend seems to be huge when projected into the future. We can no longer rely on such nebulous projections and must return to basic techniques of market validation to truly characterize our target market environment. Updated guidelines on forecasting market size, market trend analysis, and defining target markets are included in this chapter. Chapter 7. The Resource Criterion: People and Technology New ideas are great, but to be able to execute, you must have the right people and the right technology. You must gain the commitment of the people who will be involved in idea implementation, and you must protect the intellectual property as well. There may be gaps, and this chapter focuses on how to mitigate resource issues. Chapter 8. The Profit Criterion: Serving the Market Profitably The importance of profitability is the great lesson of the dot-com decline, and a solid business principle that has been in place since the dark ages. Each idea needs to be considered carefully in terms of profit making potential, and this should be the most important criterion. This chapter addresses how to determine profit targets, profitability measures, and assessing the profit potential of an idea. PART II: STRATEGY AND PLANNING Chapter 9. Marketing Strategies for the New Economy "First-mover", "divide and conquer", "differentiation", the list goes on and on. These are various strategies that have been used successfully or unsuccessfully by corporations for decades. This chapter offers a fresh look at crafting strategies in the new economy. Chapter 10. Business Model Mapping Business model mapping is an extremely useful tool that can be used during the strategy phase, as well as the operational phase. This chapter focuses on this technique and how to apply it during the new product cycle in order to identify the need for partners, to measure potential profitability, and assess channel performance. Chapter 11. The Business Model Palette of the Internet Era Dot-coms and the Internet Era have created a whole new set of business models, and companies have been experimenting at will. This chapter discusses some of the new and innovative models, and the benefits of each. Chapter 12. The New Breed of Partners: Distributing Value Partnering has become an essential way of doing business since the 1980s, and it is even more important in the Internet Era. Choosing partners and managing the partner relationship now need to be based on the concept of value distribution. Included in this chapter is a discussion of the changing roles that partners play in the Internet Era. Chapter 13. Speeding Up the Development Process This has been a challenge for companies since the beginning of time, but this has become more critical in the Internet Era. Beta customers, rapid prototyping, and outsourcing may help speed this part of the product cycle. Chapter 14. Streamlined Business and Marketing Plans There are hundreds of books on how to develop business and marketing plans. What these books don't tell you is what to do with the plans when you complete them. This chapter provides a simplified way to compile and use these plans for making meaningful decisions. PART III: LAUNCHING NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Chapter 15. What to Update When You're Ready to Launch Now that the product is ready for the market, are you ready to indeed launch it? This chapter focuses on how to determine your readiness for launch. Chapter 16. Choosing the Best Marketing Programs for the Internet Era The dot-com boom and bust cycle was an interesting lesson in the effectiveness of marketing programs. This chapter focuses on the balanced portfolio approach to marketing programs. Chapter 17. Leveraging the Web during Launch The technologies of the Internet Era have enabled new ways to do marketing. This chapter includes ideas on how to leverage these technologies to streamline marketing programs. PART IV: MOMENTUM Chapter 18. Summary: A Repeatable, Streamlined Process All the concepts in this book can be formulated into a repeatable process. This summary section puts it all together, including how to get the entire organization involved. Included are discussions on process development, modification and training, along with tools and templates to streamline the implementation. Appendix A: Recommended reading and websites A list of the resources that will enable readers to stay current with the future changes in marketing, strategy, and new products. Appendix B: Tools and templates (on accompanying CD) A collection of templates and tools with details and examples on how to use them. |
||
|