A product road map prioritizes what the market has told you it needs. When properly built, it continuously spawns winning solutions and accelerates revenue growth. Even the best products can become obsolete overnight because competition is fierce. So keep listening to the market and innovate your products faster than the competition. Your future success depends on it.
Your product road map provides validated ideas that deliver real value. It sets your organization up to capture more market share. But having a well-balanced product road map is only half of the equation. The other half of your future success rests upon a flawless sales enablement plan.
This sales enablement plan must choreograph messaging, planning, and execution of your product launches. It’s well-synchronized with the road map’s timelines. This is the delicate handoff from product development to marketing and sales.
How Do We Tell A Compelling Story?
A successful launch hinges upon how well you communicate. A compelling story starts by addressing real market problems on the buyer’s terms. That story must compel someone to invest in you versus the competitive alternatives. Yet you can’t expect buyers to determine your product’s value on their own. You must spur them to action. Spell out the conviction of your value proposition. Shift the buyer from a price discussion to a value discussion.
How Do We Ensure Organizational Readiness For Our Launch?
The world is littered with failed products because of poor launch planning. Product management can develop the perfect product, but that alone does not ensure success. This is the most critical step in your product life cycle before you execute. Here are a few ways to align functional leadership to be ready for launch:
- Define the launch goals
- State the launch strategy (e.g., land and expand, replacement, migration, upgrade)
- Define the target buyers
- Create a risk-mitigation plan
- Hold functional leaders, including marketing and sales, accountable for their roles
How Do We Execute the Launch Plan to Achieve the Product’s Business of Objectives?
A well-developed product and launch plan will only be successful with execution. Flawless execution requires a relentless effort to overcome old organizational and buyer habits. Here are a few keys to a successful product-launch execution:
- Measure success against the launch goals and promote quick wins
- Reinforce enablement through training and coaching
- Incent the right sales behavior to facilitate the launch
- Get ahead of possible issues before they jeopardize success
