Why Killer Products Don't Sell

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19 May 2012

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Coming from conversations with executive teams of technology companies including Cisco, EADS, Symantec, SAS, Fuji Xerox & start-ups, the insights contained in Why Killer Products Don't Sell are gold dust.

Who should read this book

Why Killer Products Don't Sell gives a whole range of executives valuable insights:

(click on + to expand to see why)

CEO

As CEO you are responsible for the overall performance of the business. That means the critical decision about which business model or models to apply should rest with you – or at least with you and your executive team. This book will give you the framework to make these decisions, resulting in science rather than the art of the possible.

CEO (start-up)

If you are leading a start-up, unless you have decided to take on an existing player with your me-too product, you probably have an innovative, paradigm-shifting, trend-leaping product. This book will show you how to align your approach to the market, rather than waiting for the market to align with you.

COO

You are responsible for optimizing the operation of the entire business; for ensuring that each of the moving parts delivers a seamless experience for the customer and a great working environment for the employee. Running a company with sales going through the roof and money pouring in is easier than launching the latest cost-cutting initiative or turning down the funding for a new product idea. This book will help you understand how you organize the entire company, not just sales.

Sales Director

The challenge you face depends on the size of your organization, the span of products, and your background. If you are Sales Director of a major multinational, you will have a wide range of products. Understanding the best approach for selling each of these products is critical if they are all to succeed. A sound understanding of the principles in this book will help you recruit, organize, measure, lead, and coach your sales teams.

Head of M&A

Your job is to buy companies for the organization and then sell off the bits that don’t fit with the overall corporate strategy. But is the company geared up to sell an innovative product? Using the ideas in this book, you can formulate your M&A strategy; what products to sell off, which to support, and which ones to buy.

Head of Marketing

Are you viewed as the team that develops brochures and sources leads for the latest whizzy product, or are you part of an integrated and innovative sales machine? How do you know what marketing spend will contribute most? It’s easy to spend time and money that goes nowhere. You’ll find this book is the perfect companion to Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado, as it explains how you work with the rest of the company.

Investors and VCs

Before you invest in a company, does it have the correct business model? It’s a pretty fundamental question. So how are you going to validate that they are on track? Now, using the approach in this book, you have another lens or perspective which will make you ask some different questions throughout the due diligence, and it will help you understand how to de-risk your investments.

Head of Innovation

If your role is to look for innovative products in the market and acquire them, then you should look back at the Head of M&A/Investors and VCs sections. If your role is to generate innovative ideas internally across the whole company – or just within your team , then a fundamental question is, “How will the new sexy, innovative product be taken to market?” This book will enable you to answer that fundamental question, based on theory backed up with experience.

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