Snowmaking, Duct Tape, and Good Products

I tried to make snow the other day, but much to my surprise, I failed.  I couldn’t believe that my exquisitely designed system of a leaf blower, hose sprayer and duct tape did not produce the wintry landscape that is absent this year.  Instead I got an icy coating on the brown grass and frozen fingers.  This similar situation befalls companies that have a “great” idea, spend a year or more turning it into a product, only to get a tepid reaction from the marketplace.

I had spent several months thinking about my snowmaking system so where did I go wrong, and how can you be more successful with your new products?  Here are a few suggestions.

• Talk to the snowmaking guys.  I had skied by dozens of experts on the hills, but never stopped to ask them some basic questions about turning water into white stuff.  Be well engaged with your target customers – understand how they work, what’s in their way, and whether your product will improve their world.

• Test the snowmaker before you are in need of covering your lawn.  Getting your product in the hands of customers before it is launched is very important.  Like me, you have great ideas…but are they really going to benefit the customers as much as you think?  Better be sure on this.

• Know the environment.  I had assumed that below-freezing air temperature was enough, but what about humidity, wind, etc?  No idea.  Look closely at your market so you are not surprised by unexpected barriers in the way of your success.  Are there regulatory issues, are your prospects funded, is the market large enough, what are the alternatives to your offering?

• Build a better snow maker next time.  I did learn quite a bit from my failure.  Next time I will use a finer spray, colder temps, and drier air.  If your product stumbles out of the gate, all is not lost.  Be on the lookout for this early feedback and be ready to re-tool, re-position, or re-price before your product becomes maligned in the market.  View the launch as the midpoint, not the end-point of product development.

So long before you send your product out into the marketplace, be certain you really understand how well it will fit with your customers.  The alternative is thin icy cover, frozen hands, and wasted duct tape.