So far, you’ve done everything right. You’ve identified an obvious unmet need in the market, and developed an awesome product that will satisfy that need. It has unique features, unlike any other product, so there’s virtually no competition. And you’re convinced that it’s priced to sell. Now you’re ready to take your product to market, right?
Wrong.
You need to know a lot more about your customer and their problems to be able to design the best product. We have found that the optimal way to find this out is to conduct a series of one-to-one interviews with potential customers. The preliminary interview allows the customer to express what problems they have without filters. Your job is to listen and not talk much, because you don’t want to influence the customer’s own description of their biggest challenges. With a sufficient number of these introductory interviews you will have more information on what the common problems customers are having, and how to design a product that appeals to the greatest number of people. You’re probably thinking that would be enough information to start selling your product, right?
Not yet.
There’s still more interviewing to be done. In the next round of meetings with your customers
You will be attempting to discover their primary pain points. Learn about what they currently use to solve their problems, and what they don’t like about those options. This is tremendously helpful in designing the details of your product.
In the third series of one-to-one interviews you present your product as a potential solution
to your customer’s problems. Your customer learns of the features of your product, and shares their feedback on the various options, including price points. Their answers will help you learn what value your customers put on your product, and if it’s a solution that meets their needs and interests them enough to buy it. Now your product is almost ready to launch.
Almost.
As a last test, you may want to target a very limited number of people with a soft launch. Early adopters and people you interviewed who are passionate about your product are given an exclusive opportunity to buy it pre-market. These are the people who are most likely to give you honest and intelligent feedback, allowing you one more chance to fix any remaining glitches before the full market launch.
Okay, now you can launch your product … but!
In reality you should never stop testing and learning about your market and product. You will be gathering plenty of data every step of your product’s life cycle that will not only help you perfect it, but will also be critical when planning upgrades, new versions, or even your next product.
If you have a product idea you would like to explore, NxtStep can help you turn that idea into a successful product business. Learn more by booking a free product strategy call or send us an email at hello@nxtstep.io. To keep up with the latest news in product marketing, subscribe to our newsletter.
