Tom Grant's presentation on the evolution of product launches. Many industry trends are changing the definition of launches, connecting them to specific business outcomes that are meaningful to the customer.

1. March 15, 2010. Call in at 12:55 p.m. Eastern time The Old Launch Codes Won’t Work Tom Grant Senior Analyst Forrester Research

7. Traditional problems with launches App. 75% of launches fail to get desired results Something’s lost in transmission, or the wrong message is being sent Vendors use launches to communicate value to customers

8. Newer problems with launches Some industry trends have increased the amount of noise in the channel It’s harder to get the attention of the intended audience The number and diversity of relevant audiences has increased The answer is not to yell more loudly

9. Who owns the launch? Corporate marketing Product marketing Product mgt Development Partners Business Development Field marketing Sales Consulting Support Executive mgt Training ?

11. What’s our preferred way of marketing? Source: February 2010, “Organizing For B2B Tech Community Marketing”

15. Launches and SaaS: BEST PRACTICES Be certain that you’re communicating value on launch day Use the impact on the customer as leverage for getting the company ready Take advantage of the SaaS opportunity to assess products, marketing, and sales in new ways

16. Launches and Agile: ALIGNMENT

18. Launches and Agile: BEST PRACTICES Perfect “just in time” launch techniques Use short iterations to make corrections before the launch, and assess the results afterwards Involve key players in earlier iterations, including partners and customers

20. Launches and social media: BEST PRACTICES Plan for a period of follow-through and assessment Use the ongoing conversation to bring customers and partners on board before the launch Re-define the launch as an ongoing discussion, not a one-shot event

22. Launches and BT: BEST PRACTICES Use channel and implementation partners to deepen your understanding of the customer Make customer-facing groups’ understanding of the customer’s perspective a precondition of the launch Make product managers and product marketers experts in the customer’s adoption of technology

24. The purpose of the launch is changing NEW HOTNESS: It’s all about the customer OLD AND BUSTED: It’s all about the vendor Here’s our new product, and the price list, and the data sheet. Look at all the features. Aren’t you glad? You’re a busy person, so I won’t waste your time. Here’s something that should be valuable to you, and here’s how it will help.

26. Launches need to reach champions Design the launch to reach your champion within the customer organization Equip your champion to make a compelling case to other stakeholders

28. Questions?

29. please thank our sponsors