Sales Archives

Crossing the Chasm: Marketing Tech Solutions

How do you market a breakthrough technology? What customer segments should you target? According to Geoffrey Moore, the author of Crossing the Chasm, marketing high-tech products to the early market begins with innovators and moves to early adopters, early majority, late majority, and then laggards. The challenge for companies is to cross the chasm between the early market and the mainstream market (where the majority of customers are) and ultimately accelerate adoption across every segment. In this article, we’ll take a look at Moore’s chasm marketing chronology and the potential problems that could arise during the process.

Building an Online Community: The 5 Steps to Success

Is it better to have millions of followers or to have a small community? What are the steps for building an online community? According to Gary Vaynerchuk in Crush It!, it’s better to build a small, loyal community around your business than to have tons of mildly interested followers. He provides five steps you need to keep repeating in order to grow your following. Keep reading to learn how to build your online community.

Products That Died Crossing the Chasm (Examples)

Why do most new, high-tech products fail to reach the stage of mass adoption? What are some examples of products that died in the chasm? In his book Crossing the Chasm, Moore discusses two products that failed to cross the chasm: Segway’s personal transportation device and Motorola’s Iridium network. In both cases, Moore argues, they failed to reach the chasm stage due to technical limitations. Keep reading to learn why most high-tech products die before crossing the chasm—with examples.

Business Model Canvas: Revenue Streams Explained

What is a revenue stream? What are the two types of revenue streams? A revenue stream is simply a source of profit for a business—where the money comes from. Defining your revenue streams is one of the key elements of designing a business model for your company. There are two types of revenue streams in Business Model Canvas: 1) profits from single transactions, and 2) profits from ongoing payments such as subscriptions. We’ll discuss both of these elements below.

Crossing the Chasm: Book Overview (Geoffrey Moore)

What is Geoffrey Moore’s book Crossing the Chasm about? How does remaining in the chasm between the early market and the mainstream market sabotage your business? In his book Crossing the Chasm, marketing consultant Geoffrey Moore explains why most high-tech products stagnate and die out, never reaching the stage of mass adoption. His explanation is grounded in the “Technology Adoption Life Cycle” (TALC), which predicts how innovations are adopted by different segments of society as a technology matures. Below is a brief overview of Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore.

How Does the Freemium Business Model Make Money?

What is the freemium business model? How do freemium products generate revenue? The freemium business model is where a business gives away a limited suite of services for free and charge for a premium or additional features. The revenue from paying customers supports the costs incurred by the free users. In this article, we’ll take a look at the concept behind the freemium business model and explain the difference between freemium and free trial.

5 Types of Customer Groups & How to Target Them

Why is it important to define the customer groups your business intends to target? What are the different types of customer groups? It’s important to identify and validate your customer groups before you develop your business model. There are five main types of customer groups: 1) mass market, 2) niche market, 3) subdivided market, 4) diversified market, and 5) multi-sided market. We’ll take a look at how to target each of these groups below.

The Bait-and-Hook Business Model: Explained

What is the bait-and-hook business model? How do bait-and-hook businesses make a profit? The bait-and-hook business model is where a business sells the main product (for example, coffee machine or printer) at a low cost in order to generate profit by selling complementary products/refills/top-ups (for example, coffee capsules, printer ink) at a high price. In effect, businesses choose to initially make a loss in the hope of making a future profit from ongoing purchases. In this article, we’ll take a look at the concept behind bait-and-hook business models and how they generate revenue.

The Diffusion of Innovation Model (aka TALC) Explained

What is the Diffusion of Innovation (aka TALC) model? How many categories of customers are there in the TALC framework? The Diffusion of Innovation model (also known as the Technology Adoption Life Cycle) was developed by Beal and Bohlen, two agricultural extension agents working for Iowa State College in the 1950s. They developed the model based on studies of when farmers started using new agricultural innovations, such as fertilizer and hybrid seed corn. Others soon generalized the model to technological innovations outside of agriculture. In this article, we’ll take a look at how the Diffusion of Innovation Model explains the

What Is the Open Business Model?

What is the open business model? How do companies with open business models create value for their customers? An open business model is where a business creates value through collaboration with external partners. There are two main ways to do that: 1) integrate their internal resources with the partner, or 2) supply their resources for a fee. We’ll break down both of these principles below.