Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers

by Geoffrey A. Moore

Early market development efforts typically do not respond well to massive infusions of capital—in the 1980s we saw this with the IBM PC Jr. and Prodigy; in the 1990s with pen-based computers and video-to-the-home, in the last decade with RFID chips for inventory management and smart grids for electric power distribution. You simply cannot spend your way into the hearts and minds of technology enthusiasts and visionaries. To be sure, there is a minimum level of capitalization required. You have to be able to travel to make direct sales calls, and show up looking presentable, and you probably should have an office and a phone that is answered in a professional way. You do need to invest in early market public relations—the product launch is crucial to building early market success—but you do not need to advertise, nor do you need to invest in developing partnerships or building channel relationships.