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

by Geoffrey A. Moore

First we will look at how to select the point of attack, the place to cross, the beachhead, the head bowling pin. Then we will look at what kind of offer it will take to secure that initial target market, and how we as a fledgling enterprise with limited resources can go about fielding such an offer. Then we will look at the landscape, identifying the forces that seek to throw us off the beach and back into the chasm, and how we can position ourselves for success. And finally we will look at the selling systems themselves, pricing and distribution, to help us pick the right approach to the market during this particularly vulnerable time. The critical attitude to maintain in all four of these challenges is that chasm crossing represents a unique time in your enterprise’s history. It is a far cry both from your past, where selling to visionaries was the key to success, and your future, which will be focused on either niche or mass-market expansion programs.