Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers

by Geoffrey A. Moore

Here is a proven formula for getting all this down into two short sentences. Try it out on your own company and one of its key products. Just fill in the blanks: For (target customers—beachhead segment only) Who are dissatisfied with (the current market alternative) Our product is a (new product category) That provides (key problem-solving capability). Unlike (the product alternative), We have assembled (key whole product features for your specific application). Let’s try this out with a few examples, starting with some we have already looked at earlier in the chapter. Silicon Graphics in Hollywood For post-production film engineers Who are dissatisfied with the limitations of traditional film editors Our workstation is a digital film editor That lets you modify film images any way you choose. Unlike workstations from Sun, HP, or IBM, We have assembled all the interfaces needed for post-production film editing. Intuit For the bill-paying member of the family who also uses a home PC Who is tired of filling out the same old checks month after month Quicken is a PC home finance program That automatically creates and tracks all your check-writing. Unlike Managing Your Money, a financial analysis package, Our system is optimized specifically for home bill-paying.