Product failures are communications failures

When the customer is the last one to be consulted, product development is doomed to fail. Just ask Microsoft. I'm not 100% tapped into their market research process when they design new products, but it seems like the 48-day market lifespan of the mis-aligned Kin device forgot product development 101: Respond to the needs of your customers.

Nancy Xiao did a great job weighing the pros and cons of the Kin in her TechFlash report. As a representative of the product's key demographic, she states some rather obvious points in her breakdown. Why were such obvious smart phone features overlooked -- like a calendar, instant messaging, and an easy to use phone?

Successful product development results from successful communication. Products and services are ways that organizations say to its target audiences, "We speak your language, and our offerings directly translate your priorities and concerns into a response that you can understand." When products flop, it's because of a miscommunication. Either the priorities and concerns of the customer were missed, or the response to those priorities and concerns are translated into the wrong language.

When communications go awry, it's because one or more of the participants in the discussion are hyper-focused on their own priorities and concerns while neglecting those of their audience. This is true in flopped presentations, workplace conflicts, parent-child confrontations, lost sales opportunities, and disrupted friendships. I see this all the time during coaching sessions, assessments, marketing and sales planning, and even product development.  Good communication requires taking the time to really get to know the audience and their motivations.

It is the responsibility of the leading entity (the organization, the manager, the parent, each of the friends, each spouse) to take the time to go below the surface and really understand what is going on. When a teenager inevitably screams, "I hate you!" to a parent, the statement is rarely true. That's surface speak for "You don't understand me, haven't taken the time to understand me, and are constantly dismissing my priorities and concerns, so I no longer trust you and refuse to open up to you unless you start regaining my trust in your ability to be an open, honest, and fair parent." It's just that most teens don't yet have the sophistication to express exactly what they want to say [the same could be said for many adults].

Organizations, like parents, must employ patience and take the time to get to know the priorities and concerns of all stakeholders, not just customers. That means spending more time reading between the lines instead of just responding to the results of focus groups and surveys. It means getting out of the lab environment and into the places where your stakeholders live, work, and play every day.

By focusing product development on the REAL priorities and concerns of your customers, you can avoid costly go-to-market demises that rip holes into the financial fabric of a growing organization. Not all organizations can afford to spend billions to develop a product, test it in the marketplace, then pull product product support and production like some enterprises.  By treating product development like a conversation, you can avoid marketplace missteps and develop thoughtful offerings that respond in a way that is loud and clear.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
Is your organization leading responsive conversations? Are your actions meeting the needs of your customers, employees, and other stakeholders? If it seems that you and key stakeholders are speaking different languages, call me to help you translate and prepare a clear response: 206-782-4040 x104.