Successful commercialisation

It is the go-to-market of a new product, service or business model introduction that dictates, whether the result is a success or a failure. I assist firms to build a well-functioning go-to-market machinery or to successfully bring a specific new offering to markets. 

The core of successful commercialisation is to strengthen differentiation and to help avoiding competitive tendering. If a company only responds to buyer requirements with similar offerings and messages as its competitors, the buyers will see the new solution through a price lens. That means price wars. Thus in well-thought commercialisation it is essential to change customers´ purchase criteria:
  • When an innovation has benefits that are valuable for customers and that differentiate it from competition, it is easier for a selling company to approach potential customers with insights that resonate with their business challenges
  • Seller´s insights make targeted buyers more interested, and they also become more willing to investigate opportunities of the new solution, together with the seller
  • Joint investigation of opportunities together with the buyer guarantees that the purchasing scope and criteria are favourable for the seller – in best case the buyer selects the seller´s solution without tendering

In addition, you need to find answers to the key issues of commercialisation, including:
  • What kind of total offering needs to be built around the core product?
  • What are the most important target markets and their localisation requirements?
  • Are the current customer channels the right ones, what needs to be changed or further developed?
  • How to synchronise R&D, marketing, sales and other function objectives and operations?
  • How to synchronise objectives and operations on central and local levels?
 
Based on my extensive experience in commercialisation projects, customer -centricity, hungriness and agility are the cornerstones of a successful go-to-market program or process. Customer -driven operations secure that the focus is in the activities that create customer value. Hard business metrics, like increase in the number of customer leads, sales growth or return on investment, keep the teams and individuals alert and hungry. By using agile methods, big mistakes and high costs are avoided and operational quality is continuously improved. My sizable contact network to potential new customers and commercialisation partners is also available, if needed.

You can discuss more with me about your commercialisation and go-to-market challenges. Please call me, +358 40 559 7010, or send an email, [email protected].

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Company cases 

A company wanted to take a new business model to markets and implement it in numerous countries, where its products were sold. Introduction of the new model required seamless cooperation between close to all functions, from R&D to sales and customer service. The initiative was organised as a separate project with very lean dedicated management, part-time representation from relevant functions and shared objectives. The new model was taken into use in various countries in waves that enabled learning from first implementers. 
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Very early in the development project of a new product a consumer product company recognized that customer and channel acceptance will be critical for the new product success. 
The product prototypes were taken to customer testing as soon as possible and later similar type of feedback was seeked for new or modified functionalities. This secured focus on the functionalities that match with customer desires and also generated plenty of preliminary interest and willingness to buy the product when it is ready. The requirements of distribution and retail were channelled in the similar way to the project.
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When a firm initiated a new product development project, there was a very vague understanding of the most potential market areas. Instead of making deep and quite expensive market studies after the first desk studies, the company chose to utilise digital tools. This made it possible to measure the strength of potential customers´ needs and their willingness to buy the new product. In addition, it was possible to evaluate, how to reach potential channel partners and their keenness to start to sell the product. As a result it was possible to focus further commercialisation efforts to the most lucrative countries and to save plenty of time and money compared with alternative approaches.

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