"What problem does this product solve?"

This simple question is the central issue behind product success or product failure. And it's one that company executives often can't answer coherently. They'll often talk about how their software provides a smoother, more efficient interface, and how users can attack more sophisticated problems with its abilities. For businesses, there are only two problems that need solving: how do I increase revenues; how do I decrease expenses?

Your software can be—at most—two steps removed from those issues to be viable. If it makes users more efficient, that efficiency needs to be directly translatable to increased sales or cost savings. If it lets users address more complex issues, make sure those issues affect profits. Features don't sell software; benefits don't sell software; measurable effects on the bottom line, do. Products that are only"nice-to-have," have limited potential.

GoThisWay is the marketing and product management consulting practice of Steve Guttman. With over twenty years experience working as both an engineer and marketer, Steve understands both technology and how to apply it toward solving real user problems. With a knowledge of consumer, professional, enterprise and Internet markets, online and offline Marketing, GoThisWay will help optimize your product strategy to generate more revenue, lower costs, or both!

Product Marketing is both art and science. More...