Why Better Products Don't Always Win
I recently spent time interviewing customers and industry experts to better understand what drives adoption of new products. What stood out to me was that people rarely talked about the product alone. They talked about whether the product solved a meaningful problem, whether the value justified the investment, and how easy it was to implement within their organization. It was a good reminder that adoption is often more than building a better product.
Many product managers naturally focus on the product itself. They spend time understanding customer needs, defining requirements, and working with teams to develop solutions. Those are important responsibilities, but successful adoption often requires a broader perspective.
Successful products bring together three things:
- The product needs to solve a meaningful problem and improve outcomes that customers care about.
- The business model needs to create a compelling case for adoption through the value delivered, investment required, and contracting approach.
- The commercialization strategy needs to make adoption easier through education, support, and responsiveness.
These pieces need to work together to gain market success.
Reflecting on the research, respondents rarely separated the product from the value it created or the experience of implementing it. They viewed the entire solution as a package, and their decision reflected that broader perspective.
The strongest product managers learn to think beyond the product. They understand how customer value, business value, and commercialization work together to influence success.
If you think about the products your organization has successfully brought to market, what drove adoption?
Was it the product alone, or was it the combination of factors surrounding it?
