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sharkThink: rethinking product value development. Stay sharp, keep thinking!

Product value development starts by understanding the jobs your customers are trying to accomplish with your products. Helping users with these outcomes is the benchmark for concept innovative.

Tag >> product development
Mar 10
2009

Don't trust your sales people

Posted by John Landerholm in value developmentproduct developmentoutcome-driven innovationdesign

John Landerholm

Dont trust your sales people for input in new product developmentDon't trust your sales people for relaying proper user input in product development. Why would I say something like that? Anyone old enough to remember the 70's? Burnt Red and Avocado Green were reported to be the colors that the market were demanding for kitchen appliances.  Usually it was a someone from sales who was voicing this wisdom.

I'll let you in on a secret. The depth of a salespersons insight into what "the market" is demanding is to repeat the product features that the last customer he talked with was interested in.

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Everyone's talking about the "i" word: innovation. "We need more innovation" it's being said over and over. It starts to get a little bit repetitive. Of course we have be innovative to survive, but thats like saying we have to look both ways before we cross the street. What we really should be focusing on is increasing product value for users. You heard it here first.