This document outlines the top 10 ways to successfully roll out new products. It begins by providing background on product launch practices from a recent study. It then discusses critical issues in product launches such as reducing time to market and ensuring consistent messaging. The top 10 tips provided are to start the launch process early, leverage cross-functional team expertise, get to the key points quickly, tailor the rollout for different audiences, test the rollout early, keep the rollout simple for users, use integrated communication tools to keep the process manageable, learn from past experiences, practice the rollout process internally first, and promote products internally with incentives.

1. Top 10 Ways to Roll Out
New Products Successfully
Kathy Gogan, VP Marketing

2. Why This Presentation?
Recent Study of nearly 300 companies
 93% of Marketing department responsible for
product launches (89% control budget)
 88% use multiple face-to-face meetings to
rollout products
 69% of companies spend >3 months to launch
products (42% over 5 months)
 66% of companies launch 5 or more
products/year (45% - 10 or more)
Source: Eloquent Market Survey, 2001
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

3. Critical Issues
 Reducing Time to Market
 Communicating a consistent message to
channels worldwide
 Ensuring the organization understands and
assimilates new information
 Reducing product launch costs
Source: Eloquent Market Survey, 2001
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

4. Product Management
Is this Constantly
Need New
Launching
Products You? Products
Field Fire Drills
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

5. Why Does It Matter?
Eroding Margins Less time
New to sell
innovations More channels
More, Increased
Complex Competition
Products © 2002 Eloquent, Inc

6. #10 Start Yesterday!

7. 10. Start Yesterday!
Market Product Product Product
Assess. Req’ts Dev’t Launch
Today
Market Assessment
Product Req’ts
Product Development
Product Launch
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

8. 10. Start Yesterday!
Develop the Launch Plan Early
Include rollout as part of the
overall product development
process
– Building consensus on key
messages
– Leading indicator of market
acceptance
– Sales tools need lead time
 White papers, demos
– Technology, solution partners
play a larger role today
– Set expectations for budget early
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

9. #9 Leverage Cross-
Functional Team Expertise

10. 9. Leverage Cross-Functional Team
Expertise
It takes a village to raise a child or launch a
product!
 Development
 Product marketing
 Sales (U.S., Int’l)
 Technical sales
 Strategic partners
 PR, MarCom
 Customers
 Support
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

11. 9. Leverage Cross-Functional Team
Expertise
 Launch manager
– Oversee process
 Subject Matter Experts
– Author white papers, presentations, webcasts to ensure
message consistency
 Sales management, “friends and family” analysts,
customers and partners
– Bullet-proof launch messages, content, and delivery prior to
general release
– Early indicator of product success in market
 Pre-define roles and responsibilities for all
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

12. #8 Get to the Point - Fast!

13. 8. Get to the Point – Fast
Where’s the beef?
 Summarize key messages
– Develop a meaningful theme
for internal, external messages
– No more than 3 key sub-
messages
– Repeat throughout the content
(mnemonics)
– Supporting sales tools should
reinforce message
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

14. #7 One Size Doesn’t Fit All

15. 7. One Size Doesn’t Fit All
 Different needs for:
– Domestic and international launches
– Field sales, inside sales, channel partners,
distributors, technical sales, service and support
– 76% of companies tailor messages
 For each audience
– Customize the message to what they care about
– Tailor delivery with a blend of tools
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

16. Example
Direct Support
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

17. #6 Go “Ugly” Early

18. 3. Go “Ugly” Early
Continually
improved
versions 2.0,
2.1, 3.0 ,….
Make changes based
on user feedback
before “go live”
Publish version 1.0
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

19. #5 KIS – Keep It Simple

20. 6. KIS -- Keep It Simple for Users
 Tailor content to different learning styles
– Searchable, prescriptive,
– Text-based, rich media, virtual classrooms, live
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

21. Tools Used to Communicate
“Fly-ins”
Ad Hoc calls
Conference calls
Regional Interactive Demos
Meetings
High Webcasts
Touch Intranet/
Portals Rich Media
PPT
Slide Deck
.pdf broadcast
Datasheets email
Based on info from Insight Technology, 2001 High2002 Tech Inc
©
– Eloquent, Convenience

22. 6. KIS – Keep It Simple for Users
 Tailor content to different learning styles
– Searchable, prescriptive,
– Text-based, rich media, virtual classrooms, live
 Create a comprehensive self-service launch
information center
– Accessible online and remote
– Plan for peak usage, not average
– Based on typical user desktop, no special requirements
 Don’t expect the field to learn a new process
easily
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

23. © 2002 Eloquent, Inc

24. #4 KIS – Keep It Sane

25. 4. KIS – Keep It Sane for the
Launch Team
Today’s Launch Processes Challenges
Fly-Ins & Road shows
Teleconferences
Phone
Webinars Internal
Marketing Web Sites Sales/Channel
Virtual
Classrooms Email
LMSs
Complex Process Delays in Selling
Not Always Engaging Inconsistent Messages
No Structured Feedback High Total Cost
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

26. 4. KIS – Keep It Sane for the
Launch Team
Where Launches are Going
Outbound
Content Content
Mktg/Ops/ Production Delivery
Sales/Channel
Training
Follow-Up Results
Measurement
Inbound
Outbound: Flexible, integrated, repeatable delivery
Inbound: Tracking to improve effectiveness
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

27. #3 Learn From Your
Experience

28. 3. Learn From Your Experiences
Launches --NOT an
event – but a
process.
 Post Mortem
 Planto refresh the
content throughout the
product life cycle
 Monitor usage and
feedback. Take
actions.
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

29. Closing the Loop
Sales Rep New Product
..and those that Training Score
100 can oceanfront Learning
Delivering Results
in Objective: 80%
Successful
Arizona complete
Certification
% New Customers
with score of
Business 75% or more
Objective: 65%
Closed
New Customer
65 Close Rate
Data shows
training
correlated with
performance
Data pinpoints
individuals needing Other Issues
Unprepared
mgmt attention
30
Other competitive,
30 product issues?
75 100
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

30. #2 Practice What You
Preach

31. 2. Practice What You Preach
 Reinforce your own process.
– Otherwise, you encourage
ad hoc calls, fly-ins, etc….
 Use the same communication tools,
-- located in the same repository.
– Continually refresh the info with new demos, updated
competitive data, etc.
– Make it easy for SMEs to update their own content.
– Take actions based on the usage, performance,
feedback information
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

32. #1 Promote Your Products
Internally

33. 1. Promote Your Products Internally
“Build it and
they will come.”
-Field of Dreams
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

34. 1. Promote Your Products Internally
Special “Go-to-Market” Plans
internally as well as externally
Use incentives as a way to entice
attendees to participate
Tracking/follow up - powerful tools to
monitor performance and evaluate
rep readiness
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

35. Top 10 Rules - Recap
10. Start yesterday!
9. Leverage cross-functional team expertise
8. Get to the point – fast
7. One size doesn’t fit all
6. Go “ugly” early
5. Keep it simple for users
4. Keep it sane -- use integrated communications tools
3. Learn from your experiences
2. Practice what you preach
1. Promote your new products internally
© 2002 Eloquent, Inc

36. Questions?

37. Thank You!
kgogan@eloquent.com
650-294-6563