| As more and more companies adopt the new | | | | When the market takes off, you want to be ready. |
| technology, market momentum starts taking on a life | | | | Ideally you will be actively working accounts before |
| of its own. At this point you want to be able to | | | | your prospect start their decision making process. If |
| forecast when the tipping point will occur, so you will | | | | you have anticipated who needs the solution |
| be well positioned to take advantage of it. The | | | | correctly, you might be the first one to approach the |
| tipping point is when the benefits of adopting the | | | | prospect with the technology's value. Being first is a |
| discontinuous innovation overcome the pain cause by | | | | big advantage, especially as the market develops and |
| not adopting it. It is the moment in time when | | | | becomes more competitive. |
| adoption becomes inevitable and anyone who doesn't | | | | Geoffrey Moore identifies this stage of market |
| adopt will be left behind. | | | | development as the "tornado" in his book, Inside the |
| In his fascinating book, The Tipping Point, Malcolm | | | | Tornado. This is "when demand dramatically outstrips |
| Gladwell makes three key points about what causes | | | | supply and a huge backlog of customers appear |
| people to change, which has important implications | | | | overnight... It represents a massive sale opportunity in |
| for selling up the technology adoption curve. | | | | and of itself, it also represents an even larger |
| Change is contagious. | | | | follow-on market opportunity." In other words, it is |
| Once people see he early adopters enjoying the | | | | an extraordinary sales opportunity that you don't |
| benefits of a new technology, they are going to | | | | want to miss because you aren't ready for it. |
| want to enjoy them, too. Ask your early adopters | | | | To forecast the tipping point, you estimate how long |
| for testimonials describing the superiority of your | | | | it will take for your early adopters to implement their |
| solution. Many early adopters expect a lot of special | | | | first projects successfully. Then you project the |
| services. They know that your success depends on | | | | same amount of time into the future and divide by |
| their satisfaction, so they use it as leverage to get | | | | two. This should give you a rough estimate of the |
| you to do a lot of extra work for them for free. | | | | tipping point for your solution. |
| Make sure that in return they will write you | | | | Market analysts make their living predicting the |
| testimonial letters and allow you to bring other | | | | future, so they are a good source for statistics |
| customers to see the successfully implemented | | | | about market adoption. However, a more practical |
| solution. A reference base will be critical to your | | | | and reliable source of information may be the |
| success when the market takes off. | | | | observation of your prospects' behavior. As the |
| Little causes can have big effects. | | | | market evolves from visionary, early adopters to the |
| The market drivers that cause the market to | | | | more practical and pragmatic early majority buyers, |
| accelerate can often be small changes that happen at | | | | you are getting closer to the tipping point. As |
| the right time. Thanks to your market perspective, | | | | prospects' adoption motivators change from building |
| you are more likely to recognize the little causes that | | | | competitive advantage or developing new markets |
| end up tipping the market. Market analysts rarely pick | | | | to improving productivity and performance, the |
| up little causes. You have to be close to the | | | | market is gaining momentum. When prospects start |
| customer to figure out the real reasons that cause | | | | asking you more questions about where your solution |
| the new solution to work. Once you do recognize | | | | has been successfully implemented and what were |
| them, use them to map how the market will evolve, | | | | the measurable results it produced, you can be sure |
| so you can anticipate each new wave of prospects. | | | | that the tipping point is drawing closer. |
| Change happens in a hurry. | | | | |