A successful new product or service strategy requires a laser focus on your customer’s wants, needs and pain points from development, to testing, to launch and support. Thus, a best-in-class NPD process takes an integrated approach that extends beyond the completion of the product to re-think and re-imagine how the launch will impact the entire value proposition -- including areas such as pricing, packaging, and sales and marketing. While many new product development processes do this to some extent, very few companies keep the customer at the center of this process every step of the way.

While it’s true that companies should not rely on customers to directly identify their needs for new-to-the-world innovations – i.e. today’s equivalent of Ford’s Model T or Apple’s iPod -- product teams should always be thinking about what will motivate a customer to use the product and what market gap it fills. What are their goals at the end of the day, and how do their needs and pain points funnel into these goals? With practical tips and illustrative case studies, you will walk away from this session being able to:
• Identify the difference between customer needs and goals
• More clearly define your core customer segments for new products
• Understand the importance of context-setting when marketing new products

Join Mark Carr, Managing Partner, South Street Strategy who will present this valuable session