The growth of your product can be linked to three factors: energy, friction, and direction.
Energy = Resources
Energy is required to get something in motion. For a business the available energy are its resources. Resources can be money, people, expertise, authority, and brand equity.
The goal is to apply an appropriate amount of energy to achieve a business objective.
Friction = Efficiency
Friction is the resistance that prevents acceleration. Friction is present inside a company and it’s present outside a company. Friction is created by internal resistance, by lack of processes, by economic conditions, by government regulations, by competitors, by a reluctant market, and the application of the wrong strategy.
The goal is to find the path with the least friction and therefore optimize energy.
Direction = Strategy
Direction is the strategy of a business or the strategy of a product. Strategy is the process of utilizing all available resources to achieve a business objective in the most efficient way.
The goal of strategy is to leverage every advantage by focusing the energy of a business while avoiding the obstacles that increase friction.
A Launch is for Acceleration
The purpose of a product launch is to affect accelerate. You may not agree with that declaration. But answer this question first.
Why would you launch a product if it wasn’t able to achieve some form of acceleration?
If you can think of one reason, please add it to the comments below.
Here’s how get a focus on acceleration.
Define launch objectives for your product launch. The objectives must be clear, measurable, and time bound - link to article
Define launch performance metrics to measure acceleration - link to article
Inventory all the resources that you can leverage
Identify the obstacles to be removed or avoided, and the advantages that can be leveraged - link to article
Develop a launch strategy that leverages every advantage and avoids obstacles - link to article
Too many companies apply a lot of energy to build a product. The friction that is likely to be encountered is ignored or overlooked. And the direction is unclear.
The result is no acceleration.
