Comments on: Who owns the vision? http://market-by-numbers.com/2009/06/who-owns-the-vision/ High-Tech Marketing and Customer Development Mon, 21 May 2012 16:57:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Seller Beware: Customers Have Their Own Agenda | Market By Numbers | San Diego | Encinitas | California | Marketing Help http://market-by-numbers.com/2009/06/who-owns-the-vision/comment-page-1/#comment-199 Seller Beware: Customers Have Their Own Agenda | Market By Numbers | San Diego | Encinitas | California | Marketing Help Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:27:58 +0000 http://market-by-numbers.com/?p=459#comment-199 [...] needs to the detriment of your goals such as product/market fit and scalability.  This is why I, like Brant, am skeptical of the maxim: Early customers are often more visionary than the startup they work [...] [...] needs to the detriment of your goals such as product/market fit and scalability.  This is why I, like Brant, am skeptical of the maxim: Early customers are often more visionary than the startup they work [...]

]]> By: Having Strong Corporate Values for Startups as a Decision Filter http://market-by-numbers.com/2009/06/who-owns-the-vision/comment-page-1/#comment-37 Having Strong Corporate Values for Startups as a Decision Filter Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:35:36 +0000 http://market-by-numbers.com/?p=459#comment-37 [...] keep momentum, and “do what’s necessary to hopefully survive.” It’s easy to lose your vision and ability to execute on it [...] [...] keep momentum, and “do what’s necessary to hopefully survive.” It’s easy to lose your vision and ability to execute on it [...]

]]> By: Brant Cooper http://market-by-numbers.com/2009/06/who-owns-the-vision/comment-page-/#comment-38 Brant Cooper Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:45:48 +0000 http://market-by-numbers.com/?p=459#comment-38 Well put, thanks. One of the difficulties in building a business, I think, is that you may have several early adopter customers who are not trying to solve the problem in the same way. The trick is to weigh input from all these customers, choose portions of their solutions that solve problems, while still headed on the path toward your vision. Well put, thanks. One of the difficulties in building a business, I think, is that you may have several early adopter customers who are not trying to solve the problem in the same way. The trick is to weigh input from all these customers, choose portions of their solutions that solve problems, while still headed on the path toward your vision.

]]> By: Cindy Alvarez http://market-by-numbers.com/2009/06/who-owns-the-vision/comment-page-1/#comment-39 Cindy Alvarez Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:56:32 +0000 http://market-by-numbers.com/?p=459#comment-39 I would rewrite "Early customers are often more visionary than the startup they work with for that product" to "Early customers can often see more problems to be solved and have more solutions to suggest, than the startup they work with" In my experience, early adopter customers have always been a critical source of identifying problems. They've also always been eager to suggest solutions. *They know more than you do.* But that isn't the same as "visionary". I would rewrite
“Early customers are often more visionary than the startup they work with for that product” to
“Early customers can often see more problems to be solved and have more solutions to suggest, than the startup they work with”

In my experience, early adopter customers have always been a critical source of identifying problems. They’ve also always been eager to suggest solutions. *They know more than you do.* But that isn’t the same as “visionary”.

]]> By: marcospolanco http://market-by-numbers.com/2009/06/who-owns-the-vision/comment-page-1/#comment-41 marcospolanco Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:46:09 +0000 http://market-by-numbers.com/?p=459#comment-41 Brant, I know of what you speak: my old startup had a "sugar daddy" customer who gave us the million-dollar payday but also captured our engineering resources into what would ultimately become an obsolete architecture. What is key is that visionary customers are already attempting to live in a future for which there are no suppliers. (e.g. Some customers are now *paying* to get rid of paper mail (earthclassmail.com) because their lifestyle no longer suits postal-based CRM processes.) That is what they are visionary about. But the startup's vision to dominate a given segment is something else entirely...there, the customer vision is just one of the planets that orbit that central vision to change the world. Other planets include employees, partners, customers, investors, etc. Marcos Brant,

I know of what you speak: my old startup had a “sugar daddy” customer who gave us the million-dollar payday but also captured our engineering resources into what would ultimately become an obsolete architecture. What is key is that visionary customers are already attempting to live in a future for which there are no suppliers. (e.g. Some customers are now *paying* to get rid of paper mail (earthclassmail.com) because their lifestyle no longer suits postal-based CRM processes.) That is what they are visionary about. But the startup’s vision to dominate a given segment is something else entirely…there, the customer vision is just one of the planets that orbit that central vision to change the world. Other planets include employees, partners, customers, investors, etc.

Marcos

]]> By: Twitted by iramo http://market-by-numbers.com/2009/06/who-owns-the-vision/comment-page-1/#comment-40 Twitted by iramo Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:38:56 +0000 http://market-by-numbers.com/?p=459#comment-40 [...] This post was Twitted by iramo - Real-url.org [...] [...] This post was Twitted by iramo – Real-url.org [...]

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