AMA: Zix Former VP Product Marketing, Rowan Noronha on Product Launches

As mentioned previously, stats from analysts and progressive GTM thought leaders such as OpenView Partners paint a grim picture for b2b product launches with 60%+ failing. Why? Well, in no particular order:  No set goals for your product launch.  Lack of adequate prep time – it takes 3-9 months on average to launch a product well, depending on the magnitude of the launch (major, minor, release), the maturity of the market, and the type of solution. Unrealistic timelines and expectations cast upo ...Read More

Executing a product launch without the full support of sales (pre & post-launch) is akin to going to a gunfight with a switch-blade. Not advisable!  Much like a new sales play or campaign, if your front-line sales leaders haven't been brought into the pre-launch process and had their voice heard regularly, they don't have skin in the game. Turning your attention to sales during the go-to-market enablement stage is far too late, which often leads to delayed revenue.  As such, you must:  Ensur ...Read More

For me, revenue team enablement, not just sales enablement, is a crucial program that product marketing should own, or at the very least, provide guidance and input. Revenue enablement for a launch encompasses enabling the sales, marketing, channel, customer success and leadership team.  The sales enablement portion of your launch plan defines the knowledge, skills, and programs required by direct and channel sales to adopt and sell the product successfully. Per my earlier response, ensure you e ...Read More

Amen, not all product launches are created equal. Some, such as releases, require 1-3 months of effort; others, minor and major, require 6-9 months on average, respectively.  Step 1 – Determine whether your launch is major, minor or a release. Establishing your launch tier will help correlate activities to your launch objectives before you progress through the three launch stages covered above (Groundwork, Launch Plan, Enable).  Major launches typically require more changes to existing processes ...Read More

Thanks for the great question and for including the word discipline. Your b2b product launch needs to be approached in a disciplined manner as it represents significant financial and resource investment while prospectively contributing to your company's sustained growth.  Stats from analysts and progressive GTM thought leaders such as OpenView Partners paint a grim picture for b2b product launches with 60%+ failing. As such, approach your product launch efforts in a disciplined manner versus ano ...Read More

1/3 of new product launches do not meet their revenue targets. Why? Combination of poor co-planning by sales and marketing, aggressive competition, changing buyer trends, in addition to being overly optimistic. Listen, I'm not saying to be pessimistic or conservative, but be realistic with your launch aspirations against your resources, budget, capabilities, as well as your market, competition and buyer dynamics.   One way to improve your launch revenue target forecasts is to incorporate indepen ...Read More

The cost of selling to a prospect is (typically five to ten times) more significant than the cost of selling to an existing customer. To that end, why do most product launch teams concentrate the majority of their efforts on prospects versus the low-hanging fruit – current loyal customers? Don't get me wrong; we all need to grow our business with new logos sustainably, but don't do so at the expense of retaining customers, upselling customers, and cross-selling customers.  Driving a pipeline of ...Read More

Ah, you are starting with the end in mind! I love it. Your launch plan should include a description of your metrics and a dashboard that you can use to gauge your launch progress and success. Rather than showcase a list of product launch metrics within your plan, allow your dashboard to "tell the story" of your product's performance.  First, get focused and ensure your priorities align with your corporate or business unit objectives. Focus and prioritization ensure you don't build a dashboard wi ...Read More