What are the most common hurdles you encounter that prevent launches from achieving their goals and conversely are there challenges you prepare for that never really materialize?

Answer

6 Answers

Launch Channels Launch Strategy

Mary Sheehan

Adobe Head of Lightroom Product Marketing | Formerly Google, AdRoll • 6y

Although I’ve managed over 250 launches, not a single one has gone perfectly. That may sound crazy, but know that most of the time when something goes wrong, only I or a small number of people internally catch it, and the customer is never the wiser. Also, as I mentioned in another post, once the launch is done, it's not over. There are plenty of ways for you to reach your launch goals with a "Rolling Thunder" technique of content momentum. Here are some common things that can go wrong with laun ...Read More

2,703 Views
RJ Gazarek

SolarWinds Director of Product Marketing | Formerly Veracode, Atlassian, Amplitude • 7y

First thing is - I'm glad you mentioned "Launch Goals". It's great you're doing this! Not every PMM/PM does, so having these is awesome, and helps ensure that your launches are successful. Now, one of the biggest hurdles I've faced in many launches, have to do when products/features are built without the right market/buyer research. We send them out to market, thinking that the world wants it, only to find out that there was no real work was done and the launch falls completely flat. It's why b ...Read More

742 Views
Anand Patel

Appcues Director of Product Marketing • 7y

I completely agree with RJ. One of the biggest mistakes I have seen is determining launch KPIs without a full understanding of who your target audience/market is. I have a clear example of this where product marketing was brought in just a few weeks prior to launch of a product, and the leadership team had put together lofty sales goals based on our current portfolio (as this was an upsell product). After spending some significant time understanding the benefits and value of the product, and le ...Read More

623 Views
Jessica Shields

Mastercard Director of Product Marketing | Formerly Cognizant, Extreme Networks, Forescout, AT&T • 7y

From my experience in Enterprise SaaS, I would add that companies often inflate the burn-in time for a new software solution to be successful in the marketplace and along with it, how long the sales cycle will be. Quite often they believe that there are a bunch of prospects lined-up to buy when in actuality, there are few. In Enterprise SaaS, there is often a need for a variety of good references which also stall the process.

512 Views
Madelyn Newman

CallRail Director of Product and Customer Marketing • 8y

Biggest hurdle I would say is having everyone aligned around the same timeline and goals. If only marketing is onboard with your predefined launch date and success metrics, with either product or sales lagging behind, your launch will not go as intended. Getting everyone in the same room early and often helps to align on goals and timing.

496 Views
Carlos González de Villaumbrosia

Product School CEO • 7y

Phenomenal questions and subsequent responses. To add to this, I would say that there are several major factors that prevent product launches from being successful: 1. Lack of communication across departments : this is often one of the most challenging problems you can face due to conflicting personalities, and individuals being head strong or too proud to come to a common understanding. If departments aren't aligned, serious complications can arise during launch, and the outcome can be disaste ...Read More

593 Views