Many of the most common frustrations with B2B product launches are not, in fact, launch problems. That said, you'll need to fix them - here's how:
#1: Sales isn't pitching the product
Of course not. They already have their year planned. What to sell, and who to sell it to. Products they're familiar with, against competition they know they can beat. Much less risk than going out on a limb to sell this new thing you haven't proven will get them to their sales goal. The solution: sales specialists. Designate and train - and compensate - a few salespeople to act as the second chair on early sales. This gets all sales reps comfortable with selling the new product quickly.
#2: Too many product launches happening at once for B2B buyers
Why does everything have to launch in Q1? In order to get the most revenue from each product launch, of course! But neither sales, nor marketing, nor most importantly your market, can avoid confusion when you flood them with too many new options. The solution: break the Q1 clog by creating a launch cadence that enables your teams to get robust communications into the market, timed around your market's ability to consider new offerings.
#3: Nobody knows why you're launching this
The most terrifying problem of all - the product nobody understands. Who wants it? What IS it? And what does success look like? In theory there shouldn't BE a product launch without answers to these questions, but what if you're handed one of these and told to make the best of it? The solution: The "beta/launch." Ask the person whose brainwave this was what their vision was when they built it. Maybe there IS a goal and it just wasn't expressed. If not? Create a set of hypotheses as "launch goals" and test them. Launch in one part of the market or with a particular positioning statement, for example, and see how it goes. Not optimal, but still the fastest way - since the product is already built - to find success or fail fast.
About the Author
Diane Pierson is the Founder and Chief Market Strategist of Innovate on Purpose, a consultancy enabling successful product commercialization for B2B tech companies. Order her book, How to Innovate on Purpose or contact Diane at dpierson@innovateonpurpose.com.