[HBR Article] How to Sell New Products

@lubo this a great article that shares a glimpse into the world of IP commercialization that every major university faces. Traditionally, there’s a clear divide among researchers to create innovations and a different team that brings it to market. This is usually done through a licensing deal with the university.

In my experience with successful innovations that have been commercialized the biggest household name is Gatorade. (Go Gators! 🐊) A few years ago, I was involved with trying to bring innovation to market that detected alzheimers early through a smelling peanut butter test.

As we talk about here on Indie Hackers, the process of product creation is different than the process of creating paying customers. Not that one is better than the other, rather both are needed to succeed as a business venture, not just innovation as part of an IP portfolio.

I liked how the article described the skillset needed for early stage products were different than those for an established product. We’re doing that heavy lifting now when we create something people haven’t seen before. We have to educate our audience about what it does and can mistake that educational engagement with engagement that validates a pain point to move toward product market fit.