THE UNSOLD STORY

This series of articles is dedicated to the mistakes we make. It covers 75 REASONS YOUR PRODUCT IS GOING TO FAIL...AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT.

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There is heavy cross-linking so you should enjoy getting lost regardless of which rabbit hole you go down.

75 Reasons Your New Product is Going to Fail...and What You Can Do About It

MISTAKE #1: You think one exceptional component will compensate for failures in other areas

MISTAKE #2: Your product isn't actually addressing an unmet need

MISTAKE #3: You didn't take time to listen to your customer

MISTAKE #4: You have too many 12th Men, but no 10th Man

MISTAKE #5: Your product over-promises and under-delivers

MISTAKE #6: Your product has a delayed or difficult to perceive benefit

MISTAKE #7: You assume your shoppers are more educated than they actually are

MISTAKE #8: You ignore barriers to trial or switching costs

MISTAKE #9: You need help. No, you REALLY need help!

MISTAKE #10: You’re trying to climb Mount Everest…Alone

MISTAKE #11: The Two-Tailed Resource Risk Gets You

MISTAKE #12: You think a piece of a larger pie is always more filling

MISTAKE #13: You’re thinking of your prospects demographically, not psychographically

MISTAKE #14: You are a Crappy Communicator

MISTAKE #15: You are a crappy listener, too

MISTAKE #16: You don’t understand the speed of retail

MISTAKE #17: You have a short fuse

MISTAKE #18: Your product is really just a share-shifter

MISTAKE #19: You get easily lead astray

MISTAKE #20: You suffer from irrational exuberance

MISTAKE #21: You are not self-aware

MISTAKE #22: Your focus makes you blind

MISTAKE #23: You’re too damn complicated

MISTAKE #24: You fail to demonstrate the product’s benefit

MISTAKE #25: You aren’t answering the questions your shoppers are asking

MISTAKE #26: You fail to meaningfully differentiate vs. the competition

MISTAKE #27: You don’t value your size

MISTAKE #28: You’re not comfortable in your own skin

MISTAKE #29: You ignore the laws of diminishing innovation

MISTAKE #30: Your goal is to get bigger when it should be to get better

MISTAKE #31: You choose not to do it right the first time

MISTAKE #32: You are scared to admit your mistakes...or ignorance

MISTAKE #33: Learning the right technique helps, but isn’t always enough

MISTAKE #34: Know when to accept approximate perfection

MISTAKE #35: You’re not working with the best tools

MISTAKE #36: Hurry Up and What?

MISTAKE #37: You’re really testing the strength of a shoestring

MISTAKE #38: Average is not acceptable

MISTAKE #39: You are static in a dynamic world

MISTAKE #40: Your team just doesn’t understand retail

MISTAKE #41: There is conflict of interest

MISTAKE #42: You’re swinging too hard

MISTAKE #43: You need to set and manage the right expectations

MISTAKE #44: You don’t study the competition

MISTAKE #45: You don’t have healthy fear of the competition

MISTAKE #46: You focus on the wrong competition

MISTAKE #47: You focus on the wrong retailers

MISTAKE #48: You think imitation is the greatest form of flattery

MISTAKE #49: You aren’t preparing for war

MISTAKE #50: You don’t follow these 13 guidelines to design packaging to survive on the shelf

MISTAKE #51: Your packaging is completely unremarkable and maybe even repulsive

MISTAKE #52: There are no design principles guiding the look of your label

MISTAKE #53: You don’t do your homework when setting your recommended retail price

MISTAKE #54: You don’t do your homework when setting your production cost

MISTAKE #55: Your product is priced too high

MISTAKE #56: Your product cost is too low

MISTAKE #57: You’re product’s retail price is too low

MISTAKE #58: You think you have a pricing problem, but you really have a value problem

MISTAKE #59: Your sizing is off

MISTAKE #60: You think purchase decisions are made in discrete category silos

MISTAKE #61: You think you’re an impulse purchase and that it’s a good thing

MISTAKE #62: You don’t consider how shoppers can afford to buy your product

MISTAKE #63: You thought you could ‘buy’ sustainable sales or loyalty

MISTAKE #64: You’re focused on earning as much money as possible, not learning all you can

MISTAKE #65: You don’t get to the point

MISTAKE #66: You’re not appealing to people at every step of the shopping process

MISTAKE #67: You over-estimate the awareness and trial you’ll be able to initially gain

MISTAKE #68: You under-value or over-estimate repeat purchase or loyalty

MISTAKE #69: Your volume forecast is over-inflated

MISTAKE #70: You pick a bad brand name

Mistake #71: Your marketing efforts are timed all wrong

MISTAKE #72: You do a poor job educating your prospects

MISTAKE #73: You did not take time to find common ground with the buyer

MISTAKE #74: You thought you could manipulate data and get away with it

MISTAKE #75: You can’t appeal to the masses without appealing to the masses