SHOW & CHAPTER 35: BRINGING THE CUSTOMER INSIDE - WILLIAM EASTMAN

Once you have helped the customer by transferring your technology it is time to trade - what do they do better than you.

Additionally you need their help in the new product / service development process. In order to run a D&R (Development & Research) process, you cannot build on spec - you need customer involvement in the process.

Show Objective
Given shows 7 & 23, create a plan to bring your best accounts inside to help with process improvements and codevelopment of a new or improved offer.

EPISODE 157: Summary
This is a topic you will find nowhere else, I know - I tried and after 10 google search pages there is nothing.

Today's show introduces you to a 4-part series on using the customer's core competencies to help improve your business and start the process of co-development - whether you are improving an existing offer or creating a new one. In many ways it is a reversal of show 23 where you offered your services to help them, now it's time to see if they return the move.

Show 35 is an overview of 3 methods of utilizing the customers expertise and competencies to cement the relationship.

Topics:

• Customers & Agile Projects
• Co-Development of Your Offer
• Customers & Beta Testing

EPISODE 158: Customers Inside Agile Projects
We love Agile! The reason? It requires you only to be so smart, nothing beyond what is possible at the start of a project. Instead by using a proven process and having the right people participating at the right time better results are possible. The process brings all the expertise together to build a better offer.

Topics:

• User Stories
• Roles
  • SCRUM - Product Owner
  • Sprints - Subject Matter Expert(s)
• Testing
• Internal Champion

EPISODE 159: New Products & Services are Co-Developed
Instead of building from an inside-out approach - our approach works better - it incorporates the voice of the customer into every step of the process and focuses their internal experts on how to meet those requirements.

Understand that the old model of R&D, Research and Development, is backwards. Given the world of small business operations you need to reverse the mindset - co-develop with customers and suppliers to conduct user research. It is easier, faster, and less expensive.

Topics:

• Requirements Matrix
• Design Matrix
• ​Offer (Product or Service) Characteristics Matrix

EPISODE 160: Using Customers to Beta Test New Products & Services
Better products and services are based on understanding 2 critical factors - what results should the offer produce, and how user-friendly is it? This produces a superior offer that will bring better financial performance, both in terms of sales and speed to market with fewer mistakes.

Additionally customers and suppliers bring a different mindset that leads to new ideas. Finally you will reduce the barrier between the two or three organizations.

Topics:

• Training Testers
• Creating Realistic Testing Environment (Soft Launch)
• Create Test Metrics

Next Show/Chapter 39: Customers Inside Agile Projects

How to apply today's show to your business:

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