Powering Momentous Market Launches

The problem is that those approaches don't work anymore.The Lightning Bolt has given way to Rolling Thunder.

Rolling Thunder launches focus on announcing success - not availability.

I've been using Rolling Thunder launches for over a decade. We use a Rolling Thunder approach to build momentum, create buzz and excitement, leaving our audience wondering what's coming. We gather supporting evidence before we 'launch', strengthening our sales and marketing efforts. We also work the 'kinks' out before we step into the limelight. I wouldn't launch any other way.

Case in Point

A client had a game-changing innovation in the storage marketplace. They were ready to announce their new solution when I was brought in by the board of directors. Here are some of the issues I saw:

• They had three beta sites but the customers weren't ready to talk about anything yet.

• They had two partners but they weren't working with the product yet.

• Their sales force had only seen early demos of the product. Only the VP of sales had been involved in creating the go-to-market strategy.

• No analysts or experts had been briefed or questioned around the strategy.The Thinking was to keep it secret and not share with anyone who might tell the competition.

• There had been no 'softening' of the market, no momentum built.

The plan was to put out the lightning bolt press release, brief everyone on that day and then start selling.

We didn't follow that plan. Nope, not even. Here's what we DID do:

• Brief sales. The first thing we did was to get the top 5 reps in the top markets, focusing on the strongest current and future opportunities - not just the current few big customers. We showed them the product, asked what they wanted for demos. We got their feedback, their concerns -and over the next month, their buy in. Which, by the way, they shared with the rest of the field sales force.

• Target early customers. We ran like the wind with those reps to target the top ten customers who would get the most immediate results from this new solution. We briefed them, collected their feedback and got the storage system running in five sites within 60 days.

• Target top partners. We worked with one of the channel reps to target two partners as early channel players. We briefed them, took their feedback and let them have product - with our tech support guys standing by to answer any and all questions. The only agreement was that they would each deliver one beta site in the first 60 days with our help - and they did.

• We whispered. At a large industry event, we whispered our news to the most exclusive group you could imagine. We invited the top four analysts,two long lead press, five well known customers and a few other folks to a private Whisper Suite. We asked them to sign NDAs and begged them not to tell anyone they'd been to our suite, seen our product. They did exactly what we wanted. They went out and told the world they'd seen something cool that others hadn't. And the Buzz began.

• The secret lab. We set aside a 'private' space in the corporate office for the final testing. We brought in outside parties to 'test' the product in that lab, swearing them to secrecy until the day of the press release. The Buzz grew.

• We were the Expert. We put together a set of themes around the market and customer need for our solution - and began to talk about those needs publicly. Not our solution, not chest thumping. We educated the market as an expert - discussed the challenges AND the optimal ways to resolve them. At tradeshows and conferences and in a few contributed articles - we set the stage for our solution, without ever mentioning anything specific about it.

Four months after I met the client we finally wired that press release -and the world was waiting. It was the best coverage the company ever had. The company was touted as an innovator and leader, the product won awards for product and technology innovation in a number of reviews.

So what was different about Rolling Thunder than the traditional Thor's Lightning Bolt?

• We had customers using the product before we announced it. They gave us the evidence of the value that solution provided. That brought immediate credibility.

• We had partners selling the solution with hands-on experiences. They shared their stories - and yes, our credibility rose even higher.

• Thought leaders agreed with our approach. Why wouldn't they. We'd been sharing our expert ideas in the market, people had latched onto them as valuable, embraced them as their own. Add more credibility.

• We had revenues. Imagine that, revenues before you drop the PR. What a great idea. That's the ultimate proof that your offering has value - people have already paid money for it. Talk about credibility!

Rolling Thunder creates buzz in the market ahead of anything formal announcement. It lets you leverage that buzz to create momentum for your launch.

Most importantly, you get to announce success. Who can argue with that?

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Rebel's Note: My associates asked me to write a series of posts on Company and Product Market Launches - subjects that are near and dear to my heart. So, over the next few weeks, check back for posts related to Rolling Thunder Launch methodologies.

Next Week: Beyond the Lightning Strike, or Why the Press Release Isn't the End of the Launch.