Meet the team Cognira series
We live in the age of instant gratification– when we run into a problem, we expect there to be a solution.
Yet, in order to keep up with the instant gratification era, it is imperative to be two steps ahead by not only tackling problems today but also meeting the future needs of your customers.
In our eighth installment of the Meet the Team Series, Tom Mann, Head of of Sales and Marketing, provides insight on how to sell an innovative product that is meaningful now and in the future.
Meet Tom
Tom, like many Cognira team members, has lived in different countries and cities over the span of his career. He grew up in England and later ventured to the states to invest in his career.
Tom quickly became involved in the startup world, ranging from consultancy to running his own startup company and eventually landing at Cognira to focus on scaling the company.
How to sell an innovative product that is future ready
While it’s important to develop a product that tackles today’s challenges, it is in every company’s best interest to anticipate how your product can be future ready.
Though we cannot climb into a time machine and look at future challenges (yet), there are ways to strategically build and sell a product that can be functional beyond the present today.
Here are 4 tips on how to sell an innovative product that is future ready:
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- Be an expert within your field
- Make decisions faster with an Agile approach
- Know the difference between urgent and important
- Truly listen to your customers’ needs
1. Be an expert within your field
An expert knows their skillset better than the average person, giving them a great advantage when it comes to building an innovative product. They are able to leverage experience to identify opportunities and pain points that may not be so obvious to most.
This insight can allow a company to better predict trends and changes that will happen in the future, and create a product that is better equipped to adapt.
2. Make decisions faster with an Agile approach
Creating a product that is future ready requires making decisions faster with less information. If we all operated at an established company level, we would not foster a culture of innovation. Similar to a previous Meet the Team Series blog with Baha, when a company is not receptive to change, companies are less likely to adapt.
Innovation, though risky, is the only way to stay ahead of the competition and create a product that is useful beyond present needs.
3. Know the difference between urgent and important
Though the words ‘urgent’ and ‘important’ may seem synonymous, they are in fact very different. When building an innovative product, it is important to distinguish what tasks are urgent (present needs) versus what is important (future needs).
Learn more about the importance of thinking long-term here!
If we only focus on the urgent needs, we lose the opportunity to tackle future needs. Everything is a balance, making prioritization and planning essential.
4. Truly listen to your customers needs
It may come as no surprise, but one of the most important tips on creating a product that is future ready is to truly know your customer.
When we sell today, we are often talking more than we are listening. Though it is good to be an expert, it is also important to take the time to learn and listen to the customers’ pain points and be able to speak their language.
