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Trilogy Tidings
November 2016
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in this issue
     Most everyone is now aware of the dangers of "comfort zones" and the need to either protect against market disruptions or proactively disrupt them. I have some specific thoughts to share on these matters.

     And, I recommend that you consider visualizations to complement text in describing technological innovations.
Regards,
Joe

Expand Your Comfort Zone ... or Else      
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Here's the trap. We have all experienced it:
Things are going well. It's been challenging, but your products are now well received. Your market position is strong and stable. Your team has settled into a nice pattern. Customer complaints are manageable. You are complacently resident in your comfort zone.
 
Then all hell breaks loose:
A new player has entered "your" market with a vengeance. A totally new, cost-effective solution has emerged to solve the problems that you currently solve. Customers are intrigued, and many are bolting. The business press is now lining up against your now-inferior solution. Your CEO examines the shocking numbers every week and demands action - anything to restore historical revenue and share stability.
 
So, what just happened?
Well, you have been disrupted. Outsmarted. Unprepared. Perhaps out-innovated. Could you have avoided that outcome? Not necessarily, but maybe so. It's likely that you had become too comfortable in your comfort zone.
 
Why did it happen?
Perhaps your team should have been operating beyond your "compact" comfort zone, living in -- or at least fully understanding -- the zone which your customers and users inhabit, fully appreciating the problems they face and the shortcomings of the solutions already available to them.
 
Prescription: You must expand your comfort zone!

Comfort Zone

Specifically, what should my team have been doing differently?

Here are some proactive steps to consider:
  • Conduct market research
  • Distinguish buyers from users
  • Push developers into the field
  • Hire and reward imagination
  • Don't believe everything you read
  • Look beyond market boundaries
  • Time your own disruptions

Interested in more detail on these potential remedies? Check out my white paper.


 

Interested in a different, more-extensive take on the patterns of disruption? See this recent piece by Deloitte Consulting.

Visualization Matters for Life Science Innovations      
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     Translating life-science complexities for layperson audiences is critical -- whether you are seeking investment in your ideas, selling products, or attracting business partners or acquirers. Text is precise but labor-intensive for the reader, who is more likely to give up than reach a full understanding of complex technologies. Visualization is way better; surely less precise but more likely to achieve immediate interest. You will be more successful if you combine both methods.
 
     I've been impressed by the visualizations available from Amerra ever since I became aware of this service provider. A nice introduction is offered in their recent white paper, "Translating Life Science Complexity into Layman Simplicity". Check them out, and please let me know if you make a connection.

Resources from our Archives 
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     Check out our Reading Room to view my published articles, presentations and white papers on a variety of topics.
 
     And, you can examine my Newsletter Archive of prior Trilogy Tidings (since February 2007).
 
What does Trilogy do? 
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     Trilogy Associates facilitates business growth and renewal through commercialization of new products, providing the following services:
  • Opportunity assessment
  • Business planning and enterprise growth strategies
  • New-product conceptualization, commercialization and marketing
  • Market research and competitive assessment
  • Business development and partnering
  • Market and technological due diligence
  • Assessment of the therapeutic and diagnostic potential of novel technologies
  • Design of efficient and effective development strategies for early-stage biomedical products
  • Business and technical writing/publishing

     Inquiries to establish whether and how we might support your business initiatives are always welcome.  Contact us.

Contact Information
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ContactInfoJoseph J. Kalinowski, Principal
919.533.6285
LinkedIn Profile: www.linkedin.com/in/trilogy
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