Expert's Panel

A collection of timely and important topics posed to our panel of experts.

When in the product development cycle should a product be announced? There is often tremendous pressure to introduce a product at the trade show/exposition, even though it won’t be ready to ship then.

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1. I’m a fan of the thought that you never make an announcement until you have a few good customers on board. When you make a public announcement knowing there is going to be some delay, make sure you already have some orders in the bag and you may have even shipped a few. Let’s say KLA is a good customer and don’t find out about your new product until they go to a trade show—how do you think they are going to feel about you? Make sure your key, targeted customer’s are well informed before the announcement.
2. I believe it is better not to introduce the product at a show. Do it outside where you can have the full attention of your market. At the show you are competing with many other product introductions. Instead, come to the show armed with testimonials and other promotional information reflecting the actual user experiences.
3. Keep in mind if you announce at the show and you aren’t ready to ship for a few months, the competition just got crucial information and may undercut your market or marketing plans. Also, those few months may run in to a few quarters. The competition now has the time to counter your product with new innovations or value propositions.