Is there a market for that?
Yesterday I was talking with two friends (at separate times) about two new products I am tossing around in my head. One person immediately said I should move forward; the other person asked me “is there a market for that?” One product I could probably have in production within 24 hours; the other might take a couple of weeks. Both would require little production costs as they could be done in small runs.
But there’s that nagging question “is there a market for that?”
If you’re old enough you remember the pet rock. Was there really a market for that? Look at the success of those silly bands. Was there really a market for that? And doesn’t it piss you off that someone now owns their own island because you bought these things.
When I designed the Recess at Work System and the RECESSitation Pack (see products page) I designed them for companies who had slashed/eliminated their training and development budget and were looking for a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) option when bringing in an outside consultant or trainer was out of the question. Things like employee morale, employee engagement, productivity and creativity were still on the minds of managers, leaders, HR Professionals and CEO’s; spending money was completely not on their mind however. These two options are affordable alternatives, have value when used the right way, and accomplish specific objectives.
But my discussions yesterday led me to a different thought process regarding markets for new products and new ideas:
Is the question really about whether there is a market or really about marketing and how and who you market that product to? And is there a difference? What do you think?
