Read This if You are Building B2B Product

Why do Most B2B Products Fail, and How to Ensure Success

82% 𝑜𝑓 𝐵2𝐵 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒, says Gartner. And according to CB Insights - 42% 𝑜𝑓 𝐵2𝐵 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑙 because they don’t deliver what customers truly needed and expected. Here’s how to 𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑑 becoming part of that statistic:

💰𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞: Every B2B product fundamentally 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 through one of the 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑒𝑒 ways:
• Grow Revenue,
• Reduce Costs, or
• Ensure Legal Compliance.
Everything else is either a 𝐷𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 of above, e.g. Efficiency, or a 𝐷𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 given the core value is comparable, e.g. User Experience.

🏇 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲: To successfully replace an incumbent, the product must deliver a significantly greater core value or a game-changing differentiator (e.g., Salesforce’s zero upfront infrastructure cost). Purchasing managers often rely on recommendations—if she calls 10 industry peers, would at least 3 recommend the product?

📈𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞: Make core value tangible and easy to demonstrate. Complex or hypothetical benefits rarely gain traction unless they’re already proven in the market.

👑𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: Position the product for the right 𝐼𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝐶𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑟 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑒 (𝐼𝐶𝑃). Imagine if Salesforce or HubSpot targeted enterprises on Day 1—it might not have worked. Similarly, if Slack had positioned itself as an email service, it would have probably not worked. The customers’ perception must shape product’s positioning and roadmap, so adapt accordingly.

🤝𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬: B2B success isn’t just about winning deals—it’s about creating customer champions. High-touch support, co-creating solutions with the users, and focusing on their growth turns customers into biggest advocates.

Everything else will follow from here. #b2b #product

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