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Geoffrey Moore

Author / Consultant / Speaker

Geoffrey Moore Consulting

🎯 Product Strategy (1)⚡ Execution (1)🔍 User Research (1)

Key Takeaways

  • 1.Startups must secure a 'marquee customer' to put them on the map before attempting to cross the chasm.
  • 2.To cross the chasm, focus on a niche segment that is 'big enough to matter, small enough to lead'.
  • 3.Visionaries want 'projects' and future tech; Pragmatists want 'solutions' and peer references.
  • 4.Do not confuse a 'compelling reason to sell' (your features) with a 'compelling reason to buy' (their pain).
  • 5.Different market stages require contradictory playbooks; using a Tornado playbook in the Bowling Alley phase will kill your company.
  • 6.Avoid discounting during the chasm crossing; price based on the value of solving a critical problem.
  • 7.For B2B, the target market must be defined by geography, industry, and profession to ensure peer references work.

Methodologies(3)

🎯 Product Strategy

Instead of attacking the broad market, startups must focus on a specific niche (a beachhead) to achieve a dominant market share quickly. By solving the 'whole product' needs for one segment, you gain the references needed to knock over adjacent segments (the next bowling pins).

Core Principles

  • 1.Select a segment that is 'big enough to matter, small enough to lead'.
  • 2.Target a specific geography, industry, and profession so customers talk to each other.
  • 3.Commit to solving the specific 'broken' problem for that segment completely (The Whole Product).
  • +1 more...

"If you light the fire, the piece of kindling is here, but the log is in the other room. That doesn't work."

#bowling#(beachhead#segment)
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The Four GTM Playbooks

by Geoffrey Moore

⚡ Execution

Companies must shift their operating model as they move through the lifecycle. The Early Market requires a 'Project' model for visionaries; the Chasm/Bowling Alley requires a 'Solution' model for specific pains; the Tornado requires a 'Product' model for mass market share; Main Street requires a 'Services' model for retention.

Core Principles

  • 1.Early Market: Find an executive sponsor to fund a bespoke project; create budget where none exists.
  • 2.Bowling Alley: Redirect existing budget by solving a critical business problem; prioritize domain expertise over generic features.
  • 3.Tornado: Standardize the product, expand distribution, and capture market share aggressively (land grab).
  • +1 more...

"If a, b, and c... if three out of four people are using the iPhone, it's like, 'Oh, I guess I'm supposed to get an iPhone.' That's the tornado."

#playbooks#execution#process
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🔍 User Research

When selling to pragmatists in the chasm, do not lead with your product or vision. Instead, identify a specific, high-stakes pain point ('broken' process) that forces the customer to act despite their risk aversion. The conversation should be about their problem, not your solution.

Core Principles

  • 1.Shut the laptop: Do not start with a demo or a deck about your company.
  • 2.Diagnose the pain: Ask probing questions about their specific industry problem ('broken mission-critical process').
  • 3.Validate urgency: Ensure the problem is severe enough that they *must* fix it now (risk of inaction > risk of buying new tech).
  • +1 more...

"They don't want to talk to you about you. They want to talk to you about them."

#compelling#reason#anti-demo)
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