Customer Reviews

Getting It Right the First Time: How Innovative Companies Anticipate Demand

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4 star:		(1)
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I very much enjoyed reading this book. It is well-written and didn't take too long to finish. I loved the little story about the entrepreneur who made a bundle cleaning hard drives. I recommend entrepreneurs/business strategists read this book. I suspect it will keep them on track in their pursuit of being successful.

The authors' message is that entrepreneurs should use market research to improve and refine their business strategy. They point out that it is crucial to business success to consider how large a product's market is and how fast that market is growing BEFORE spending time and money to actually develop the product. It's a waste of time and money to create a product for a small market that is not going to grow.

The authors are advocates of planning and avoiding trial and error. They believe in knowing what they are getting into, documenting a plan in writing, and then implementing the plan that logically will be successful. They go a step further than this, however. They also suggest that the market researcher enlist the help of experts who are interviewed during the marketing research.

The funny thing about this book is that most successful companies already do what the authors preach. The ones that don't were the Internet companies that went bust 5 or 6 years ago, and the millions of entrepreneurs that account for failed businesses year in and year out.

I would have liked this book better if it had been written by someone who did not have a background in Silicon Valley. Maybe someone from the automotive industry or financial services industry would have been great? But we are stuck with some computer guys. The book is still worth the read.

Well-organized, clearly written and very enjoyable. Most importantly, this book lays out the basic, but absolutely critical things you must take care of if you are going to start any venture and provide excellent insight into solving the special problems that come with venturing into emerging hi-tech markets. Highly recommended.

John and Peter have done something really amazing here, and it should be issued to all new Silicon Valley (and it's equivalents elsewhere) technologists as required reading. You can't treat emerging technology areas like mature markets, and the gents at IRG have gracefully summarized what it takes decades to absorb in industry into one concise book.

Had I read it before I ran the New Markets and Technologies group for Cisco for 5 years, I would have saved myself considerable time and anguish, not to mention succeeded more often. I STRONGLY recommend buying and reading this book.

This is one of those business books that shouldn't have made into a book to begin with. There is simply not enough content to fill an entire book so the basic story gets repeated and repeated and... The authors could have said what needed to be said in a two page white paper and be done with it.

Additionally, the editor must have been asleep: typos, run-away sentences, and repetitive paragraphs (you read something and then the same paragraph shows up one page later).

Not worth the money. The authors should have done expert interviews before publishing a book to understand how to do it...

Business changes and influences are happening faster and faster, requiring the successful company to be more responsive and anticipatory than ever. For a guide which teaches managers and owners how to predict demand and handle it correctly, Getting It Right The First Time: How Innovative Companies Anticipate Demand is essential. Examples of real-life lucrative successes and missed opportunities alike offer lessons for all, and John Katsaros and Peter Christy have gathered a representative sampling of these case histories to work into a general company plan for marketing and advancement. Recommended for any entrepreneur interested in innovation.

This book was written for me. I have lived through the technology area of the 70's, 80's and 90's. Yes, I'm over 50 years old. Technology marketing and launching new products today is very different from my previous 30 years of experience. The markets today require focus, research and insight of the market dynamics. "Getting It Right the First Time" is for individuals and organizations who want to make their dreams become a reality. John Katsaros and Peter Christy's knowledge and insight comes from their experience. Their book has had a tremendous and positive impact on our organization. Dean Westbrook, Mount Angel, Oregon

John and Peter have brought a wealth of personal experience to the problem of bringing innovative products to market. Millions of dollars chase new ideas that have no hope of success.

Entrepreneurs, product planners and managers, business strategists will all be well served by the insight and by following the guidance inside this book.

If you've got a great idea for a revolutionary product - read this book.

This is a compelling marketing narrative from two guys who have obviously been in the trenches. It's got something for everybody with any interest in marketing-High Tech or not. After a while you start thinking the authors are the Ebert and Roeper of Silicon Valley.

Tom Hutton