Customer Reviews

New Product Blueprinting The Handbook for B2B Organic Growth

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If your company sells products to other companies, this is a must-read.

Adams turns much of the traditional voice-of-the-customer conventional wisdom on its head. He makes a compelling case that your business customers are much different than end-consumers; they're highly trained, are not as easily manipulated by Madison Avenue, are fewer in number and so on. And if so, then using 30-year-old consumer-goods VOC techniques is sub-optimizing.

He lays a groundwork of new-to-the-world principles for business-to-business product development. The book isn't long--just over 200 pages--and I would like to have heard just a bit more of how he developed his theory (although the book is well footnoted). On the other hand, it has great "idea-density" and seems to be designed for reading by the busy executive. Many readers will like the fact that about half of the book is devoted to practical hands-on tips that a marketing person could begin applying right away.

Everybody knows you have put the customer first. It has become one of those business clichés, like "cutting edge technology" or "thinking outside the box" or "the customer is always right." But what does it really mean in terms of product development? How, exactly, do you move beyond lip service (oops, there's another cliché!) and really put the customer first? Read this book and you'll know the answer. New Product Blueprinting takes a pretty complicated subject and boils it down to a series of how-tos that are invaluable to any manufacturer who has to make things his customers will want to buy. I highly recommend it.

Adam Prestwood

Pampco, Inc.

Having worked in sales all my life, I've always known that what sets a company apart is its ability to partner with customers to help them solve their problems. Adams puts a different slant on the process. He starts out by explaining that you don't try to sell customers your products, nor do you start out by solving their problems for them. (I suspect most of us have been bitten by a prospect that took the solution you developed for them and gave it to someone else to execute...ouch!) Instead, you use a methodical, proven approach to probe customers about their desired outcomes. As Adams writes, "After these outcomes are understood and quantitatively prioritized, there is plenty of time for the supplier to privately develop solutions and build an intellectual property hedge around them." (I liked that phrase so much I went back and looked it up.) This is a good book for anyone who wants to find good customers, make them happy, and keep them coming back for more.

Patrick Hendren

SMC Corporation of America

I own a company that makes custom cutting tools for the woodworking and solid surface industries. As such, I am no stranger to innovation. But Dan Adams takes the concept to a whole new level in New Product Blueprinting. He does a brilliant job of explaining how to get inside the customer's mind and uncover what he or she really wants and needs. Adams lays out a step-by-step interview process that not only sets you up for great product design, it endears you to the prospect or customer. This author recognizes something very important: it's all about trust. Even if you're the best company for the job, if you don't come across as caring and respectful, all the expertise in the world won't matter. If your livelihood depends on new product development--and in this economy, I think that pretty much covers everyone in the manufacturing world--do yourself a favor and read this book.

Anthony DeHart

DeHart Tooling Components, Inc.

Dan Adams book on business to business, Voice of the Customer is certainly one of the best I have ever read. The Author who also provides consulting and training on this topic appears to have a genuine understanding of how VOC for business to business suppliers could work. He lays out a very clear path for a VOC program that is generic enough to apply to most businesses yet he also provides specific steps, techniques and tools to actually get started, or at least gain a valuable grasp of the concept. His insite into business culture and personality is invaluable for evaluating whether your company is ready for this crutial innovation process and if so what needs to be done to start a solid robust voice of the customer program in a B2B environ.

Dan Adams is a pioneer in the product development field. He has managed to take the complex process of product blueprinting and broke it into the simplest concepts. As you work through his book, you will quickly start to see the value of his teachings. If you are in B2B, this is a must read!