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Book Reviews: Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore

Moore’s thesis is that when a new type of high-tech product is introduced, it follows a predictable path of marketplace adoption. First, a small group of visionaries buys the product. The visionaries look for products that have high strategic value. They are willing to live with software that is not quite polished. They like new things, and are looking for breakthroughs. They are soon followed by early adopters, who are willing to take on high risk products in return for expected high rewards. Visionaries and early adopters, however, make up only a small portion of the market. The bulk of the market consists of the early majority and the late majority (also called pragmatists). A product cannot be successful in the long-term without being adopted by this mainstream market. 

The problem is that pragmatists are only comfortable buying products that require significant change if they know that other pragmatists are already using them. Pragmatists are more cautious, and only want to use products that are well-established and well-supported. They tend to distrust the opinions of visionaries, and want to wait until their pragmatist counterparts begin using a product. This creates a chasm in the marketplace. Sales drop after the early market is saturated, while the pragmatists all wait for someone else to make a move.

Fortunately, Moore offers a number of concrete suggestions for crossing the chasm. Chief among these is the notion of targeting a niche market in which people are able to communicate more easily. Also important is the idea that to reach the mainstream market, vendors must provide the “whole product,” including supporting services. For more details, we suggest that you read the book.

This book was recommended to us by Marc O’Brien, President and CEO of WebProject, a software company that markets a Java application for enterprise project management and collaboration. He suggested that it was essential to the marketing of sophisticated software products. After reading the book, we definitely agree.

If you would like to buy this book, just click on the following link to open a new window and go directly to Crossing the Chasm on Amazon’s website. FabTime is an Amazon affiliate.