When I was 14 one of the first book on sales I read was Geoff Moore’s Crossing the Chasm and it remains to this day among the most influential on my bookshelf. You can’t be in the business of selling technology products without having read this book.
Geoff started a blog recently called Dealing with Darwin, based on his forthcoming book. Good stuff!
So, I struggle a bit with someone like Geoff Moore. I saw him speak a few years ago and he seemed to be dying to get as much as possible about crosssing the chasm. And while doing so he said something that burned into my mind:
“Companies will have to proactively embrace the new paradigm and create win/win’s in the new ecosystem”
Or something very close to that. He was also pimping a new consulting group called Crossing the Chasm LLP. I was not particularly impressed by him, but I know he’s made a difference for some…
I’ve never seen Geoff in person nor do I know anything about his consulting. But Crossing the Chasm introduced a pathbreaking concept in high tech sales, I think, and we should all be grateful! The whole idea of early adopters, late adopters, mainstream, etc. and the challenge of obtaining referenceable customers (mainstream don’t want to talk to early adopters as references) is money.
I agree with what you are saying. I just wonder sometimes if great ideas somehow become a cage.