Crossing the Chasm

1. “The number-one corporate objective, when crossing the chasm, is to secure a distribution channel into the mainstream market, one with which the pragmatist customer will be comfortable. This objective comes before revenues, before profits, before press, even before customer satisfaction. All these other factors can be fixed later - but only if the channel is established.”

2. “When pragmatists buy, they care about the company they are buying from, the quality of the product they are buying, the infrastructure of supporting products and system interfaces, and the reliability of the service they are going to get.”

3. “The only suitable reference for an early majority customer, it turns out, is another member of the early majority, but no upstanding member of the early majority will buy without first having consulted with several suitable references.”

4. “Customers often bend over backward to give market share leaders second and third chances, bringing cries of anguish from their competitors who would never be granted such grace.”

5. “Simply put, the early majority is willing and able to become technologically competent where necessary; the late majority is not. When a product reaches this point in the market development, it must be made increasingly easier to adopt in order to continue being successful. If this does not occur, the transition to the late majority will stall.”

6. “Most companies fail to cross the chasm because, confronted with the immensity of opportunity represented by a mainstream market, they lose their focus, chasing every opportunity that presents itself, but finding themselves unable to deliver a salable proposition to any true pragmatist buyer.”

1. The Technology Adoption Life Cycle Has a Deadly Gap

There's a massive chasm between early adopters (who love new technology) and the early majority (who want proven solutions). Most tech companies fail here because they assume early success with innovators and early adopters guarantees mainstream market acceptance. The chasm kills more companies than any other factor.

2. Focus on a Single Beachhead Market

To cross the chasm, concentrate all resources on one specific, narrow market segment rather than trying to serve everyone. Dominate this beachhead completely before expanding. Mainstream customers want to buy from market leaders, so being #1 in a small market is better than being #4 in a large one.

3. Mainstream Customers Want Whole Product Solutions

Early adopters will tolerate incomplete products and figure out workarounds, but mainstream customers expect complete, working solutions out of the box. They want the core product plus all supporting products, services, and infrastructure needed to achieve their desired outcome without hassle.

4. Build an Ecosystem of Partners and Allies

No single company can provide the whole product solution mainstream customers demand. Create partnerships with complementary vendors, system integrators, consultants, and industry experts who can help deliver complete solutions. Your ecosystem becomes a competitive moat.

5. Position Against the Market Alternative, Not Competitors

Mainstream customers typically aren't choosing between competing new technologies—they're deciding whether to change from their current approach at all. Position your solution against the status quo or manual processes rather than against other technology vendors. Make the old way look expensive and risky.