Last week I was invited to the Jesse Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University as a guest lecturer for a group of MBA students.  Professor Siddharth Singh asked me to share from my experience of almost 20 years, about launching new products in a variety of industries around the world.

So here’s the list I came up with after thinking about the best & worst new product launches I’ve been involved in and what I’ve learned from them.

1) Ask yourself: How is marketing viewed within the organization?  As a function, like HR or Facilities Management or as a business leader and decision maker.
2) No navel gazing. Always look for new information & opinions outside your organization/team/corporation.

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