So You Want to Grow Your SaaS Product Line

(A Few Product Management / Product Strategy Notes)

@johngibbon In/johngibbon

John Gibbon

Where to Grow?

Products

Services Geographies

Industries

Customer Size Channel

Current Products Future Products

Current Markets

Future Markets

Market Penetration

Product Development

Market Development

Product Strategy: Ansoff Matrix

Suicide Leap

Assessing a Product Portfolio Direction • Problem?

– Opportunity

• Solution – Unique offering, breakthrough? – Why you? Competition?

• Business Model – How make money? – What money need? – Team? (Build? Market? Sell?)

• Where should we go?

• Why will we be successful there?

• How do we get there?

Is There an Opportunity?

• Customer Pain? – Sufficient Pain to Buy? – Top Problem of Economic Buyer?

• Big Enough Market? – Market Growing? Changing?

Total Market > Total Addressable Market > Your Share

Product Success Metrics

• Revenue • Market Share • Competitive Differentiation • New Users • Increased Usage • Increased NPS

.. But it’s Rarely a Green Field

You’ll Have to Make Some Tough Decisions

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Invest

Boston Consulting Group Growth Share Matrix

Product Portfolio Trade-offs

• New Product vs. Mature Product • New Market vs. Existing Market • Short Term vs. Long Term Revenue • Usage vs. Revenue • Client A vs. Client B • Research vs. Development • High Risk vs. Low Risk

Strategic Balance

Trade Offs