Getting It Right the First Time

Bol Partner

There is no doubt that the pace of business has accelerated-products go from concept to release faster than ever, business partnerships and alliances are established (and dissolved) more quickly, competitors react more swiftly to any tilt in the playing field. Whether your business is microprocessors or airplane manufacturing, it will live or die by the degree to which you can anticipate demand for your products and services. In Getting It Right the First Time, John Katsaros and Peter Christy argue that the most successful businesses will be those that accurately predict market conditions-especially the market changes that will occur within the crucial 18-to-36-month innovation window. Or, to paraphrase hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky: skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it is. Showcasing dozens of colorful examples of lucrative successes and missed opportunities (from high-tech to financial services to medical devices), the authors present a detailed plan for how you and your company can learn to: identify your top customers in advance of entering the market, successfully position your company and its products to those customers, and catch emerging trends before your competitors do. Eschewing traditional market research techniques-such as focus groups, polls, and surveys- Katsaros and Christy demonstrate how expert interviews with potential early adopters can help identify your killer app-the function that customers most value-and avoid costly trial-and-error. In a viciously competitive world where your company may have only one chance to score big, Getting It Right the First Time provides essential guidance for entrepreneurs, marketers, product developers, and business strategists, and offers new insight into the dynamics of innovation.

Bol

A healthy marriage is the result of much more than a stroke of good fortune, the accidental meeting of two "soul mates," or a conscious commitment to stay together no matter what. Studies have found that romantic, passionate love is often just a memory by the wedding, or within the first year of marriage. Creating an intimate, satisfying, and stable marriage is by no means easy or guaranteed--it requires thought, communication, planning, and true commitment to each other (though luck and compatibility never hurt). The window of opportunity in which to build the foundation for such a relationship is narrow, and does not often last too long after the first two years of a marriage. Getting it Right the**First Time provides the information every couple needs to know to understand what really makes a marriage work. Husband and wife team, Barry and Emily McCarthy share clear, helpful guidelines for creating a healthy marriage and reveal the strategies, skills, and attitudes that can help prevent disappointment, resentment, and alienation from entering the relationship. Ask any happily married couple whether the time and effort spent in creating a healthy marriage has been worth it, and you should get a universal answer. Getting it Right the First**Time can make getting there a little easier.