Every business considering the development of a new product eventually comes to a point where they need to decide if and when they want to hire a professional product development services firm to get the product developed and produced. If you are in that position, here are a few questions to consider to help make that decision easier.
1. Do you have Internal Talent with Experience?
The reason this question is important is because if you do have the internal experience, often the best reason to hire help from any outside product design companies is to amplify their efforts and improve the speed (and enhance creativity) at which you will be able to get the product to market. If you do not have the internal experience, it is critical that you hire an experienced product development consultant or design firm so you avoid the numerous pitfalls and delays that frequently beset inexperienced product development. If there are no consequences to delays and major cost overruns, you need not seek help from any product development firms. If there are, you need a firm. It is common for inexperienced companies to take years to do what should only take a few months of well-strategized product development. Stack the odds in your favor and add an experienced firm to your team.
2. Do you have a Plan with go-to-Market Strategies?
This question strikes more at the core of your business model and preparation rather than the specific issue of whether you need a product development consultant. However, if you do not have a fully thought out business plan, market analysis, and marketing strategy, it is a waste of time to spend much time developing your product. For some, the plan is to simply patent and license the idea. For others, a full go-to-market strategy is needed. Having this information organized and researched is critical if you are going to be able to make the decisions involved in new product design and development because the product needs to be designed to meet the goals of your business. If the goals aren’t well-articulated, it’s hard to make something to help you achieve them.
3. Are you Able to Invest in Professional Product Development?
Are you prepared to invest what it takes to design a product professionally, produce that product at volumes that give you economies of scale, and market the product effectively to make it all worthwhile?
If the answer to this question is yes, then you have an operation that needs to achieve results for its stakeholders and you need to hire the best people to make that happen. An experienced product design and development firm will more than pay for itself with results and avoided mistakes and delays. If the answer is no to this question, then you need to be honest with yourself about what you are doing. Embarking on new product development and not investing the strategy development, resources and time into your business to ensure you reach your market at volumes that are profitable is a very expensive hobby.
Although this list is short, it encapsulates the main qualifiers for whether you need to add a product development consultant to your team. At Jupiter Design, we are very experienced with these considerations, and as one of the top product development companies, we offer a free consultation to discuss and think through your product design and development needs. If you feel like you are ready to get something done, please give us a call!