Month: December 2014

Awkward Transition Period During a Pivot

David Cummings on Startups

We’re going through a small pivot right now and it helped me realize that pivots result in an awkward transition period. Internally, we know the direction to go, yet we still have a number of responsibilities and relationships that we need to continue to honor, making progress more difficult. Balancing new and old is a challenge.

Here are a few thoughts on the awkward transition during a pivot:

  • Start selling the new vision right away even if the product isn’t going to be ready for some period of time
  • Set internal expectations that it will be extra difficult for a period of time before results materialize
  • Transition the marketing collateral to the new messaging as quickly as possible
  • Make a plan to transition the customers that are no longer a good fit
  • Educate partners on the new direction and set the appropriate guidance

Pivots are painful, especially when there’s the start of a…

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