Geoffrey Moore
Author and Advisor at Independent
Author of Crossing the Chasm, one of the most influential go-to-market books ever written with over a million copies sold, who created the technology adoption lifecycle framework used by virtually every tech company.
Dimension Profile
Key Themes
Episode Summary
Geoffrey Moore revisits and updates his seminal Crossing the Chasm framework, explaining why companies still fail to get narrow enough with their initial target audience and why taking any customer you can find is like running a match back and forth under a log. He shares the bowling pin strategy for sequential market expansion, the specific go-to-market playbook for each stage of the adoption lifecycle, the seven deadly sins of chasm-crossing, and why ecosystems only form around clear market leaders.
Leadership Principles
- → Taking any customer you can find in the chasm is like running a match back and forth under a log — you must focus on one spot until the fire starts
- → Ecosystems form around market leaders and do not form around the rest of us — you must be number one in something specific first
- → Each stage of the adoption lifecycle requires a different playbook — using the wrong one during the wrong phase slows you down
Notable Quotes
"The tendency when you're in the chasm is 'I just need more customers.' It's like running a match back and forth under a log. You start a fire by holding the match in one place until the fire starts."
— On why focus is essential when crossing the chasm
"Ecosystems form around market leaders, and they do not form around the rest of us."
— On why becoming number one in a specific niche is the prerequisite for ecosystem support
"Our beachhead segment is the Fortune 500 — well, I don't think maybe you're as clear on this as you could be."
— On the most common mistake people make applying the Crossing the Chasm framework
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