TMC Vocabulary
Compiled by Chris Halliwell, TMC Director
Vector of Differentiation
Unlike tactical continuous development of Augmented Product elements, defining a Vector of Differentiation commits the firm to deliver a specific benefit to customers, and to continuously differentiate along this benefit vector or value proposition over time. The vector is chosen from among the customer's Solution Drivers, and once determined, the vector focuses Augmented Product priorities and improvements. The most effective vector is one that offers a means of solution Differentiation across several target markets within phases of the Adoption Curve, for some extended, but finite, period of time.
Voice of the Customer (VOC)
Voice of the Customer is a structured market research technique implemented by product and market development teams. VOC methods involve a series of in-depth interviews with distinct segments of customers, focused on their experiences with current products or alternatives. This technique utilizes open-ended questioning to produce a description of needs and Solution Drivers based on the customer's response to environmental trends. Formal documentation of customer conversations allows the business team to synthesize commonalities and differences in customer problems and to derive a Vector of Differentiation.
Whole Product
Whole Product is a term denoting a complete solution offering, one that includes core technology, thought of as the "product", and all of the accompanying services, relationships and complementary products necessary to completely solve an important customer problem. The objective of offering a Whole Product is to make the technology easier to buy, thus expediting sales, easier to use and maintain, thus reducing support costs, and easier to differentiate, thus fending off potential competition.
