Most technology products begin with technologists playing in their environments. They then pick up steam when early visionaries figure out how to use it to expand their individual platforms and gain a competitive edge. However, many, if not most, products die there and never find their way to mainstream use. In this classic book, Geoffrey Moore explains why. The motives that drive these first two groups are different than the motives of mainstream customers, whom he divides into “pragmatists” and “conservatives.” He calls the gulf between these two as a “chasm” and in this book explores strategies for traversing this gap.

Professionally, I am a developer who brings biomedical software from mere idea into wider adoption in the marketplace. I’m well-aware of these phenomena that Moore describes and am always looking for wiser ways to engage users and communities of potential users. This book explains many dynamics I encounter on a daily basis, and it helps to put words on these trends. As a pioneer, I pride myself on being creative and innovative, but I also desperately want those new advances to be brought into effective use through hard-wrought gains. This book teaches me how to do both acts to achieve a greater benefit.

As evidenced by this book being in a third edition, Moore has found a wide audience for his instruction. Its message has continued through three-to-four decades, an eternity in the fast-paced world of high-tech. Although I’m hesitant to criticize a working product, to me, this work should receive a different subtitle: It is less a book about selling and marketing and more of a description of how high-tech works. Its examples have been updated through the years – making it easy to read – but its conceptual relevance has remained constant.

Marketers and salespeople are the obvious, stated audiences for this book. Nonetheless, anyone involved in making high-tech products, including engineers, managers, developers, and executives, should pay heed. It shines a light on the essential business challenges of bringing technological ideas to fruition and adoption. Modern society has achieved an effective track record of technological advancement, but improvements and efficiencies can always be gained. Moore shows us how by showing us how to think better. ( )

I was reading this book for work reasons more from the technology products angle rather than the marketing angle, and the technology examples in the book are definitely dated now. But what I found most interesting was not what the book said per se, but reflecting that against the places I've worked at and how the idea of a chasm between early market and mainstream market mattered for the technologies they were in. ( )

Helped identify /lots/ of potential failure modes for my one-day startup. ( )

Over the past week, I decided to tackle a book that has been sitting on my shelf for a couple of years. This book is a Businessweek Bestseller. It is Geoffrey Moore’s Crossing the Chasm. The book focuses on bringing products to market. After reading it, I believe it can be used for more than the high tech industry. Moore’s analogy to the D-day invasion is spot on. It helped me think about a strategy that I need to use to advance my efforts. Read more ( )

Good principles but dated examples make this a good but not perfect book. Very easy to skim and not feel like you are missing much. ( )