Pipeline Accelerator Tip #38: Look for Opportunities Across the Value Chain
Talking to customers is essential if you want to find new product — but it’s not enough.
To uncover real unmet needs, you have to look beyond your immediate customer and explore every link in the value chain. Each plays a role in shaping how your product is used, specified, installed, or maintained.
Start by mapping the full chain and then listen at each point:
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Specifiers – What drives their material or product choices?
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Designers – What performance or integration challenges do they face?
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Formulators and Co-suppliers – Where do compatibility or process gaps create friction?
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Installers and Maintainers – What slows them down or causes rework?
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End-users – How do they define “success” in real use conditions?
Sometimes the biggest opportunities hide beyond your direct customer — in the hands of those who ultimately experience your product’s value.
Innovation accelerates when you see the whole system, not just your slice of it.
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