Create Successful New Products

I've been reading a lot about new product development, marketing and new businesses. And all the articles are getting mashed together in my head. However, one piece has stood out in my mind - "The Path to Developing Successful New Products", which appeared in Monday's Wall Street Journal.

The advice reminded me of what I hear Venture Capitalists and Angels say over and over: Be focused. Meet consumer needs. Listen to your customers. But the article also mentioned creating a culture that focuses on completing the project - have enough resources devoted to the project and focus on the needs of the project - not the needs of the people working on the project. What I wonder about is why such advice needs to be repeated so many times in so many ways. I guess it's because too many business people don't bother to listen to their customers. They just want to listen to themselves.

Here's a link to the article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052970203440104574400593760720388.html