One strategy startups should consider is packaging the same product into multiple products. There are three common ways this is accomplished:
- Segment the same product into different editions where features or usage rates are changed (e.g. group, professional, enterprise, and ultimate editions)
- Apply an industry specific name to the product (e.g. technology, healthcare, financial services, etc)
- Make the platform (same code base) divided into separate, but related products, available independently or combined a la carte (e.g. marketing suite, sales suite, and support suite)
Most often, one size does not fit all and buyers like to buy when a company speaks their own language. My recommendation is to consider ways to package the same product into multiple products.
We’re working through this at AuditMyBooks now. A variation on the three cases you outlined is to pre-configure the product for a specific market… probably closest to your industry dimension. In our case rules can be turned on/off and parameters adjusted to make the app more suitable for a retailer vs. a dentist. This “packaged knowledge” or “best practice config.” can be treated like different products.