“What gets measured gets managed” doesn’t mean “What can’t be measured can’t be managed.” The fact that we’ll never be able to measure the revenue lost from an ineffective go-to-market strategy doesn’t mean this risk can’t be managed.Most companies measure the revenue generated from a campaign or product launch, but will never be able to measure a counterfactual of revenue that could have been generated from a more effective campaign or launch strategy that was never implemented.
An Acceptable Mistake is the opposite of a risk. A risk is something we need to mitigate to avoid a bad outcome. An Acceptable Mistake is a tradeoff that’s important to make for the sake of a greater goal.Making a tradeoff intentionally means accepting the downsides of something that won’t jeopardize business goals. Speed and accuracy are common Acceptable Mistakes — tradeoffs worth making, based on the goals and circumstances.
A better approach to messaging and positioning communicates a research-driven perspective on the differentiated value you offer and, crucially, why it matters. Moving from 'good' to 'better' requires connecting each product launch to your company’s core value proposition. Customers turn to your organization to solve specific problems, so demonstrating how each launch fulfills that promise boosts engagement and interest.
Conversely, emphasizing features that internal teams find valuable, rather than those prioritized by customers, can dilute the impact of your offering. As Tamara Grominsky explained, “Customers may feel they’re paying for features they don’t need or may question your expertise in the areas they care most about.”Effective enablement has the potential to be a core differentiator in your go-to-market strategy—if you do it right.
One way I’ve done this in the past is through weekly pre-launch updates in weekly team meetings, sharing the momentum and early beta tester feedback to date.