How to Find Your True Innovators and Early Adopters

Geoffrey Moore’s description of early adopters and innovators within his book Crossing The Chasm has provided valuable guidance to countless entrepreneurs for decade.

But it seems his message has been slightly misunderstood. With the misperception being on two levels:

1. Most people think and talk only of early adopters, and miss the concept of innovators altogether

2. Most advice takes Moore’s advice that Innovators as technophile, risk taking gadget fans and applies to the early adopter segment instead.

My last article focussed on the benefits of targeting problem solvers as a better way to identify early adopters, but what I should have said is that it is a better method for identifying both Innovators and Early Adopters.

This article focussed on why it is better for innovators too.

Watch my summary of this article or read more below

The Difference between Innovators and Early Adopters

Geoffrey Moore, in his book "Crossing the Chasm", describes 'Innovators' and 'Early Adopters' as two distinct segments on the technology adoption lifecycle.

Innovators, according to Moore, are the first individuals to adopt an innovation. They are risk takers who are willing to try new things and have close contact with the scientific community. The Innovator segment is characterized by an interest in new technology for its own sake, and this group is willing to face occasional setbacks to be on the cutting edge.

Early Adopters, on the other hand, are a group that is more selective in adoption choices than innovators. They rely on the feedback of innovators and their own judgement to make adoption decisions. Moore describes them as 'visionaries', individuals who see the potential for an innovation to bring about radical change or a competitive advantage. They are less risk averse than the majority of people, but they are not technophiles like the Innovator group.

The key difference between the two, according to Moore, is their approach to new technologies. Innovators are driven by their curiosity and interest in new technologies, while Early Adopters are more focused on the practical applications and problem-solving potential of new technologies.

The Problem Of Only Targeting Techies as Innovators

Even within the narrow case of identifying Innovators, I’d argue that only targeting based only on “techie” characteristics of risk taking and first mover tech adoption is limiting for most startups, and entirely unhelpful for many.

Not every business fits the model of technophile innovator, even in the tech world itself

• What if your consumer product targets a much older demographic?
  In my last CMO role at Bryte, we made a luxury smart bed that targeted customers more in their fifties and sixties. Would it have worked for us to target such customers through Product Hunt or Hacker News? Not likely.

• What if your B2B SaaS targets a very sober market like cyber security or banking?
  Are you going to find early adopters there that will buy your product just because they want to take a risk on something new?

• And so on…

Clearly, the techies as Innovators approach has many problems.

Is There Another Way to Differentiate Between Innovators and Early Adopters?

I believe there is, which I know as the “Hair On Fire” model, which I recall first reading it in the book Rework by Jason Fried and DHH

To paraphrase their idea…

When a startup needs early customers, they should target customers whose “hair is on fire.” Because when your hair is on fire, you desperately want someone to give you a solution and you really hope they're going to give you a solution of a wet towel or a bucket of water to solve your problem with.

But if someone hands you a brick, you're going to take that brick and you're going to try your best to solve your problem with it because you are desperate for a solution.

This takes the problem solver idea to the extreme. It challenges startups to really focus on just the most acutely needed, most potent desire to solve a problem.

And that applies to the innovators as well as it applies to the early adopters.

Why Identifying Innovators Works Better with Extreme Need in Any Category

Once again, identifying innovators as people with extreme problems to solve not only solves the aforementioned problems of targeting techies, it offers additional benefits that make it a better strategy.

• More motivation to risk something new
  The more severe their problem is, the more motivated they are to want to solve it. This tips the balance of risk towards taking a chance on something new, perhaps even if they would not normally do so.

• Faster sales cycle
  A pressing problem is more likely to motivate shoppers and prospects to buy quickly. They are in-market by default, and likely already have a budget allocated to the problem

• More collaborative
  Once they start using your product, problem-solving innovators and early adopters are likely to tolerate any initial issues. Moreover, they're likely to provide valuable feedback that can help you improve your product.

• More likely to refer
  Because you solve a pressing problem for them, they are more likely to be grateful and enthusiastic, which makes them more likely to refer and recommend you to others.

How to Identify Innovators and Early Adopters Using the Problem Solver Framework

To identify your own innovator early adopters using the problem solver model, as yourself three questions:

1. Within my ICP, is there some sub-segment of user that might be especially desperate right now?

2. What else might they be doing to try and solve the problem right now?

3. How can you show up where they go looking for a solution?

Here Are Some Examples of Where This May Lead You

• They are often trying to build their own solution.
  Perhaps they are researching several tangental products to cobble together, or perhaps they are using certain open source repositories that solve parts of the problem. Could you insert awareness of your product into those places?

• They might reluctantly be considering a more expensive but known product
  They might be considering a mature software product that’s too bloated and expensive for their needs, or perhaps a known brand agency or consulting firm. Could you divert that research to your more targeted & affordable offering instead?

• They might be actively seeking advice and answers
  If so, which forums or communities might they go to? If they were to ask on professional or social media, what might they ask? How can you be found and add value in those places?

Need A Little More Help Finding Your Early Adopters?

If you’ve enjoyed this post but still have some questions, would like to bounce some ideas off someone or discuss any other aspect of Traction Design, book a pro-bono (free and no obligation) chat with me now.

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