The Art of Speed

Speed is becoming an essential part of business today, especially on the web. This weekend I attended a panel discussion entitled “The Art of Speed” at South by Southwest Interactive.

Here are the points I found useful or interesting:

• Follow the market to where the growth is – Often companies look to attack new markets however when speed is important you will see the quickest growth by delving into a market where you are already seeing strong growth.
• Compress time frames –  Force yourself into short time frames by creating advanced timelines. When decisions are needed it’s important to get all of the decision makers in the room at the same time. If you are looking for a decision from an external organization refuse to meet until all of the decision makers can be in the room at the same time.
• Build community – Finding people who are enthusiastic about your product or organization is very important. These are the people that will spread the message. Nurture your relationship with these people. If you encounter someone who is feels negatively and is strongly vocal about it, take the time to listen to them. These people care enough about their experience to share it. Even if you can’t turn them into supporters you will at least learn something in the process.
• Get to thought leaders not traffic leaders – When trying to publicize your product or service learn the landscape of the online community. You’ll be able to quickly learn the blogs or sites that get the most traffic. But it is more important to figure out who are the early influencers. Start talking to those people. They are usually easier to get to and if they jump on board the rest will follow.
• Ready, Fire, Aim – Launch quickly and then look for feedback from the community about where to go next.It may be a different place than if you had planned it yourself.
• Look at substraction versus addition – Often my first thought is what can be new can be added to an offering but sometimes it’s more important to focus and take away features. This will streamline your offering for your core audience who is usually paying the bills.

Panel Members: Tim Ferriss – www.fourhourworkweek.com; Mike Cassidy – Benchmark Capital; Evan Williams –  Co-Founder,  Twitter/Obvious; Cali Lewis – Host & Producer, GeekBrief.TV