What’s up, Innovators?
One question that I constantly get from people that I talked to is — “What is your expertise?” When I say Product Development, people would just say “okay” and then ask more about “what industry, what market and what product types”. Well, this is what differentiates us because product development is not market specific.
In my 20 years of background experience, I have developed products in the Aerospace, Medical Devices, Power Electronics, Sporting and Consumer Goods. My expertise lies specifically in the process of developing products.
Becoming Your Own Subject Matter
Let’s say you are interested in developing new product and bring it to market. You got this really great idea but you don’t know what to do. You are not sure about how to do it or fear-stricken because you feel that it is something you need to be a subject matter expert on.
No matter what industry you are in, I can tell you—this simply isn’t true. I have not known of any great inventor who was a subject matter expert in the area that they invented in before they brought the product to market. And in today’s day and age, there’s so many resources at your fingertips you can use to gain the knowledge that you will need to develop a product.
There are also subject matter experts out there that have committed their lives to studying and researching these ideas and topics. If your desire is to only bring the product to market then you don’t need to know everything.
If you have this idea for a product, then you already are the subject matter expert because it is your vision. It is your product vision out there and no one sees it clearer and better than you already do.
Stay Engaged and Challenged
No one becomes a subject matter expert in a day, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Here are some tips to help:
- Educate Yourself. Know what information is out there. What are people talking about? Who are the greatest influencers in the industry? Find articles and resource online that you think will be helpful. This is how you can learn more about the topic.
- Follow and Connect with Business Leaders. You may not be an expert on a topic but you can learn from someone who is. But first, you will need to have a clear idea of which influencers you want to target. Then find and follow these experts on social media. They can provide you with tons of information about industry-related topics which will help you learn more about what you need.
- Talk To Subject Matter Experts. One of the most effective ways to learn about a new industry is to talk to the people who know it best. These experts at times, offer free webinars and product development coaching/consulting services on their sites. You can register and apply what you learn to solve your problems or address the challenges you may have about the topic.
I have made a video where I discuss this in detail. You can watch it on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSEPR6Wosrw and learn everything you need to know about product development process and how you can become your own subject matter expert.
Go change the world and invent something!
About Mike Hill
An experienced General Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the manufacturing and consumer services industry. Strong engineering and operations professional skilled in Budgeting, Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, Product Development and Engineering.
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