a single source, nothing corroborates it

Treat moving upmarket as launching a new product

The rung above you is a different buyer with a different goal, which usually means a different product, a different brand and a different way of charging. Pointing at a higher need also narrows the market rather than widening it, because each persona on your current rung is reaching for something different.

The method

1. 01

   Do not assume you can simply move up the ladder: the rung above is a different product, a different brand and often a different way of charging, so most companies fail to make the jump.

2. 02

   Understand that pointing at a higher need narrows your market, because each persona on your rung has a different goal above it.

3. 03

   Or reach the higher need with an add-on rather than a new company: an extra module aimed at the customers who share that ambition.

What it returned

• Charging by the gigabyte, by the site per month, per new subscriber on results, or as a cut of speaking fees are all different businesses.

• People wanting attention, brands broadcasting, media selling ads, shops running content marketing, communities, charities and governments all sit on the same WordPress rung with different ambitions above it.

Sources

• Using the Needs Stack for competitive strategyJason Cohen · longform.asmartbear.com · Add more value by moving up the hierarchy · 2023-06-04