Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and
Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers
by Geoffrey Moore
Completed April 2001
So many people have told me that I needed to read Crossing the Chasm, that at some point, I gave in. I should have done it a long time ago. Despite the fact that the book is a bit dated -- the examples being pre-Internet and the marketing approaches similarly missing some Internet lessons (like building / maintaining communities, network-effects, etc.), it is still very relevant.
I found Moore's analysis generally accurate, his style direct and authoritative, and his advice generally good. In particular, I think his concept of the "whole product" being the combination of a particular product with the complementary products and services (e.g. business development partners) to be prescient advice, as it applies so well to marketing post-Internet. I wish I'd read the book before my last start-up -- it would have helped me realize the power and significance of business development much earlier.
I would definitely recommend it.
Note: I read an earlier version than is linked above, which may reflect some updating.