BDTI Success Story #137: Convincing the Skeptics

Engineers are a skeptical bunch. They tend to stick to what they know and to discount claims about better alternatives. Often, this is justified; vendors’ claims about new products are sometimes seriously overstated. But what if you really do have a compelling—but unconventional—product? How do you engage prospective customers’ attention and convince them that it’s worth their time to take a closer look at your product?

A leading semiconductor company faced this dilemma when introducing a new type of processor.  Worse, it was simultaneously entering a market where engineers were accustomed to established approaches. A key feature of the new processor was a simplified programming model that streamlined application development. For prospective customers to be convinced of the product’s advantages, they would actually have to try using the product themselves. But using the product would require an investment in time that they were unlikely to make unless they were already convinced that the product would deliver on its claims.

The chip company engaged BDTI to provide an independent analysis of the ease-of-use of the new chip, delivered in the form of a BDTI-branded White Paper.

BDTI engineers took delivery of the development kit in the same form as it was being offered to customers. Our engineers installed the board, tools, and demo software, explored the tutorials, and read the documentation. Then they developed their own application on the chip, carefully evaluating the skills and effort required. The results were impressive: the chip really did deliver on the vendor’s ease-of-use claims, with just a few rough edges.

An experienced BDTI technical writer interviewed the engineers about their experiences using the chip and produced a BDTI-branded Customer White Paper describing BDTI’s evaluation and findings in detail.

The White Paper was published on the chip vendor’s web site and quickly became one of its most popular downloads. Prospective customers valued the independent perspective it provided. And, after reading the paper, many prospective customers were motivated to invest their time taking a closer look at the product.

For the chip vendor, mission accomplished: More customer attention and more credibility for the new product led to more design wins and faster time to revenue.

To learn how BDTI-branded White Papers can convince even your most skeptical customers of your product's value, call us at +1 (925) 954 1411 or contact us via the web.