Understanding Early Adopters

early adopters--trendsetters in a community whom others imitate.

Innovation adoption is a complex negotiation between proponents of an innovation and the people they want to use it. Some people can be relied upon to be enthusiastic and try out new products, while others will resist changes to their settled preferences. To accelerate diffusion of your innovation you need to know the types of adopter and what motivates them.

Your best friends will be innovators--cutting-edge users who are always willing to try new products and processes. They can be recruited during testing stages, working with prototypes and beta versions, and may also come up with ideas for improvement. The next are early adopters--trendsetters in a community whom others imitate. They are often open to good new ideas, and should be targeted because if you can appeal to them and meet their needs, others are likely to follow.

ACTION POINT: Know the people that will be asked to embrace innovation.