TEI 023: How Lead Users Guide Product Management for Golf Training Devices

Global Product Management Talk is pleased to bring you episode 023 of...

The Everyday Innovator with host Chad McAllister, PhD.

The podcast is all about helping people involved in developing and managing products become more successful, grow their careers, and STANDOUT from their peers.

Our Guest: Sam Froggatte is a golf gadget guru! He is the CEO of EyeLine Golf, a company that specializes in creating and selling training aids for anyone to improve their golf play. Their training products are used by weekend leisure golfers as well as hundreds of PGA players. Sam’s route to becoming a product innovator in the golf industry started in sales and marketing at IBM and then as an independent sales rep for golf equipment.

Highlights from the discussion include...

3 principles Sam uses to create successful products:

• Fundamentally sound – the product has to do the right things, built on sound principles and not faulty assumptions.
• Intuitive – products must be simple to use and require little to no training to use.
• Un-embarrassing – products that golfers will carry and tell their friends about.

A real example of how Sam created a product…

• The problem was trying to improve putting alignment
• He created a rough prototype in his basement
• He field tested it by taking it to golf ranges and showing it to others and getting feedback
• He revised the prototype until it was a viable product, including being ready to manufacture