The market development strategy is a declaration of intent that provides the strategic direction for a startup’s go-to-market programs (that is, sales strategy, marketing communications, product strategy). The strategy is expressed using the market development strategy checklist (MDSC). The MDSC is a set of assumptions (blueprint) around which a strategy statement is created.
The MDSC works like a checklist. You must identify the first element on the list before moving on to the second element, and so on. Each element in the MDSC is based on preceding assumptions—modifying assumptions about one element will affect assumptions about subsequent elements. Although elements will change as your product category enters different stages of the technology adoption life cycle (TALC), the MDSC remains valid in each stage.