Bic — What can Product Managers Learn?

I love BICHES! Really do!!

Seriously though.

Imagine if Marcel Bich had insisted on keeping the name BICH rather than shortening it to BIC, as advised. There are lessons that Product Managers can learn from the successful history behind the BIC Crystal Ballpoint Pen. This article is focused on the product and not morality, human rights, etc. The Product!

One person observes a situation and brings an idea to reality. Another person looks at it and improves upon the idea pushing it further. Today, the Bic Crystal ballpoint pen is everywhere. In that successful history there are several lessons that I am sure will be useful to Product Managers.

1. Actual problem: László Bíró solved an actual/existing problem. The story is that fountain pens had a smudge when used to write and the ink took longer to dry. The lesson here is to identify a problem and start with THAT problem. Do not go churning out stuff that solves nothing for anyone. It is easier to solve a problem than to have a solution trying to fit a problem. Marcel Bich made the solution, that was created (by Bíró), even more efficient. Another lesson here. When you start solving a problem look for ways to make the solution more efficient. It is ok to have an initial solution that is not perfect but at least it solves (and is focused on) a problem. Later you can look for ways to make your solution efficient.

2. Pay attention/Observe: To identify / extract the problem in any situation, you need to pay attention and properly observe. You do not pay attention if you cannot even see! How will you see if you are not present in the moment? “Your eyes see what your mind wants it to see”. Being present in the moment is the first thing. Seeing is what comes afterwards. Paying attention (to what you are seeing) comes third. Observe properly what you are paying attention to; that’s the next step. According to the story László Bíró worked as a journalist and noticed that printing ink dried quickly, that was his first observation. The second observation was some children playing with marbles in a puddle. If he (László Bíró) had not been present in the moment to see his surroundings, he would not have paid attention to the children playing with marbles and made an observation that led to the ballpoint pen. He also would have not observed the properties of printing ink that he used in his invention. The lesson here is twofold: expose yourself to enough experiences that can trigger that creativity (and questions) inside you. Be ready and equipped to identify / extract when there is something (genuinely) in need of improvement.

3. Invention/Innovation: You need to be an inventor and innovator, as a Product Manager. I will not go into details on the difference between invention and innovation. But to succeed we need to be as inventive and innovative as László Bíró and Marcel Bich. Inventor PMs are kind of hard to come across. To do that, you need to know how to apply your observation/attention skills to bring into reality a solution. That’s the lesson here.

4. Build it and they’ll come: This is old doctrine that can be risky to apply in today’s circumstances. This worked when it did (it worked for Bíró’s ballpoint invention and Bich’s improvement when he got the patent from Bíró), but it has not worked so much in recent times. However, it can still be applied (with extreme caution) to achieve good results. For this to work you need to FIRST identify an ACTUAL/EXISTING PROBLEM. If you are sure, it is a problem, you then need to make sure that it is a problem worth solving!! These two things are VERY IMPORTANT to apply this olden days’ doctrine. From here, aim to achieve a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) as quickly as possible and then push to promote it! As long as it is a problem identified and worth solving you can push a well-planned MVP. You might not have a well-thought-out strategy, and all that stuff but you have an MVP built from an actual/existing problem. This is a way that I feel the ‘ancient’ doctrine can be applied by Product Managers today. That’s the lesson.

5. What you know: You do not know everything! László Bíró’s invention was not perfect, it was not efficient, but it proved the idea in reality. In hindsight, I feel he (László Bíró) should have found a way and committed to improving his creation or even partnered with Marcel Bich on the efficiency improvements. That aside. You may have come up with an idea (and brought it to reality) but someone else has ideas on how to improve it and make it efficient. That's one lesson. Now after the patent acquisition, and the improvements, Marcel Bich did what any self-respecting inventor of the time did. He called his new product Bich, after himself. To him, it made sense and was logical. But he hired someone that advised against it and gave reasons. Second lesson here, you can always adjust the name of your product. You do not have to use the first name that comes to your mind. Third lesson, pay attention to trends in the market.

6. Entrepreneurship: Thinking different takes a lot of guts and conviction! When everyone wants to do things a certain way, it takes a genuine entrepreneur to see (and do) things differently!! Entrepreneurship goes beyond registering a company and opening up a place of business. At the very foundations it is about inventing and innovating solutions to real/existing/actual problems. At the time Marcel Bich got the patent from László Bíró for the ballpoint pen, fountain pens were all the rage and fully established in the market. Think, why didn’t László Bíró join the fountain pen crowd? Why didn’t Marcel Bich go focus on a fountain pen factory? The answer is entrepreneurship! The lesson here is for Product Managers to be entrepreneurs and confidently think differently. It is easier said than done. Trust me I know. The lesson here is to think differently and be a GENUINE entrepreneur.

I can go on and on about all the lessons that Product Managers (PM) can extract from this historical event but the above six (6), I am sure, are suitable enough to trigger something in a determined Product Manager.

Are there other lessons that you can point out from the history of the ubiquitous Bic Crystal ballpoint pen? Let’s discuss it.

🖼️ : Greg Rosenke on Unsplash

H-J Johnson

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