What challenges might a start-up face when trying to cross the chasm between early adopters and the mainstream market?

1. Understand the technology adoption life cycle: This model is central to marketing efforts for start-ups. It describes the adoption or acceptance of a new product or innovation, reflecting this as a bell-curve with five segments: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards.

2. Tailor your approach: At each stage of the technology adoption life cycle, marketers must tailor their approach to the segment's unique psychographics. This can lead a start-up to technology leadership and high-profit margins in a new market.

3. Beware of the chasm: The chasm is the gap between early adopters and the early majority. Many start-ups fail to make the leap across this chasm. Understanding this concept can help start-ups strategize to successfully cross the chasm.

Crossing the Chasm" has significantly influenced start-up marketing strategies by introducing the concept of the technology adoption life cycle. This model suggests that technology is absorbed in a community in stages based on the demographic and psychological profiles of various segments. These segments include innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards.

Start-ups, which often specialize in discontinuous innovations, have found this model central to their marketing efforts. It guides them to focus on moving from one segment to another, starting from innovators to early adopters, and so on. At each stage, they tailor their marketing approach to the unique psychographics of the segment. This strategy, when executed correctly, can lead a start-up to technology leadership and high-profit margins in a new market.