Individuals, entrepreneurs, inventors and company execs alike all dream of producing great products and generally, those of mass appeal.

These products can be services, physical or intangible entities, widgets, games, applications and more. Their form can be diverse but their viability must be certain.

Everyone sells something and has competition in different forms. Yet intriguingly, the characteristics of a successful product remain somewhat universal.

Despite their use of detailed market analysis, I have surprisingly often seen even respected experts fail to review the basic nature of their product proposals.

It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in or the nature of your product, a real winner for customers will normally rank high in, and be:

• Simple. Appropriately Easy to Use and Apply
• Familiar. Works with Existing Structure/Low Training need(s)
• High-value. Actual or Perceived Value/Performance is significant
• Low cost. To Use and Adopt/Buy relative to Alternatives
• Available. Can get it Predictably, when Needed. Readily Accessible
• Appealing. To Purchasers and Users, by its Nature or Novelty

Now, not all successful products score home runs on every item on this list. No matter, they typically need to be the best relative to competition. And, any real deficiencies should be readily mitigated by complementary offering(s).

By reviewing your product and the competition relative to the list above, you can highlight your liabilities and refine your offering.

If your planned product scores high across the board, you likely have a true winner. As long as it stands out relative to the competition, you’re ahead of the game.

However, let’s not delude ourselves. Selling what you have presents another set of challenges. Your ability to successfully introduce and sell a product (regardless of how explosive is its potential) is affected by:

• Market size
• Your Company/Business size/market muscle/resources
• Sales Channels available
• Market Maturity/flexibility
• And, much more.

So even if you have a potential winner, be realistic about your ability to capitalize on it with actual sales in the required timeframe. Introduction dates are unforgiving so perhaps investment, partnering, or even a technology deal/business sale is advisable?

In any event always check your product’s potential against the criteria, above. It’s quick enough to assess if you’re onto something big, or just dump a weak idea early and move on. Use more than luck and gut-instincts when picking those winning products.

Here’s wishing you the best with your product plans!

Ian R. Mackintosh is the author of Empower Your Inner Manager Twitter @ianrmackintosh