Writing, Writing, Writing
I’ve been swamped trying to work on the first post in a
series I’m going to be doing on gathering and acting on market data. I’m nearly
complete on the first installment, so bear with me everyone — I want to make
sure that what I’m writing is good and worth everyone’s time.
Plus, Bob and I are also working some
community-type things in the background. Such neat stuff and possibilities — I
really love being a PM.
From Big Vision to Small Details
I like coming up with vision. I don’t have any issue
identifying how things may work 2-4 years in the future. Of course, prior to
doing that, I need to be comfortable with item I’m working with, and the market
that product sits in.
While this may not seem like a bad thing, it can sometimes hinder my ability to identify
details. I like to work from vision -> positioning -> requirements. I
don’t know why, but this is how I feel the most comfortable. Due to this, I
can have a tendency to work out requirements that pertain to building
the foundation of the vision I’ve already come up with.
I made a post a while back about going to market,
in which I discuss the steps I think contribute to delivering a product or
product module to market. One thing that I see that needs to happen right up
front is the creation of the vision statement for that item.
This statement includes a high-level overview for how the thing will work in
its initial iteration, and potential enhancements that can be made moving
forward. It assists with getting ideas across and segues nicely into the other
elements I mentioned previously.
Man, I love learning & realizing this stuff.
Sales -> Marketing
Steve Johnson as an interesting post over at the Pragmatic Marketing Blog regarding an article that he read.
Take this quote:
"Marketing should strategically define the key steps of the sales cycle,
and the tools that support each step, giving sales people a roadmap to move
clients from leads to close and beyond."
I kind of agree, but only in specific cases. I’m a beliver that (if appropriate), the VP / Lead of Sales should be constructing the sales cycle with the assistance of Marketing and other members within the organization (just for that team-based approach that I’m a fan of). Yes, it’s true Marketing can qualify some leads for Sales, however, from what I’ve seen, Sales usually qualifies leads for Sales and Marketing is left to tend to MarCom and product communication / corporate messaging. Of course, whatever suits the business best is what should be done.
So where does Product Management fit? Since a PM serves as facilitator between Development, Sales, and Marketing, communication occurs on that pivot. The PM should be equipped with the knowledge of where Development is at, and how long something could take if it comes up (or when it comes up) in the Sales cycle. If they don’t — they should be asking and not assuming.
Again, same goes for Sales. If they are unsure of when something will be done, if it will be done, or if it’s even something that would be considered, they need to ask first, then close the deal. In a small, agile organization, the answer may simply be "sure, we can do that". However, everyone (including the customer) needs to be on the same page with cost / scope / schedule.
It’s too easy to say "yes" to close a deal. All nighters featuring Red Bull and pizza may be OK for a while, but eventually they will have their toll on moral. A roadmap should be followed fairly closely based on market reaseach and the vision / objectives / strategy of the entire company. And that means everyone should be behind it — PM’s can’t serve as dictators, especially in small companies. Delegation this way brews resentment.
The organization needs to work together to ensure knowledge is communicated properly. Remember, one message from Development needs to be delievered differently across Sales, Services, and Marketing. Content is based on audience.
Great Analysis
There is a really cool analysis posted over at Jonathan Schwartz’s Blog written up by Marc Andreessen regarding his new company Ning.
Wow, that was link soup. Sorry, folks.
I wanted to post about it, because it really shows the cost comparison between Sun, who is perceived as being this, Enterprise-class juggernaut, and Linux systems, which are perceived as being this really low-cost, open-source alternative. Wow, not such much according to this data.
I really hope Sun can find the niche they are looking for. I really admire their continuous quest for innovative computing, and the fact they have been after that networked computer for over 20 years.
Thanks for posting this, Jonathan. Great read on a Sunday night - I love it!
Sales Reliance
How reliant should Sales by on other parts of the company?
It’s OK — they should rely on the help of everyone. But, considering how they are the front line of the business (along with Customer Service), they really need to be equipped to drive the sales cycle forward.
Are sales reps at your company ready to answer tough questions about the product? Do they understand as much as they need to, at least from a high-level? Are they asking the right questions at the right points during their cycles?
I see much of this falling on the plate of Product Management. PM’s really are the pivot between tech, sales, marketing, and service. In a development-centric company they have to be able to explain the complex aspects of the products they are managing to everyone, in terms people can understand and use to their advantage. Of course, this is easier said than done and not always the case.
On the reverse, if it’s not the case, Sales may have a tendency to rely too much on a few key players of the business, which may cause some strain when attempting to scale
In my mind, effective communication between PM and Sales allows the company to be better prepared to close deals faster than competitors who have product teams not as "in" with the folks making sure the product (or product component) makes money.
