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February 7, 2019
Your Product Does Not Sell Itself – Why Clarity Between Product Management and Marketing is Critical
By: Brian Waters
As the product leader, the knock is on your door when sell-through doesn’t meet expectations. And then the painful inquiry starts – was this a strategic error? Poor execution? One fatal cause often overlooked is functional alignment – well-intentioned people in product management and marketing were focused on the wrong things.
Before we dive in, is your product operating model optimized? Check out this article by my colleague to make sure you aren’t leaving money on the table.
Put in the work now to save time later. Get started by downloading our Product Management and Marketing Functional Rapid Diagnostic Tool which will help:
Functional Misalignment Is a Common Root Cause of Poor Product Sell-Through
In our experience, this is the most common pitfall standing in the way of success – product marketing and management responsibilities are blurred or undefined. It is a gap that must be addressed early. If not, team members spend precious time sorting and resorting roles and responsibilities when you can least afford to do so prior to launch.
Or worse yet, there’s a hidden liability in a core strength – the driven A-Players leading these teams are misdirecting their talents.
Often these leaders share two competencies:
Because both play a role in the product’s success, there is a strong temptation for one leader to take charge on all fronts because they have the capabilities to do so. Establish clear guard rails so these groups spend their energy on the right activities.
So where to start? Below are the primary goals of each group that should be established and understood:
Deeply Understand Two Distinct Groups – Users and Buyers
Personas, when done well, are exceptionally powerful tools to align the organization in strategy, planning and execution.
Product management is best positioned to develop user personas and product marketing is best positioned to develop buyer personas:
In the hurried pace of building and launching the product, both may not get the attention they deserve. Ensure both leaders place a maniacal focus on understanding their audience.
Don’t Confuse the Value Proposition and Product Positioning
One of the hardest tasks of a product manager is define not only what to build but also what not to build. Leaders who do this well can land on a clear value proposition, defined as the benefit end users receive (and believe they will receive). Since the product manager builds the features based on user insight, they can best define a value proposition that will resonate.
Not surprisingly, the value proposition is a tempting sandbox for the product marketer to play in. But the organization is best served when the product marketing leader focuses on positioning to articulate why the product is better than the competition, substitutes or status quo. Most importantly, the marketer will understand the buying committee and buying process through their research and will develop content and campaigns based on that intelligence to drive desired actions and outcomes.
Sample Division of Responsibilities
Set the Groundwork for a Strong Partnership
Once the roles are clarified, what does each function owe the other? Most important is open and regular communication to achieve the functional interlock necessary to accelerate growth. Specifically:
Product Marketing Owes Product Management
Product Management Owes Product Marketing
Put in the work now to save time later. Get started by downloading our Product Management and Marketing Functional Rapid Diagnostic Tool which will help:
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Brian is a marketing and customer experience leader who has grown revenue, profit and satisfaction as a practitioner and consultant.
Prior to joining SBI, he built the new B2B marketing function at Hilton that generated over $30 million in revenue in one year.
Earlier in his career he held multiple roles at The Walt Disney Company including leading experience planning for a portfolio of attraction, resort, retail and dining concepts to yield higher per-guest spending and satisfaction. In addition, Brian led brand and revenue marketing programs that increased attendance and hotel room-nights.
Areas of particular expertise and focus include marketing strategy, campaign planning, lead generation and management, branding, content planning, segmentation, digital planning, product marketing, account based marketing and organizational design.
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