The Straight Line From ZIGZAG Marketing

I’m often asked by business analysts about the logical career paths for their role.  As I’ve probed further into these conversations, it finally dawned on me why the BA role has long carried somewhat of a stigma relative to the product management role - many BAs perceive their role to be a dead-end job.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Incorporating thoroughly-vetted new product ideas into your strategic plans is a solid business practice.  Changing your strategic plans every time a new product idea (with little or no vetting) enters the fray is a bad business practice that wreaks havoc on the entire organization.

Wearing the “strategic” label in one form or another has been the Holy Grail for as long as I’ve been in the product management and marketing profession.  But despite years of ongoing group therapy via blogs, meet-ups, associations, ProductCamp, social media, training courses and various other forums, the strategic-influence needle for product managers and marketers has barely advanced, if at all.  Why?

For those who’ve grown up practicing traditional product management environment, the notion of product portfolio management often brings perceptions that may not be entirely accurate.  Here are the seven most common misconceptions we hear and why they really aren’t issues after all.

Is it feasible to think product management can be outsourced?  In the near future, I don’t see it happening, at least on a mass scale.  But as processes, practices, techniques and tools mature I can easily see some key parts of product management being outsourced.  Which elements will be first?

Here are three observations that tell me it’s not a question of “if” but when.

Aligning product investment priorities to corporate goals becomes more difficult as your product portfolio grows, especially when goals are established for each product. There's an easier way that's more conducive to sustainable company growth.  Individual product goals take a back seat!

Influence and expertise go hand in hand, but a high level of expertise doesn’t necessarily guarantee a high level of influence.  Where do your product management and product marketing teams stand and why do they need it?

For 80% of B2B products and services, the answer is generally NO!  Kudos to the 20% that can.  But what’s the definition of a really big problem?

As a B2B product manager or product marketing manager, it's easy to believe your products are solving important problems.  But the true reality check comes when you ask, "are my products really making a difference to my target customer organizations strategically, and who really cares most about the needs my product addresses?" 

I’ve long contended the manner in which a company does product management is the window to its corporate soul.  At one end of the spectrum are the “opportunistic” companies, the ones that live to chase the next great opportunity. At the opposite end are the focused companies with a strong vision, very clear strategic goals and tactical plans aligned across the board with innovation a key ingredient - an approach Starbucks has had to reacquaint itself with to drive its turnaround.

It's the B2B equivalent of a consumer products company giving away free samples when they launch something new.

Many of our loyal fans and clients are asking why we rebranded ZIGZAG Marketing.  “The name was so easy to remember,” is the common theme behind the question.  “Easy to remember” is enormous when it comes to your brand, however, the pros and cons exercise could only produce a single pro – easy to remember.

The list of cons was far longer, but somewhat entertaining!

The business analyst, a.k.a. product analyst – SME - agile product owner - technical product manager - has been absent and ignored in software companies for too many years, but its time may have finally arrived.  The demand is growing fast and the supply is low.  You know that that means.  Polish your resume if you’re in the market for a career move.

You've probably experienced this at some point in your career. The market is going gangbusters, giving your organization that feeling of invincibility.  So you decide to chase a growth trend that promises to put you into the stratosphere, except you stray from the formula that made you so successful while you're in hot pursuit. It rarely has a happy ending!

Mini ProductCamp RTP did something truly innovative in the spirit of ProductCamp – organized an innovation contest!

Perhaps it’s the nature of the clients I’ve been working with the past year or two, or could it be the latest iteration (pun intended) in agile software development?

Basic product management and marketing skills cover the spectrum of market analysis, strategy, competitive assessments, win/loss analysis, roadmaps, requirements, positioning, etc. all within the confines of a product.  This approach works great if each product targets distinctly different markets/customers with no overlap across products.

If you have multiple products that target the same market segments, managing products in portfolios can drive growth faster than managing products as individual entities for the following reasons:

The complexion of most product companies today looks completely different today than it did 15-20 years ago but we're still trying to do product management and product marketing the way we learned it in the 90's.  Why?

PM's with technical backgrounds have steadily increased.  Is this good or bad?

Why is it so difficult to get sales, marketing and products going in the same direction?  We have a few thoughts.

Product Managers produce a variety of written artifacts to drive the product delivery process but I consistently hear frustration from product managers because no one reads their masterpieces.

Something's wrong with this picture!

As voted by attendees at ProductCamp SoCal February 27, 2010 in Orange County, CA

The reaction might not be what you'd expect!

'Trade-Off' by Kevin Maney: What determines a product's success?

Is there a new dilemma brewing for hardware product managers or has the recession just exacerbated an ongoing issue?

The business climate today has caused many businesses to become so myopic that they cannot step outside of the urgent issues of the day. The result is paralysis. Take the time to ponder the unthinkable to keep the big picture in place. Ask yourself these critical questions to provide perspective:

It's a common occurrence in many companies where the CEO is really the one calling the shots on all things product.

It doesn't take long for your products to become commodities. Get over it.

First the greats, because there are so many gaffes!

For all of you new to Product Camp here is a Product Camp 101 crash course to help you get familiar with the format so you can make the most of your experience.

If you're in the product management or product marketing profession and you haven't attended a product camp yet, you really need to. High energy, wit, charm, lots of knowledge and smart people it's all there.

As I was reading through the survey results from ProductCamp New York City I found one remark rather amazing.

What more could you ask for - downtown Manhattan in a cool old building with more than 175 people who are passionate enough about product management and product marketing to devote a summer Saturday to the profession?

Most product managers have had that thrill of victory-agony of defeat experience when they're excited and energized by a great idea that makes perfect logical sense, only it have it rejected by the boss.

Does Product Management have a role in integrated marketing?

If 80% of the sales come from 20% of the salespeople - what the heck are the others doing?

A Call for Product Management in the Hospitality Industry

If there's one industry that gets instant feedback on its products and services, it's the hospitality industry. But only a few really pay attention to the needs of their target customers and adapt accordingly. A strong dose of product management might do the industry some good.

I've watched this most recent auto industry saga unfold with both sadness and delight.

Is it really easier to follow bad processes just because they exist?

If there was ever a time to wipe the slate clean of anything and everything that doesn't have a blockbuster ROI, it's now. Why? You have the perfect excuse for all the tough decisions the economy the recession!

LinkedIn, Facebook, My Space, Twitter, Digg, and Delicious, not to mention association discussion groups and blogs I try to follow. I've got widgets and toolbars and readers . . . oh my.

The marketing campaign and sales cycle are now over and the fun begins for our new president - time to execute!

As I watch the presidential campaign, I've seen just about every facet of product management surface along the way. Has anyone else noticed this? If there are others out there in hiding, please share your perspective. Some key similarities...

I keep running across articles about Agile development that espouse "changing priorities on the fly" as one of the biggest benefits. Whether you use an Agile or Traditional method, changing and adding requirements mid stream always has an impact on the final deliverable. Nothing is free.

At the risk of sounding like an old curmudgeon (I’m still in my 40’s), I’ve been watching the transformation of product management and marketing over the last 15 years and I’ve noticed something that hasn’t gotten much attention in the blogosphere.  It’s the changing personalities of product managers and marketers.

When do most Product Managers start thinking about the product launch? I'm curious. Early in my career, I used to wait until the tail end of the development process to bring other departments into the fold. Oh sure, I copied them on my project updates and milestone progress (which they probably never read). But I was too busy writing requirements, tracking development progress, reviewing designs and answering questions. I didn't have time to involve the rest of the company to the extent that's really necessary for success.