About Our Product Management Blog for B2B
High Octane is a Product Management Blog from Proficientz that offers “how to” tips for improving strategy, planning and execution in trenches of product management, product marketing and sales enablement. Our best practices focus on using your portfolio to make customers more successful with cross-functional solutions that have more strategic value than individual products. We publish several entries each month. Click here to subscribe and get them delivered directly to your inbox.
The Value of a Product Marketing Roadmap: It’s Like Deep-Sea Fishing for Sales
A product marketing roadmap for sales is like a popular technique used in deep sea fishing. The captain turns on the sonar to locate schools of fish, you put the appropriate bait on your line, drop it and start reeling in fish. Has product marketing taken your salesforce deep sea fishing this year?
Agile Software Development: We’ve Come Full Circle
Remember when the internet was going to eliminate the middle man? How’d that turn out? When Agile software development took the software world by storm, it was like many other paradigm shifts before it. Agile promised to be the next panacea for whatever ailed software companies. And just like the internet, we didn’t know what we didn’t know, but now we’re in a much better […]
Today’s Product Manager vs. 20 Years Ago | Great Sales Discovery | Avoiding Buyer’s Remorse Acquisitions
The B2B Product Manager Magazine July 2018 is now available.
It’s July and that means the second half of the fiscal year is in full swing for many organizations. That usually equates to more focus on hitting your sales numbers. This month we tackle two critical phases of the sales process – discovery and demos – with tips for getting better results on both fronts.
On the product management […]
Curiosity: The Key to a Great Sales Discovery Meeting
Sometime is pays to just be curious. You’re about to go into a sales discovery meeting with a new prospect. Is your mindset more like salesperson with a quota, or someone that’s looking to create new relationships in your professional network? Results suggest that you’re better off playing the role of someone that’s looking to build his or her network. Why? Most business people enjoy […]
Do Some Tactical Product Management Before Your Next Strategic Acquisition
If your organization is making acquisitions to deliver more strategic value to the customer, some tactical product management might be in order before your next purchase.
Acquiring a company can be a lot like buying your next electronic gadget. There’s the anticipation and excitement of “new” and the promise of many benefits. Then, just like your new gadget, the acquisition loses some of its sheen when […]
Stress-Out Your Buyers (a little) For More Effective Product Positioning
Effective product positioning comes in many forms. But there’s only one outcome you’re looking for: An emotional reaction. Do it consistently and your pipeline will be chock full of qualified leads. Reminding your buyers of their biggest stressors before serving up the solutions is one way to evoke the emotional reaction that ultimately engages your salespeople with decision-makers.