The Leap From Product Marketing to Solutions Marketing in 3 Steps
In a consumer product world, solutions marketing is exemplified by the endless variations of pain relievers.
Before Tylenol, Advil, Motrin or Excedrin, the world somehow got by on aspirin for general aches and pains. But marketers never rest in looking for new solutions to gain competitive advantage, hence, the myriad of pain relievers available today for every discomfort imaginable like cold, flu, sinus, arthritis and a slew of other ailments.
The difference between aspirin and other pain relievers is analogous to what many B2B solution providers do. Each brand of pain reliever uses a common ingredient (a platform) plus a sprinkling of additional ingredients for specific ailments (features for specific market segments in B2B).
Much like pain relievers, most B2B products and services use a common platform and then emphasize specific features that constitute solutions to very specific problems. The Playbook for B2B… […]
The 3 Rs That Define a Successful Product Launch
There are a million articles on the tactics of a successful product launch. That’s not where we’re going in this post. We’re going straight for outcomes! Nail these three outcomes and you’ll forever be the fair-haired children of product marketing and product management.
Bonus: all your launch tactics will neatly drop into these three outcome buckets and give you a simpler and more concise execution plan. The Playbook:
Hey Product Management, Strategic Direction is Yours for the Taking. Here’s How!
If you’re waiting for someone to crown your product management team the kings and queens of strategic direction, you better get a nice comfy chair with all the reclining, heating and massaging accoutrements because you’re in for a long wait!
Strategic direction is all about influence, and influence is all about earning the trust and credibility of your colleagues across the organization from top to bottom. Convince them you know the market better than everyone else and you’ll earn your way into the driver’s seat until someone else proves they know it better.
Here’s the thing about product management though. Everyone (OK, most everyone) expects you to be the market experts and lead accordingly. Unfortunately, most product management teams have exponentially more product expertise than market expertise, and that won’t get you anywhere fast.
Here are three hurdles your product management team will have to overcome it it’s going to lead the charge on strategic direction. The Playbook:
VP of Product Management: Your 7-Point Plan for the First 100 Days
Congratulations! You’ve just landed your first VP of Product Management job and expectations are sky high. No pressure!
Here’s a 7-point plan for your first 100 days. The objective of this particular plan is to get you playing offense right out of the gate.
Before we get to the plan, here’s the first thing you’re NOT going to do. The Playbook: […]
Product Positioning vs. Market Positioning: The Key Difference
If you’ve ever asked yourself, What the biggest difference is between product positioning vs. market positioning? In its simplest form, it’s the target audience and the scope of what you’re positioning.
The ideal positioning structure makes your value easy to articulate regardless of whether you’re starting from the top down or bottom up. The Playbook: […]
Evolving to Product-Led Growth in 5 Steps
Starting a new company and building it around a product-led growth model is much different than transforming a mature company that was built for direct sales and evolving it to a product-led growth model.
First of all, you don’t have the baggage of a product portfolio that was built for direct sales. Second, you don’t have to go through the culture change and infrastructure makeover.
It can be done though. The Playbook: