OutsideIn View » Blog

Product Camp Made Easy

jidoctor — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 01:00:44 +0000

This is a short post. And I’m not going to get a soapbox and rant, nor will I try to educate or share my views. This is a short post.

It’s fall, and Product Camp season began last month starting in Atlanta, New York and Salt Lake City. But, the real camping season picks up speed starting this weekend with upcoming events in So. California (Orange County,) San Francisco, Seattle, Rocky Mountain, Chicago, Minneapolis and welcoming Nashville. (Apologies if I forgot any.) Make plans to attend a PCamp near you by visiting the “master” schedule list at: http://www.productcamp.org/schedule/

If you are planning to attend – and there really is no reason you should not attend at least one - or present or simply don’t understand the concept and why you should engage, please visit some of my past posts on product camps on this site:

Looking in from the outside, it’s time for product professionals – both management marketing types – to take control of their own careers and growth. Product Camps are OUR venues to do both

(and women, ping me to discuss the “Rainbow Chuck Initiative!”)

Face it … Your Product is Old.

jidoctor — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 07:00:20 +0000

(This article is cross-posted at onproductmanagement.net)

I don’t know when it happened but it officially became fall in the Northern Hemisphere. Typically I would moan at this thought, which makes me think about how many bags of leaves I need to rake this season (typically 100 around my house,) or worse yet, that winter and the freezing temperatures are approaching. But this year I’m hoping the new season brings a breath of fresh air. This summer, I realized my parents are getting old. Three out of the four had a significant health problem. And while, thankfully, all are doing better now, it made me face the reality that needs, plans and provisions need to change.

It happens to our products too.

We have been trained to pay attention when a product may need to be phased out, to be sun-setted. That is a quick death. It is sometimes easier to recognize than seeing the products that still have life left in them, but they need to be cared for differently. Some products just get old (or stale) without dying. Do we pay attention to the warning signs, or wait for the catastrophic event to wake us up?

Warning sign #1: Diminished community chatter about potential enhancements

When the product was first launched, there was a lot of talk from internal and external sources that wanted more features, an enhanced user interface, and more partner connections. The calls to support were flowing regularly and you made money on implementation and training services. The product is no longer special; you’ve lost your buzz and excitement. Your product is common in the company, and the market.

Warning sign #2: Taking more medications

Medicine alleviates the pain, but not the problem. You need to add more patches and fixes to keep the product operating, and more likely, interoperating with newer technology. Band-aid solutions start replacing launches. You’ve stopped updating the product road map. You no longer believe the market research.

Warning sign #3: You’re moving slower

The fixes and patches that you need to apply are not the priority for the product any longer. Over time, as products mature, release versions contained fewer and fewer enhancements. You look hard to find the really “cool” changes to implement. Product launches are met with less excitement. When you do launch, it is late… really late and the time span between launches keeps increasing.

Warning sign #4: Your friends are not around

The product has less support in executive meetings the sponsors have dwindled and it’s no longer the primary focus. Worse yet, competitors are giving the product away or exiting the business. And, worse yet, Marcom no longer has the time to update your collateral.

You may choose to ignore the warning signs, recognizing that the product still has a life; or, you may have contractual obligations that require you to maintain the product. You simply could have your head in the sand like an ostrich, when you know that you should be looking at the product lifecycle. Whatever the case, you need to have a plan. What do you do now? Do you provide the aid and assistance to rejuvenate the product and live another x number of years in a healthy lifestyle; or, do you recognize the life-support you’ve created and pull the plug?

Getting old, in life and products, doesn’t mean you’re not useful. It just means you need a different type of care plan. Before your product gets too old and you’re only option is to pull the plug, make a plan for how to care and nurture it in the later years. While often overlooked, this should be part of the long-term roadmap.

Looking in from the outside, an emergency response at the end of the product’s life is not a strategy.

Time to Eat My Own Dog Food

jidoctor — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:00:19 +0000

No doubt, in your role as a product professional – whether you are in product management or product marketing – you’ve been told, go out and get a market view. A view from someone that isn’t you or in your company; a view from someone who would pay for the product or service you are offering, if they had the problem. You could call it the outsidein view. (Okay, bad pun I know, but I couldn’t resist – it fits.)

Now it’s my turn.

For more than two years I’ve written for this blog, commenting on topics and issues I hear from fellow product professionals through following on Twitter, LinkedIn, and now Google +, or through meeting at product camps and networking, and from just my friends.

Now it’s your turn.

I have a long list of “agenda” topics which I can keep writing about, delivering my take on issues I see and hear are of interest and/or concern. But, what I care about is what YOU want to hear. What are the topics of interest to YOU. Where could YOU use the most experience, guidance or support? What problems are keeping YOU up at night? Bottom line, how can I help YOU?

I have a quick survey created. It’s 10 questions and takes no more than 3 minutes to complete. Will you please take the pause in your day and complete the survey? It will help me help YOU better.

The anonymous survey can be found here.

Looking in from the outside, I can only be as relevant as you allow, enable and help me be.

Thank you, Jennifer

Get Over Yourself

jidoctor — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:22:35 +0000

Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is fairest… is that how your typical presentations start? Sounds a bit ego-driven, doesn’t it?

How about when you are networking? Do you introduce yourself with a simple handshake and a pleasant comment or two? Or, do you go into a long dialogue on who you are, what you think, how you act, what matters to you? A few people do this, but does it make for a good networking introduction?

Of course not. Most of us acknowledge ourselves and move on in the conversation with the person we have just met. We try to learn as much as we can about them, trying to establish a relationship that is mutual.

So, why then, when we introduce our company do we bore people with ego-driven introductions in presentations? I’d place a bet on how many presentations within your company start with the splash screen, and are followed by an agenda then the company history/background, or vice versa. Really? Why? Frankly, I don’t care about your company. I simply want to understand what you know about my problem and how you can help me solve it.

When you’re making million-dollar presentations, or any presentations for that matter, you should start the interaction by talking about the other person and their interests. Let them know that you know what they want to hear about, that you are sensitive to what they want to gain from this interaction, that you care about the same things that they care about. And if you don’t know what your audience’s interests are, it’s your job as presenter to find out: sooner rather than later. When we, as marketers are enabling our sales team, it is our job to arm them with the proper facts to ensure a successful presentation. Product marketing should always take a look at the presentation (especially if developed by sales), to make sure that the value proposition and messaging are in line with the product and company goals.

People want to hear about things that meet their needs and solve their problems. They don’t care how long you’ve been in business (unless that just happens to be the one big question they really need to get answered—but don’t bet on it). Your audience cares about whatever they care about, and that’s what you need to give them. Remember, with the amount of information available about companies and products on line, most of that general background information has already been discovered. Focus on meeting their needs, and you’ll hear nothing but praise.

So, how do you know exactly what meets their needs and solves their problems? One way is to visit your local psychic and ask for help. Or, you could finish writing those three personas that you have been meaning to finish. You have done your research, so if you complete the persona process, the answer will be right in front of you.

You don’t even need to use the term persona with the sales team. You can just tell them it is your “target customer.” They will be glad you did.

Looking from the outside in, solve their problems, don’t toot your horn, and the sales organization (properly trained) will make the sales. Stop looking in the cracked mirror, and look through it.

It’s About the Relationship

admin — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 19:29:01 +0000

I am working with a small business client – a very small business and we had an interesting discussion around marketing her services. After getting past the concept of the product is a service… we talked about building trust and relationships with prospects and customers. I broke down the discussion into some simple non-marketing language that might help you in explaining all of this as well. I told it was like making a great sandwich.

Small businesses are not selling, they are not marketing, they don’t think that they are sophisticated. They are just talking (or communicating) with people who might be in need of their services. They only need to explain how the services will make the customer’s life better and then spell out exactly what they should do next. They simply need to find out if there is someone who is hungry and wants to eat.

When they do communicate, a consistent, focused message is extremely important so as not to confuse potential customers. This consistency starts with the very first customer interaction – how you describe the business. It continues through all other messages the customer receives… business cards, sales flyers, web sites, direct mail post cards – - any interaction that the customer has with the small business has to be consistent in both messaging and appearance. If you are known for making the best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a philly cheese steak will throw your message offline. While it might taste great, it’s not your focus.

Why? Because it is all about building trust and relationships. Inconsistent messages do not foster trust or reinforce the key messages that you want your customers to remember. Inconsistent messages (and images) allow the customer to form their own opinions and may lead them to think that you are unorganized, that you don’t finish projects or other negative thoughts we want to avoid.

Build trust and stronger customer relationships by ensuring that the design of your marketing artifacts and your messages are consistent. This will build customer confidence in your ability to complete projects on time, on budget and other positive thoughts about the business. If you promise me a pb&j, deliver it. Deliver it how it looked in the picture when I ordered it; deliver it in a pleasing manner; make it consistent.

Looking in from the outside, the message to the small business client about her marketing is the same used in product marketing for a larger company. Be consistent, explain value and speak to the buyer. It’s about the relationship. It’s making a great peanut butter and jelly sandwich – you know when they go together well.

New Year Means Back to Basics

admin — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:10:14 +0000

We’ve had a chance to finish our New Year’s celebration. The parties are over, our homes are cleaned, and for most of us at least, the weather hasn’t slowed us down too much (though I know my friends in the south will argue this.) What does it all mean? It’s time to get down to business.

To start our year as product management and marketing professionals, we need to remember to tackle the simple things first.

For leadership: set your vision. Set it clearly and communicate it over and over so that it is easily understood. Make sure you have a market-defended roadmap, grounded in facts, that is attainable. If it’s not, revise it. Roadmaps aren’t set in stone, they are ever-changing and need to be flexible. But, whatever it is, make sure that you communicate it as part of your visions.

For product managers: get your market facts. Make sure you are getting the voice of the market. Listen. Listen carefully. Ask questions. As we are reminded, we have two ears and one mouth – remember that when you get out. If you’re spending your time with your development peers, then you’re not doing your job. You are about bringing the voice inside.

For product marketing managers: align your artifacts and message with the buyers. Take an inventory of what you have, how you use it and what you want it to deliver. If something is out of whack, then take the time to fix it. Better to slow down long enough to take actions now, then send the wrong message at the wrong time to the wrong audience. Alignment will keep you on track. It’s worth the effort.

Looking in from the outside, it’s the simple things that make a difference. We typically spend so much time rushing from one fire drill to another that we don’t pause long enough to breathe and regroup. We don’t take time to remember the basics. The new year gives us that chance – even if for only one day. Take the day.

The Twelve Days before my PM Christmas

admin — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 13:14:43 +0000

On the first day before my PM Christmas,
my manager sent to me
A sales demo to present.

On the second day before my PM Christmas,
my manager sent to me
Two features to add,
and a sales demo to present.

On the third day before my PM Christmas,
my manager sent to me
Three updated business cases,
Two features to add,
And a sales demo to present.

On the fourth day before my PM Christmas,
my manager sent to me
Four new partners to meet,
Three updated business cases,
Two features to add,
And a sales demo to present.

On the fifth day before my PM Christmas,
my manager sent to me
Five new personas,
Four new partners to meet,
Three updated business cases,
Two features to add,
And a sales demo to present.

On the sixth day before my PM Christmas,
my manager sent to me
Six new reps to train,
Five new personas,
Four new partners to meet,
Three updated business cases,
Two features to add,
And a sales demo to present.

On the seventh day before my PM Christmas,
my manager sent to me
Seven use cases to finish,
Six new reps to train,
Five new personas,
Four new partners to meet,
Three updated business cases,
Two features to add,
And a sales demo to present.

On the eighth day before my PM Christmas,
my manager sent to me
Eight new partners to evaluate,
Seven use cases to finish,
Six new reps to train,
Five new personas,
Four new partners to meet,
Three updated business cases,
Two features to add,
And a sales demo to present.

On the ninth day before my PM Christmas,
my manager sent to me
Nine customers to call,
Eight new partners to evaluate,
Seven use cases to finish,
Six new reps to train,
Five new personas,
Four new partners to meet,
Three updated business cases,
Two features to add,
And a sales demo to present.

On the tenth day before my PM Christmas,
my manager sent to me
Ten trips to schedule,
Nine customers to call,
Eight new partners to evaluate,
Seven use cases to finish,
Six new reps to train,
Five new personas,
Four new partners to meet,
Three updated business cases,
Two features to add,
And a sales demo to present.

On the eleventh day before my PM Christmas,
my manager sent to me
Eleven code errors to find,
Ten trips to schedule,
Nine customers to call,
Eight new partners to evaluate,
Seven use cases to finish,
Six new reps to train,
Five new personas,
Four new partners to meet,
Three updated business cases,
Two features to add,
And a sales demo to present.

On the twelfth day before my PM Christmas,
my manager sent to me
Twelve spreadsheets to recalculate,
Eleven code errors to find,
Ten trips to schedule,
Nine customers to call,
Eight new partners to evaluate,
Seven use cases to finish,
Six new reps to train,
Five new personas,
Four new partners to meet,
Three updated business cases,
Two features to add,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

As we embrace the holiday season and time to celebrate with colleagues, friends and family, I wish you a safe and joyous time. Thank you for your support and I look forward to more growth, learning & laughter ahead.

I say it again – it IS all about listening.

admin — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 13:17:16 +0000

In respect to the post by Jim Holland today Essential Pieces for Strategic Product Leadership on his blog, I was struck by his comment that product leaders need to gain market authority as one of the essential pieces. Market Authority. I’ve written about this topic before (in a less eloquent way than Jim) but it bears repeating because it is so important.

Everybody loves the sound of their own voice. But, there is a reason why you have been given two ears and only one mouth. Listen! Your customers can provide us, as product managers and marketers, with valuable information into what their problems are, how they think, what want and need.

Pragmatic Marketing‘s Steve Johnson wrote a post a little over a year ago “If you want to be heard, speak in the language of the listener, the buyer persona” in his blog post, What’s a persona? At the same time, Forrester analyst Tom Grant wrote a post for his blog entitled, Listening is hard, in which he said that “Both product managers and product marketers have to be top-notch professional listeners.”

What is all the fuss about listening? We hear about voice of the customer and voice of the market. How will this knowledge get injected into the organization (and ultimately the product) if we don’t spend significant time listening to the market?

When we talk about listening, we tend to focus on meeting the market and customers in face-to-face environments. But, if there is value in listening to the community buzz being created via the social media channels. After the fall season of product camps I was contacted by more than one person who asked me why I engaged in social media activities. I looked right back and asked them why they didn’t. Whether you and your leadership want to believe it or not, your market is online. Somewhere. It is your job to go find where and then listen. Engage if you can, but listening is a must.

I know it is difficult to tear yourself away from the office politics, endless meetings and water cooler gossip but that, we know, is not productive listening. Get out of the office and meet with customers, prospects even non-buyers and listen. Spend time online in the communities your market has built. Gather up data that can be used to refresh road maps, personas and customer communications.

How can we effectively identify and solve market problems unless we correctly identify them by listening to the market? How can we afford NOT to travel in the market, learn and listen? What happens if we do not listen to the market?

Same message.different day. Looking in from the outside, one that merits consistent reinforcement – which I will continue to do until someone listens.

Top Gift Ideas for Product Managers/Marketers in your life

admin — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 10:00:19 +0000

A guest post by Barry Doctor, product marketing manager at Katun, Inc., and lifelong observer of cool gadgets and tech toys, who is green with jealousy of those who obtain these toys in their early stages.

While it is the goal of some product managers to simply obtain enough time off to properly enjoy the holidays – rest, relax and recharge. Others wish for more QA resources and a CEO that shares a change in company direction more than 6 weeks before launch of that major new product. Others were hoping for a job or an acquisition. Since fulfillment of these abstract items is particularly difficult, we’ve chosen some unique, obscure products that solve a market problem or cause a product manager to exclaim “that’s cool” out loud.

In no particular order:

A Mac Mini the world’s most energy efficient desktop computer www.apple.com/macmini/
iPad – it does things no tablet PC, netbook, or e-reader could. www.apple.com/ipad/
Kindle portable e-book reader www.amazon.com/kindle
Xbox Kinect “controller-free gaming and entertainment experience” www.xbox.com/en-US/kinect
Vacation trip to Maui – memorable ‘nuff said www.visitmaui.com/
Flying car – Chitty Bang Bang for the new Millennium by Hammacher Schlemmer http://www.hammacher.com/Product/11812?promo=homepage_hero
Solar Fuel Cell Car Experiment Kit – for the eco-responsible http://www.thamesandkosmos.com/products/fc/fc2.html
Dropbox subscription www.dropbox.com
Twitter Schwag http://mashable.com/2009/12/13/twitter-gift-guide/
Odd geek gifts http://mashable.com/2009/09/26/geek-products/
Dishwasher with a touch screen http://www.fastcompany.com/1701278/your-dishwasher-could-really-use-a-touch-screen
A new 4G Android smart device from T-Mobile. www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones
Invitation to Facebook email www.facebook.com
LumaTwist, your own personal satellite http://www.fastcompany.com/1702627/wanted-your-own-personal-satellite

Finally, a holiday season wish:

I wish the sponsors of the product management community could come together. Their fractured appearance is evident to everyone in product management. In this season of giving and friendship, let’s find a way to develop and grow the community, not create new wedges.

Regardless of what you believe, here is to wishing you and your family a very Happy Holidays to all and to all a good night!

Follow Barry on twitter, or contact him through his LinkedIn profile.

My Turn To Talk Politics…Product Politics

admin — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 13:23:47 +0000

It’s my turn now. My turn to talk politics. Product Politics that is. I’m not that crazy to start a government politics discussion here. That isn’t what this blog is about. It is about products – from the marketing to development to management and everything before and after. So I was fortunate enough recently to co-present a session at the Seattle Product Camp with Jim Holland on “Politics in the Product World.” Jim has written on this in a few of his blog posts, and now it’s my turn.

First, a little background. Jim and I have never worked together. We have developed a working relationship virtually, and have become resources for each other in the product world we share. However, we do this by coming at our relationship from different levels. As my bio states, I’ve never held the VP title or had a seat at “the table”, but Jim has. We’ve both talked with enough product professionals over our careers to understand the challenges that “politics” present. We thought that with our differing views, it would be an interesting topic to present.

To me, politics is the negative term used for organizational dynamics. I recognize that every company, every business, every team has its share of challenges and personalities which require navigating. But, just as bureaucratic is the term to use when process goes awry, politics is the term I use when the organizational communication and direction falls aside.

In Jim’s post on the recap, he does a great job capturing the warning signs that product professionals saw in their organizations. This list includes, among other items: “I see the empire builders working on their agenda and not what’s important.” “There’s visible favoritism that impact decisions.” “People hoard information on a consistent basis and won’t provide key data for decisions.” “It’s evident that there is a fear of turf wars.” “A lot of conversations and decisions happen through back channels.”

From the practitioner’s view, that is the one who is not in the leadership seat, it comes down to trust: trust in the leadership, the vision, and the ability to execute.

Keeping it in perspective may be a challenge. You feel that you’re not the one who has any control; that you are just a “pawn” in the game being played around you and you don’t have a turn. But, keeping the situations in the right perspective is exactly what you must do to avoid destructive behaviour – usually your own.

As a practitioner, recognize that politics and organizational dynamics are and will be visible in EVERY company. If you are scared of your leadership, you have a problem. Your leadership has to be involved and actively communicating with all levels of the org. As a contributor, you need to support the effort of the leadership then take action, not just words. And, non-verbal action counts. Lots!

But, besides listening more carefully, and supporting the actions, there are other actions you can take as a practitioner. First, remember your priorities – be able to explain the value in the plan to achieve, metrics and results. Next, find a “supporter” on the same level, a peer to the one blocking you, to act as a mentor through the process you are having troubles navigating. And, don’t make assumptions about who is your supporter.

To navigate effectively – Don’t whine! Keep away from making it about people. It may be, but don’t be the person in the organization to make that be known. That is not your role.

Above all, to be effective, and avoid getting dragged into the games that are happening around you, the negative games and actions, remember why you were hired. What is your distinctive competence? What do you bring to the team, to the company that is unique? (For more on this, read the previous post here.)

Looking in from the outside, as a practitioner, you cannot help but be exposed to the negative dynamics that are happening around you, the politics. But, you can control how you respond. That in fact may be the only thing you can control. Own your priorities, own your distinctive competence, own your accountability and you will come through the situation fine