It’s common for product marketing job descriptions to include a line or two about working with market plans to generate leads for the sales force. But, are the number of leads really the right metric for product marketing? Wouldn’t it be better if product marketing is tasked with generating demand?
No, I’m not splitting hairs. There is a difference.
Whether you are a product manager or a product marketer, you need to get over your product. I know, you spend your days – and nights – thinking how wonderful your product is, how you can improve it, and why others haven’t seen the same vision you do. Maybe, just maybe, the answer is – your product is not what they seek.
What?!? Heresy you say! Of course they need, and want, my product. Well, maybe not. Think about it. It’s about the customer, the buyer, the market – not you. (more…)
Throughout this blog we’ve looked at buyer personas. More recently we looked at turning sales into our partners; and, even more recently, at the sales funnel. But, what all sales – B2B and B2C – come down to, in a single word, is trust. (more…)
I’ve been a bit quiet in my writing this year (so far.) True, I’m busy; but, more importantly is the other reason – I’ve been listening.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again – listening to the market is the one thing that sets you apart from everyone else. The better you listen, the more you understand. The more you understand, the better you meet the market’s needs. The better you meet the market’s needs, the more you sell. The more you sell, the more money.
Listening means money.
(This article is cross-posted at onproductmanagement.net)
Try this exercise.
Go to your marketing collateral closet and pull a sales packet of information out. These are the same data/sell sheets, white papers and pretty pictures that you would pull if you are preparing to speak with a potential buyer. (You can leave the pretty folder in the closet – they cost extra money to produce.) If you don’t have a marketing closet, go to your Web site and print out the packet of material.
