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Sharing the the things I found for the day: This one time at Brand Camp: game changing innovation Why and How to Lead Your Boss at Work Would you choose social media or engaged employees? Story Hour in the Board Room Why you should always work on things that actually have engineers Been There, Done That...
Tomato, Tomaatoe, Usability, UX, Human Factors – Whatever it’s a good idea.
I was talking to Jason Brett this morning to get hands-on view of how SoCal Product Camp went. Jason went on about a great presentation he saw when he was out at the SoCal ProductCamp, so I decided to go out and find it and take a look. Mack...
Sharing the the things I found for the day: The burger map of the United States Do Commercials Still Matter for Brands? 10 Steps to Setting SMART Objectives Deadlines – The Fast and Furious Leaner, Meaner, Innovation Pricing...
PM Scenario #108: Webinars, Boxes, Arrows & Tech Acronyms Work Everywhere – Right?
Image by spatiallyrelevant via Flickr I’ve been spending the last couple of weeks focusing on consuming content, spending a good deal of time in PowerPoint and getting insights from folks which has been very rewarding and challenging. I’ve also been taking an inventory of situations I’ve been in/witnessed throughout my...
Where is that creative monster of yours?
Very often as product managers we have the need to get creative. We need to find ways to position into our differentiation and develop/edit/approve content which our buyers and customers will read, so it’s not all persona’s, powerpoint and math. Since we spend so much time dealing with facts, evidence...
Sharing the the things I found for the day: Social Markers. Here I Am, Brain The Size Of A Planet. Undercover Boss – Afraid of what you might find? Use SEO to ruin a good brand name: 3 easy steps Does Programme & Project Management have a “Long Hours” Culture? Top 10 Hurdles to Becoming...
Product Management News
Few people understand Microsoft better than Tandy Trower, who worked at the company from 1981-2009. Trower was the product manager who ultimately shipped Windows 1.0, an endeavor that some advised him was a path toward a ruined career....
Websites have become a primary route for security threats, as most of the enterprises have secured mails Akhilesh Shukla Thursday, March 11, 2010 Network security is still a strong driver for IT spending in India, as security does not cease, not even during recession....
Stonebranch Releases Infitran and Indesca 4.1.0
Managed File Transfer and Job Scheduling solutions enhancements include improved operations, policy management and production governance....
Rackwise Announces Revolutionary New Product at AFCOM Data Center World
Rackwise, the internationally recognized leader in Data Center Management and Intelligence solutions, announces RACKWISE Data Center Manager ) Version 3.5, the next progression of its award-winning data center management software, at AFCOM Data Center World 2010 in Nashville, Tenn....
NewBlueFX Included in the New Corel VideoStudio Pro X3
Innovative effects designer and technology developer NewBlue, Inc. announces the inclusion of select NewBlueFX plugins in the latest release of Corel VideoStudio Pro X3....
Trintech and Leading Independent Research Firm to Present Webinar on Automating PCI-DSS Compliance
DALLAS, SEATTLE, DUBLIN, Ireland and LONDON, March 8, 2010 -- Trintech Group Plc , a leading global provider of integrated financial governance, risk management and compliance software solutions, announced today that it will be presenting a webinar on automating PCI-DSS compliance, featuring independent research firm Forrester Research, Inc....
Tech Product Management
Adapting to Cloud: The Channel Models They Are a-Changin’
NetSuite, a leading SaaS ERP/CRM provider, recently announced that it is revamping its channel partner comp model: 100% on Y1 subscription revenue, and 10% thereafter. VARs have been remiss in taking up the SaaS torch, largely because most SaaS vendors haven’t provided a financial model conducive to VARs’ cash flow...
My Next Chapter In B2B Marketing
Almost four years ago, I began a new journey at Forrester Research when I agreed to take on the B2B marketing research coverage and practice. The first significant research that I conducted and wrote, “B2B Marketing Needs A Makeover – Now,” looked at the challenges B2B marketers face and how...
Forrester's New Blog Network is LIVE
Cliff Condon, the Forrester VP in charge of research processes, just pulled the trigger on Forrester's new blogging network. I'm very excited about the new platform, for it provides a rock solid foundation for enhancing Forrester's research and service engagement. Let us know what you think! And while you're thinking, here's...
If you don't go to P-Camp Silicon Valley 2010, slap yourself
Rich Mironov, organizer for the Silicon Valley Product Camp 2010, says that the pre-registration is closed at 960 people. Zounds! The event is still open for any and all product managers and product marketers to attend. In fact, because 960 people have already registered, you definitely should attend. Last year's P-Camp was jam-packed...
How demographics matter in B2B tech adoption
In case you wanted to attend tonight's open house on the demographics of B2B technology adoption, here's a pertinent diagram from a recent publication on the subject. As you can see, when they look for information, two people in the same department—an application developer and an enterprise architect—go to very...
Five Highlights From HP’s Analyst Briefing This Week
By Peter O'Neill I spent a couple of days with HP executives this week here in Boston. As I worked there myself for 20 years (up to 2001, so I have distance as well), I’d like to comment about how their enterprise business strategy now looks. Of course, I wasn’t alone...
Rocket Watcher by April Dunford
How to Run a Better Customer Advisory Council
In the last post I talked about some reasons why you should run an advisory council. Customer advisory councils are more work than they look. Here are some tips on running a better customer advisory board that have worked for me....
8 Reasons to Run a Customer Advisory Council
I've run a few customer advisory councils and I've found them to be really useful both from marketing and a sales perspective. Product feedback is just the beginning. A well-run customer advisory council can be a great source of sales leads, can increase your marketing ROI and improve...
How to Build a More Targeted Startup Pitch
You're pitching your startup to a lot of people including investors, business partners, customers, prospects, media and analysts. It might be tempting to build one pitch and re-use it. Don't do it! Recycling is good for the environment but it's very dangerous for your startup....
Lean startups and hands-on angel investors are changing the startup landscape in Toronto. An article (plus video) I did for CityNews and The Mark News....
Should You Teach Your Customers How to Buy?
Smaller companies I work with are often reluctant to try to influence customer buying criteria. The thinking usually goes that the customer knows what they want and doesn't want to be actively "sold." I don't believe that's the right way to look at it....
13 Ways to Run a Kickass Webinar
When your marketing budget is microscopic, every marketing tactic you run needs to be optimized. Cheap and easy to run, almost every company I work with does webinars but they are often run on autopilot. Here are 13 ideas for getting more out of your webinars....
The Experience is the Product | Better product management and products
Wait Until Your Idea Makes Sense, Then Start Targeting
Talking with your target market is critical to finding product-market fit. (In case anyone thought my earlier post Anybody, As Long As It’s Not You implied otherwise). But I’ve heard “target market” thrown around far too often around as an excuse for why other people didn’t understand your idea. (“Well,...
Customer Development Interviews How-to: Finding People
“OK,” you say, “I’m convinced – I need to talk with potential customers to make sure my startup/product/service idea has potential. But how do I find those people?” Finding People AdWords / Facebook Ads / Tweets. Summarize your idea, invest some money in getting it in front of people who have expressed...
Anybody, As Long As It’s Not You
Question: Who should give you feedback on your early-stage product mockups/demo? a) Your investors b) Your most loyal, early-adopter existing customers c) A demographically-balanced segment of people who have no familiarity with your product d) Anybody, as long as it’s not you OK, sure, there’s probably an “ideal” audience to show your product to. But...
This is the way the product ends This is the way the product ends This is the way the product ends Not with a bang but a whimper (apologies to T.S. Eliot) What happens when it’s time to End of Life a product? Too often, companies just stop fixing bugs, stop answering support emails,...
Simple Stories for Complex Products (A Recipe)
I was talking the other day with a friend of mine who works for a Very Large Enterprise Software Company – one that is probably about as opposite from my job as possible. Nonetheless, we both struggle with how to craft simple, compelling narratives. With his permission, I’m sharing parts...
The Accidental Product Manager
What Does A Product Manager Need To Do At Your Next Industry Show?
As the global economy snaps back, product managers are going to start traveling once again. Where will we be going? One place that we should plan on spending some time will be at industry trade shows (pause for collective groan). No, these are not the most enjoyable things to go...
I’d Like To Buy Some Time With That Product…
Selling Time With Your Product As product managers we are always looking for ways to give our products a unique selling proposition. We add unique features, we drop the price, we try bundling the product with other products, etc. However, maybe we’ve been overlooking the single most important way that we...
How To Tell Your Customer To Stop Using Your Product
AT&T’s iPhone Problem Who among us product managers has not heard about Apple’s iPhone product and its incredible retail success? Currently in the U.S. there is only one wireless service provider on who’s network these highly desirable phones work: AT&T’s. You’d think that that was a good thing from an AT&T...
Product Manager: Is It Time To Create A Catalog For Your Product?
Why Create A Catalog? So here’s a novel thought for you to consider Product Manager: why not create a catalog for your product? Based on a recommendation from a friend, I’ve been reading the book “Catalog Design: Creating Desire” and it has given me a whole new appreciation for catalogs....
AccPM Life Just Got Better For iPhone/Andriod/BB Users
Loyal Readers, It has been brought to my attention that the AccPM blog’s appearance on touch-based smart phones was, shall we say, poor at best. I think that I may have found a way to solve this problem. I’ve installed some new software that should change the AccPM into an iPhone application...
A New Way To Listen To What Your Customers Are Saying About You
A New Way To Create Ads For Your Products Welcome to the world of the 21st Century – there seems to be a new competitor who is trying to win the attention of your customers every day. What’s a product manager to do? The answer lies in getting the message about...
Tyner Blain
Business Goals and Requirements
One of my colleagues got into a debate with one of his colleagues about the differences between goals and requirements. His opponent fired the following salvo: “[That] is not a business requirement in any company of the world…” What you call your requirements is less important than how you communicate them. Labels I’ve worked...
Measuring Great Design – Mad Libs Input Form
I came across a really interesting article LukeW.com, showing how making changes to the way an input form on a website increased interaction by 25 to 40%. The changes reflect the value of thinking outside-in, investing in user experience, and performance measurement. Bonus: the idea is cool. Mad Libs Input Form [full...
You give your requirements to the engineering team, and they look complete. The team builds your product, you launch it and the market soundly rejects it. Why? Because your requirements weren’t complete – they didn’t actually solve the problem that needed to be solved. Complete Requirements – Revisiting Going back almost four...
Most Engaging Articles of 2009
Engagement – that’s what this whole product management blogging thing is about. Check out what Tyner Blain readers found to be the most engaging articles in 2009. Deep Dives If you’re new to Tyner Blain, you may be surprised by the length of the articles here. I joke that they are long...
Why does cross-selling, the process of selling something additional to someone who is already making a purchase, work? This article explores some of the theory and rationale behind cross-selling – from qualification to motivation and profitability. Cross-Selling is Big Business You have an eCommerce site where people purchase products from you. Adding...
Foundation Series: Substitutes and Complements
Do you know about substitute goods and complementary goods? If you’re doing any eCommerce, and are thinking about cross-sell and upsell, you should understand the basics about substitutes and complements. Substitutes You’re considering purchasing a specific product (e.g. a blank compact disc from Memorex). You could consider purchasing an alternate product (e.g....
GrandViewCentral
Portfolio Management Step 2-Identify Selection Criteria
The second step of portfolio management is to identify selection criteria. This step is one of the most critical steps to the process of selecting what you should do out of everything you could do. When presented with any choice we immediately begin to take into consideration our selection criteria....
I believe Communities of Practice could help the product management community at large. Communities of Practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. Three characteristics are crucial: •The domain: A community of practice is...
Linking PMO to the Strategic Plan
This week I attended a PMI chapter meeting/luncheon here in Austin. I couldn’t get twitter working so I feel a little ripped off that I couldn’t discuss what was being presented with anyone while it was being presented. I get a lot of insight from talking with...
Consensus or voting, which one do I use?
A lot of day to day activities within product management are about gathering and analyzing information. Information such as: your products potential market, your company’s strategic direction, competitive intelligence, your company’s capabilities and core competencies, resource availability, market trends, problem statements, business opportunities, requirement and feature status, etc. Most of...
Book Review: Making Innovation Work
Making Innovation Work: How to Manage It, Measure It, and Profit from It by Davila, Epstein, Shelton is a great book. Last year I was working with a client that was trying to incorporate the best practices in this book in his organization. It was an interesting experience, and I learned...
Strategic Roadmaps: New Product Strategy
In a recent webinar on the Product Management View, we had a discussion about Roadmapping. There was a lot of discussion about creating a strategic roadmap. In the product management world, typically this isn’t the type of roadmap product managers are responsible for. A roadmap is often thought of as...
The Productologist
Product Management Reader: 14Dec09
This is probably the last Product Management Reader of the year. Not for sure yet, but probably. To keep you busy through the end of the year, here is an extra wonderful list of stuff to fill your days with. Unless you’ve got something better to do, which I HIGHLY...
Forrester Product Management Open House
Last week (3Dec09), Forrester Research Analyst Tom Grant led a discussion on Agile in Technology and how it pertains to Product Management. I took some copious notes on the discussion and thought I would share them here. Be forewarned, some of this may seem a bit cryptic. I was typing in...
For Those Interested in Social Media
And these days, who isn’t? My company is having a webinar this month covering how to put together a Social Media strategy for your company or organization. If you (or your company) haven’t figured out to monitor and utilize social media channels, then this is a good primer. It will be...
Product Management Reader: 30Nov09
Image by » Zitona « via Flickr A shorter list than usual this time, thanks to the Thanksgiving holiday in the US, but that should in no way diminish the importance of any of the articles listed below. Besides, the list includes a post from April Dunford at Rocket Watcher, and...
I wrote a post back in 2007 [Passion, part 1] that highlighted how products that get users excited benefit from the passion that they generate. One of the companies I commented on was Tivo, one of the pioneers of the DVR and digital time shifting. See my comment in the...
Book Review: Product Manager’s Desk Reference
Product Manager’s Desk Reference by Steven Haines There are books and there are Books, and with 700+ pages, the Product Manager’s Desk Reference (PMDR) definitely falls in the latter category of capital B books. It’s not a book you can throw in your laptop bag to read on the plane...
enthiosys agile product management
Although we’re nearly done with Q1 2010 I thought it was high time to share with our clients and the world the very exciting new journey we have started this year with some changes to the team, vision and structure of Enthiosys......
Apr-9-10: Enthiosys Brings Agile Product Roadmapping to the Research Triangle
April 9, 2010 Cary, NC Embassy Suites Raleigh-Durham/Research Triangle Register: enthiosysroadmapping.eventbrite.com In fast-moving environments, product development teams can get lost in the gulf that often exists between strategic roadmaps, technical roadmaps and detailed project workplans......
Apr-6-7-10: Innovation Games Practitioner Course Comes to NYC
Manhattan, NY Venue TBD Register: http://innovationgamesnyny.eventbrite.com Join Luke Hohmann for our two-day Innovation Games Practitioner course, designed for people who want to integrate Innovation Games® into their market research, Voice of the Customer, Product Development, and Customer Collaboration initiatives......
Bellevue, WA Civic Office Commons, 225 108th Ave NE Register Join Luke Hohmann and Mitch Lacey for the Certified Scrum Product Owner Course, a two-day class which introduces the concepts of agile product management using the Scrum methodology. Why does this matter? The 2003 Standish Chaos study showed that 43% of all IT...
Mar-17-18-10: Innovation Games at Confluence 2010
Confluence 2010 Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, CA Confluence 2010 will feature a novel and ground-breaking methodology called Innovation Games® to help attendees better understand their planning processes and provide a springboard for improving them......
Mar-11-10: Luke Hohmann Brings Innovation Games to Amsterdam
March 11, 2010, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Xebia Office Utrechtseweg 49, 1213 TL, Hilversum, Netherlands www.xebia.com/InnovationGames Innovation Games® training conducted by Luke Hohmann You’ll learn what each game will accomplish, why it works, and how to play it with customers......
ProductMarketing.com
This is what makes productCamp great. Come to a pCamp and before you know it, you're a volunteer or a speaker. pCamps are about people connecting with people, about sharing your experience, not selling a product. Lots of pCamps coming up--hope to see you at one soon. Go to http://www.pragmaticmarketing.com/about/industry-events...
ProductCamp Austin Spring 2010
Pragmatic Marketing is pleased to sponsor another productCamp, Austin's 4th session, on March 27. Read Paul Young's blog post at http://www.productbeautiful.com/2010/03/11/productcamp-austin-spring-2010/ More info at http://www.barcamp.org/ProductCampAustinSpring2010 Register at http://productcampaustin0327.eventbrite.com/ Posted via email from Steve Johnson on product management...
Friday fun: getting the names right
This reads, "Do you have any money? Let's talk about how much we want your money." But it could read, "Dear James, this is the information that we have on file for you. Click here to update your info." I'd be glad to update my info but I'm not gonna...
http://www.pcampchicago.org/ Another great pCamp opportunity is online. Chicago pCamp. (no date set yet) Welcome to Chicago’s very first ProductCamp! ProductCamps have been a hit in Silicon Valley, Austin, Toronto, Boston, Raleigh, Minneapolis, Atlanta, New York, Seattle and Amsterdam, so we thought it was high time we had one in Chicago....
ICON and distribution strategy
In the past, discussions about distribution strategy always focused on channel. That is, how to get the product from the factory through the channel to the customer. But nowadays distribution means that we need to explore also the best way to deliver, maintain, and use the product. Should we sell...
Friday fun: getting the names right
It warms your heart to receive a nicely customized email... like this: Unk and his wife Mrs Unk are likely to question this "personal" approach used by the WSJ....
Effectivus Product Management
An effectivus view on seven pricing strategies Related posts:Get Lucky Rotten to the core? An Application for Professor of Bubble-Bursting ...
Old time memories for old time digital artists Related posts:Matador client list boujou ...
Why the benefits of innovation are not necessarily enough to overcome the barriers to adoption Related posts:A (very) long adoption curve The future of 3D TV Sketching User Experiences ...
A review of Malcolm Gladwell’s book Related posts:Management Science or just Superstition? Get Lucky The art of writing very little ...
Researching new product markets
The bubble popping continues; why market research is so important, but so inexact. Related posts:lectures What is a product specification? Hippocratic Oath for Product Managers ...
A review of Bill Buxton's book Related posts:Adhocism: power to the people Make the tough stuff look simple The Danger of the Engineer who Can ...
The Cranky Product Manager
The Cranky PM on “Been There, Done That”
The following cartoon has been shamelessly republished from Shreyas Doshi’s excellent “How to Get that Next PM Job” presentation to the Silicon Valley Product Management Association. Many years ago, during her first month at DysfunctoSoft, the Cranky Product Manager had this EXACT argument with the Engineering Manager for DysfunctoCrank: It was...
Cranky Tweets for the Week Ending 2010-03-02
Big company meeting at DysfunctoSoft. Per usual, #prodmgmt is asking 85% of all the questions to the CEO. # the Cranky PM's Worst Positioning Statement has been out-done by @matthewglidden. http://tinyurl.com/yc4nqe5 #prodmgmt #prodmktg # The Worst Positioning Stmt is trumped AGAIN! http://crankypm.com/2010/02/prototype-worst-positioning-statement/#comment-4140. #prodmgmt # Hey, don't be a "take-take-taker" all the frakin'...
Cranky Tweets for the Week Ending 2010-02-23
Why does DysfunctoSoft have these post-release retrospectives when it NEVER takes action on any of the feedback? #prodmgmt # Nice rvw of Steve Haines's Product manager Desktop Reference in March JPIM (Journal Prod Innovation Mgmt). #prodmgmt # Everyone Cranky PM has met from IIT (India Inst Tech) has dropped the "I"...
A Prototype for the Worst Positioning Statement Ever
In the last post, the Cranky Product Manager mocked Crypto-Descriptions of companies and products. Microsoft and Oracle were the targets of her crank-osity. She’s sure you loved it, because after all, who doesn’t love a good public bashing of Bill’s and Larry’s spawn? Anyway, inspired by the ensuing discussion, the Cranky...
Cranky Tweets for the Week Ending 2010-02-16
Travaeling again… Every Embassy Suites has that same mildewy smell in the lobby/atrium. Gak. # Stop whining, shut up & reg for P-Camp Silicon Valley, already! & vote for sessions too! http://tinyurl.com/ykxaok3 #prodmgmt # Jr. PM, where do you think you are, at P&G? Do your own market research! With...
Cranky Tweets for the Week Ending 2010-02-09
HOW could Star Trek not be up for Best Picture?!? INJUSTICE! # Ugh, how embarassing. Meeting with a customer, knocked over my purse, and out tumbles Elmo underpants. #workingmom # Argh. Product look/feel is being redesigned b/c CTO doesn't like colors! 2 weeks from release! From a man whose clothes never...
Lead on Purpose
In many careers, applause and acknowledgment are awarded soon after success happens. CEOs are praised for their vision. Top salespeople are rewarded with high commissions. Innovative engineers are recognized for their inventions. The rewards for applied skill and hard work come quickly after the work is complete. Then there’s product management… — The...
How do you effectively develop trust in your organization? Trust is built over time as you follow through with the promises you make. Your credibility — the quality or power of inspiring belief — grows in much the same way. The principles of trust and credibility are tightly linked and build...
Everyone wants to succeed, but where does success start? We all have a deep desire to move forward and see our dream become reality, but how do we make it happen? The venerable “Dean of Personal Development,” Earl Nightingale, put it in these terms: “Success can be defined as the progressive realization...
This evening I had the opportunity to listen to a speaker who had just returned from a humanitarian service trip to Haiti. He told amazing stories about the trip, including heart-wrenching accounts of the devastation caused by the recent earthquake. He spoke about the director who organized the trip and...
Leaders at successful companies focus significant time and resources to hire the right people. The money and effort they spend pays big dividends as the company progresses and matures. The companies that excel at hiring the right people seem to take this one step further: at all levels the leaders...
“How we go about doing the things we choose to do or are called upon to do is what makes a leader the right leader.” In his book The Right Leader: Selecting Executives Who Fit, author Nat Stoddard (with help from Claire Wyckoff) investigates the complex topic of assuring smooth executive transitions, with...
On Product Management
The Origins of Product Management (part 3)
[NOTE: Click for Part 1 and Part 2] The Jan/Feb 1991 issue of the Harvard Business Review included an article by technology marketing guru Regis McKenna entitled “Marketing is Everything”. In the article, he described the changes that technology was bringing to the marketing profession. [Note: emphasis on specific words in the...
P-Camp Silicon Valley is live and in progress. There’s an awesome turnout. Ask yourself: why am I not there? Filed under: Product Management ...
Michael Papanek on Resilient Relationships and Product Management
How much does your success rely on good relationships? And how good are your relationships? In my experience,relationships can make or break a person, and I think that the quality of our relationships is overlooked when we consider the success of our product lines. My friend and colleague Michael Papanek has developed...
What do the following all have in common? Silicon Valley California Sydney Australia Austin Texas Boston Massachusetts Research Triangle Park North Carolina Chicago Illinois Berlin Germany and possibly Toronto Canada All of these locations are planning ProductCamps over the next few months. This weekend, several hundred individuals are expected at Yahoo’s head quarters in Sunnyvale CA for...
The Origins of Product Management (part 2)
NOTE: Part 1 can be found here. The high technology industry, and in particular, the software industry is much younger than the Consumer Packaged Goods industry. And the role of brand or product management in high-tech and software is even younger still. Certainly one of the earliest software companies to apply “brand...
“Shop Talk” Q&A with PM Leaders features Alan Armstrong
If you haven’t yet checked out Red Canary, I encourage you to take a look. The site is produced by the executive search team at the Laudi Group, and features a regular hum of interesting news and opinions that have garnered significant readership since the site’s launch about 3ish years ago....
Product Beautiful: Building Product Management by Paul Young
ProductCamp Austin Spring 2010
ProductCamp Austin is back! If in Austin on March 27 we would love for you to join us for Austin's 4th ProductCamp....
By now, many of you have been to ProductCamps in or around your city. The ProductCamp brand has exploded – there have now been ProductCamps in well over a dozen U.S. cities, at least 3 countries, and 2 continents! ProductCamp is an exciting, fun event that everyone should participate in,...
ProductCamp Wrap-up, and Introducing ProductPotluck!
ProductCamp has been a great success. Now, to extend that experience between camps, we are introducing a new mini-version of ProductCamp called ProductPotluck....
ProductCamp Austin Summer 2009
ProductCamp, the free unconference for marketing and product management, is teaming with the McCombs School of Business to return to Austin for its Summer edition! ProductCamp is a must-go event for marketing and product management professionals. ProductCamp is a free, collaborative, gathering for interesting, smart people to network and learn...
Your Platform From a Developer’s POV
There is a very cool article written by a application developer for Blackberry online named Marcus Watkins at VersatileMonkey. It is great because you get a window into the mind of both a developer and a startup company as they determine what platforms to develop for, what feature sets to...
Turning your product into a platform is en vogue. From salesforce.com, to the Apple iTunes App Store, to Valve's Steam, many companies are attempting to open the architecture of their product to the World in the hopes of building the critical mass that becoming a platform provides. Let's explore...
Software Product Manager by Gopal Shenoy
Products/features don’t ship with inventor’s name tag
All products ship with one label – your brand label – IBM, Microsoft Office, HP Pavilion, whatever your company’s brand name is. That is all what your customer gets to see. No product/feature ships with the name of the person who came up with the idea. So it “was my...
This week, I started my new job as Director of Product Management at Gazelle.com (aka Second Rotation Inc.) What do we do at Gazelle? We allow consumers to get cash for their used electronic gadgets such as cell phones, GPS, laptops, camcorders, MP3 players and even ebook readers. You can find out...
4 lessons from Massachusetts Senatorial election
The results of the Massachusetts senatorial election this week to elect the replacement for the senate seat held by Ted Kennedy shocked the entire nation. A Republican named Scott Brown who not many people had heard about about as recently as a month back won the seat convincingly in a...
Communications – RASCI approach
I am currently reading the book Art of Scalability by Marty Abbott and Michael Fisher, both of them ex-eBay executives. An approach they have described to make sure the entire product development team stays on top of things caught my attention. The model they recommend to use is called the...
Donations for Haiti earthquake victims
Sincere request to all readers of this blog : Unconfirmed reports in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake put the death toll at 50,000 and the suspicion is that 100,000 may have perished. The earthquake has affected more than 1 million people. This makes this earthquake a disaster of epic proportions. I...
Software product manager’s first 45-90 days at a new job ….
This is a continuation of my previous blog post of Software product manager’s first 30 days at a new job ….. Now that you are already settled into your new job and the first 45 days have gone by. You have done everything that was listed on the 30 day checklist. You...
Write That Down
There is an open house tomorrow at Forrester being hosted by Tom Grant of the Heretech fame. It starts at 5:30pm, and is happening in order to host lively discussion on, what else, product management and product marketing issues. Specifically for this first session, there will be a focus on how...
I found this fascinating quote today: If you look at our portfolio, you’ll see quite a few startups created by young visionaries and quite a few startups created by serial entrepreneurs who are swinging for the fences. There isn’t much else to be honest.avc.com, A VC, Oct 2009 You should read the...
Competitive Analysis – Gathering Marketing Data
The last component I’ll discuss of the competitive analysis process is culling marketing and sales collateral from your list of identified competitors. Why do this? You want to be acquainted with what they are putting out there. It should give you a sense of how their products are being positioned (however poorly...
Competitive Analysis Series – Pricing
One of the regular questions I (and I’m sure others) face when it comes to competitive analysis is, “what are they charging?” This is an especially tricky question to answer accurately. I’ve gone about this in a couple of different ways – obviously, when you are dealing with B2C companies that publicize...
How I missed this one yesterday I don’t know. But whatever you do, be sure to read through Fred Wilson’s post Ten Characteristics of Great Companies. Awesome stuff, and well worth the time to check out....
Competitive Analysis Series – Positioning
One of the key take-aways from a competitive analysis exercise is how you end-up positioning your product (and your organization) against those competitors. Especially early on in a product’s lifecycle, this is crucial. When you have executives out there talking up what you’re doing, the last thing you want is...
ZIGZAG Marketing - Tips & Articles
Product Management - The Conscience of Every Product Company
It’s not a dirty job, but someone has to do it!...
The #1 Reason Sales Cycles Stall After a Demo
The short answer is most product companies don't understand the real reasons buyers are evaluating their products....
Top 3 Culprits of Under-Performing Products
Any number of factors can contribute to under-performing products, but the root causes are usually tied to a combination of......
What's the Product Management IQ of Your Organization?
The Product Management IQ (PMIQ) of your organization refers to the cross-organizational discipline required to be a market driven product company, not......
Product Management's Role in Creating a Culture of Innovation
Every company needs to innovate. Innovation is not just about developing new products or services; it's about process improvements, greater......