Lessons In Product Management
By Path2Product
Lessons In Product ManagementFeb 22, 2021
Navigating Layoffs - Advice from a Director of Product
This is a crazy and turbulent time in Tech. Companies are hitting financial hard times or restructuring as the economy is forcing extreme prioritization of resources. If you find yourself on the unfortunate end of these layoffs, I have someone on the show who has been through several and helped several others through this process. Don't miss the great advice on this week's episode of Lessons in Product Management!
Pricing - What You Wish You Knew - with Dan Balcauski
Dan Balcauski is a pricing expert and dropped by the pod to share key insights, hot takes, and practical advice for product teams and leaders to help unpack the pricing process, key variables, and mistakes to avoid.
Show notes:
0:00-0:30 - Episode Intro
0:30-1:55 - Dan’s Intro/Background
1:55-4:55 - From Engineer to Pricing Guru
4:55-6:42 - Biggest Pricing Pitfall
6:42-19:00 - Segmentation Myths and Realities
19:00-21:00 - defining value (3 Types)
21:00-26:35 - The Value Cascade
26:35-36:45 - How customers shape pricing
36:45-43:00 - Willingness to pay (WTP) (40:12)
43:00-47:30 - Pricing in B2B
47:30-56:50 - Freemium Good or Bad?
56:50-57:48 - Contact Dan
57:48-58:02 - Outro
What's Missing In Prioritization Frameworks?
There are great frameworks for prioritizing features, but what if prioritizing features isn't the right approach? We dig into why opportunity costs are the most underrated variables in prioritizing Product decisions.
If you're looking to get into product management, come join us at Path2Product to gain the hands-on PM experience you need to land your first product role.
0:00-4:20 - Episode Intro
4:20-6:54 Opportunity Cost in Action
6:54-8:50 - Economics in Product Management?
8:50-17:52 - NFL Draft Example
5 Key Elements of Successful Product Launches with Derek Osgood - Founder and CEO of Ignition
This week's lesson in product management is brought to you by Derek Osgood, Founder and CEO of Ignition. If your product launches are less than ideal, you should listen to what Derek has to say. Even if you're launches go well, there are great tips on how to optimization the success of your launches.
0:00-0:32 - Podcast intro
0:32-2:30 - Derek’s Intro
2:30-4:15 - Who is Ignition for?
4:15-4:40 - Where to find Ignition
4:40-8:40 - The PM/PMM Disconnect
8:40-10:23 - Aligning PM/PMM Teams
10:23-13:10 - Overlooked aspects of product launches
13:10-18:30 - Why Run Betas in B2B?
18:30-21:20 - How to price your new product?
21:20-24:00 - The future of software for PMs and PMMs
24:00-25:00 - Podcast Outro
If you want to connect with Derek, shoot him a request on LinkedIn
If you want to check out Ignition, go to their site
If you're looking to get into product management, get your hands dirty and gain real experience on Path2Product
Product Management Essentials - Part 3 - Drafting Product Strategy
As you wrap up the last 30 days of your 30, 60, 90-day onboarding, it's time to start drafting strategy. In this episode I break down how to do that with a simple framework and how to shrink the timeline if you don't have 90 days to get it done in a new position.
Here's the episode with Randal Whitmore
Here's the link to the product strategy development course on YouTube
When ideation is a waste of time
Many answers to the question of "why do you want to be a product manager" have some variation of "ideation." While ideation and solutioning are definitely part of product management, it's by far NOT the most important thing to get right.
If you're looking to get into product management, join us at Path2Product to streamline your path to product management
When should you respond to competitive pressure?
Story time - your competitor launched a feature. They’re making a bunch of noise on all the social channels. An influencers Tie Tok of the new thing went viral. Your execs are screaming that you need to respond.
As the Product Manager, what do you do?
That's exactly the scenario we'll unpack on this week's lesson in product management.
PM hiring is broken and how to fix it with Andrew Bowker, Senior Product Manager @ IBM
Andrew and I both had non-traditional paths into product management, and we've both experienced and seen how broken the talent acquisition process is for aspiring PMs. On this episode, you'll hear a passionate discussion of what problems we've noticed and some fun banter on how we'd fix the problem.
How To Product Manage Expansion Into New Markets with Luke and Jakub, PMs at GetResponse
On this episode of Lessons in Product Management, I sat down with Luke and Jakub from GetResponse as they shared their experiences launching products into new markets, what it takes to do it successfully, how to test into it, and how partnerships can be great and complicated at the same time.
Product Manager Anti-Patterns (Ego) w/ Eva Beasley, Product Manager at UIPath
On today's episode, Eva Beasley shares her experience before and after getting into Product Management. One of the things she noticed about some of the PMs she interacted with was an anti-pattern that needed to be addressed, so we did so here.
If you're looking to get into Product Management, join us on Path2Product where we're bridging the gap in product management experience for aspiring PMs.
Episode Notes:
0:00-1:30 - Eva Beasley Intro
1:30-2:36 - Eva’s Role at UI Path
2:36-6:15 - Eva’s Path to Product
6:15-12:28 - Anti-Patterns of Good Product Management
12:28-15:00 - Finding Good Mentors and Help
15:00-18:10 - Leading Up and How Ego Hinders It
Path to Product Leadership w/ Eric Perkins - Director of Product @ Entrata
Eric Perkins is the Director of Product at Entrata. And as Eric describes his career, it feels like he has a rocket attached to his back. In this discussion, Eric and I talk through how he got into product management, how he quickly rose into a leadership role, and what he's learned along the way.
Connect with Eric and follow him on Medium: https://medium.com/@ericsperkins
Join us at @Path 2 Product on Path2Product to accelerate your own path to product, mentor aspiring PMs, or find highly talented, Jr. Product Talent
0:00-1:35 - Episode Intro
1:35-9:43 - Eric’s Path to Product
9:43-12:52 - The tactics of transition
12:52-19:00 - Early Lessons Learned
19:00-21:30 - Helping empower product managers
21:30-25:00 - Advice To Senior PMs
25:00-27:15 - Advice to New PMs
27:15-29:15 - Eric’s Learning Resource Recommendations
29:15-29:46 - Connect with Eric
29:46-30:22 - Eric Outro
Solving Product Growth w/ Etienne Garbugli - Founder & CEO of Lean B2B
On today's episode, I had the immense pleasure of speaking with Etienne Garbugli, Founder & CEO of Lean B2B and Author of Lean B2B, Solving Product, and Find Your Market.
Etienne is a brilliant product thinker and author with a varied and diverse background, all in and around product management. Etienne joined me to shed light on the Growth section of his book, Solving Product. He answered some of my questions, clarified my understanding, and dropped knowledge bombs the entire episode. Enjoy!
Connect with Etienne on LinkedIn
5 Immutable Truths of Great Product Management
On today's episode, we have JJ Rorie, CEO of Great Product Management and Author of 5 Immutable Truths of Great Product Management, and you're in for a treat! Don't miss out on this great episode as we dive deep into building high customer intelligence, the first Immutable Truth of Great Product Management
If you're looking to land your first job as a product manager, join us at Path2Product to streamline your path to product management
ML's Impact on Product Management Careers w/ Gopal Erinjippurath
On today's episode, we have Gopal Erinjippurath, Founder, CTO, and Head of Product at Sust Global. Gopal and I talked about:
- His product career
- The lifecycle of AI/ML
- Best use cases for Data Science and ML in products
- And how ML might impact your career in product management
Connect with Gopal on LinkedIn
Building Strong Product Team Dynamics w/ Nico
Nico joined the show to share his advice and experience on building strong product team relationships.
If you're looking to get into product management, you'll need experience. Start gaining tangible product manager experience today on your Path2Product
0:00-0:52 - Episode Intro
0:52-2:08 - Introducing Nico
2:08-4:20 - Defining Team Building
4:20-11:08 - Gaining Team Alignment
11:08-15:55 - Diversity of Thought
15:55-18:20 - Small Steps To Building Relationships
18:20-19:04 - Outro
Transitioning Intro Product Management w/ Larry Imgrund - Product Manager at Khoros
Making the transition into product management can be hard. Larry Imgrund shares how he did it, and he offers advice for anyone looking to get into Product or anyone who has recently made that transition.
If you're looking to get into product management, join us at Path2Product to start gaining the experience you need to land your first PM job: Path2Product
User-Driven Roadmaps w/ Matt Young - CEO of UserVoice
Should users or customers drive your roadmap decisions? The answer is yes AND no. Like everything in product management, it depends... and Matt and I dive deep into the topic.
If you want to get into product management, join us at Path2Product to get the experience and visibility you need to land your first product job.
Check out UserVoice and start collecting more robust and actionable customer feedback today
Essentials of Product Management Part 2 - Customer and Market Research
On this episode, we get "out of the building" to start learning about our customers and the markets we serve and want to serve. After understanding your business, objectives, and strategy, this is the next step before being ready enough to start mapping out a strategic direction for your team or organization.
If you're looking to get into product management, join us at Path2Product where you'll get the training and hands-on experience you need to streamline your path into product management.
Product Management Essentials - Part 1 - Business Acumen
Getting back to the basics of product management, my goal in this multi-part series is to demystify product management for new and aspiring product managers.
If you're looking to break into product management, join us at Path2Product where you'll gain the experience you need to land your first product management job.
Never Assume - Cross Over Episode w/ JJ Rorie CEO of Great Product Management and Host of the Product Voices Podcast - Part 2
On this cross-over episode, I joined JJ Rorie's Product Voices Podcast to share the last 5 chapters of my book, Never Assume - Ten Fatal Assumptions Great PMs Never Make
Be sure to subscribe to the Product Voices Podcast and follow JJ on Twitter at her handle above.
If you're looking to get into product management, come join us at Path2Product
If you're an experienced PM interested in helping provide feedback on the portfolio projects of aspiring PMs, please join us at Path2Product
Never Assume Crossover Episode w/ JJ Rorie, CEO of Great Product Management and Host of the Product Voices Podcast - Part 1
On this cross-over episode, I joined JJ Rorie's Product Voices Podcast to share the first 5 chapters of my book, Never Assume - Ten Fatal Assumptions Great PMs Never Make
Be sure to subscribe to the Product Voices Podcast and follow JJ on Twitter at her handle above.
If you're looking to get into product management, come join us at Path2Product
If you're an experienced PM interested in helping provide feedback on the portfolio projects of aspiring PMs, please join us at Path2Product
How To Become A More Technical Product Manager with Irene Yu - Founder and CEO of Skiplevel
So, today, I’m really excited for you to hear this conversation, because I have Irene Yu, Founder of Skiplevel, joining me to talk about how to become technical as a product manager. Irene was formally a developer at Amazon where she uncovered a pretty big problem that Skiplevel is helping to tackle.
Join Skip Level: Skiplevel Course
Follow Skip Level on Twitter: Skiplevel Twitter
Follow on LinkedIn Skiplevel LinkedIn
Product Manager Symptoms and Effects of Ego with Tony Poon - Chief Product Officer at R-Zero
On today's episode, we have the pleasure of learning from Tony Poon, Chief Product Officer at R-Zero. We tackle the difficult topic of ego, where it comes from, what the symptoms are, and what the effects of ego come to be.
To connect with Tony, request to connect on LinkedIn
If you're an aspiring PM, check out Path2Product to help you on your journey by building product management experience and a product portfolio to prove it
Why Great Product Managers Never Argue
- Great PMs are like sponges, they soak in info from anywhere
- We can’t assume we’re always right, we don’t have all information, and the info we have is not always perfect or correct
- We need allies - we can’t ship successful products on our own
However:
- We should have an opinion - we just don’t always have to express it in an argumentative fashion
- This doesn’t mean we say yes to everything - we can’t be order takers
- So, if we can’t say yes, then how do we say no… we don’t - the best way to not say yes is to ask questions
- Ask for clarification
- Ask for context
- Ask for data
It’s pointless to argue as a product manager. We have zero power, and we need allies across our company in order for our team’s work to be successful.
Next time you get tempted to argue, remember those six tips:
- Always accept and encourage feedback and counter-opinions
- Never assume you’re always correct - we rarely are
- You need allies, so don’t alienate them
- You should have an opinion but be tactful in expressing it
- Don’t say yes to everything
- But don’t say no to anything. Use questions to put the ball back in the court of the requestor
I hope these tips are helpful as you go about your week, and I’ll see you next week for another lesson in product management.
If you're looking to get into product management, love helping aspiring PMs, or looking for Jr. PM talent, come join the Path2Product Marketplace Beta:
Sign Up For Path2Product Beta
Getting Into Product Management Part 2 - Practice
You need experience to land a product job, but how do you get it? In this episode, I unpack two feasible ways of gaining and documenting tangible experience to help create your own path to product.
Check out our blog series on Path2Product:
Getting Into Product Management - Part 1 - Learn
There is no easy path into product management, but there are 4 simple steps to get you there. We cover step 1 in today's lesson in product management, and it's all about learning first. Before you can do the job, you need to learn what the job entails and how to execute different skills within it. In today's episode, I share some free and inexpensive places to acquire the knowledge you'll need as a foundation for your path to product management.
Subscribe to the Path 2 Product YouTube Channel to see the video and get other exclusive content
Follow me on Twitter @productfont
Powerful Ideation for Better Decision-Making Part 2 - Group Ideation
In this episode, I share 3 tactics for making better decisions in a group setting. Help your team and your organization take your decision-making capabilities to the next level. Your company and your customers will thank you.
Subscribe to the Path2Product YouTube channel for free product management courses and exclusive video content
Powerful Ideation for Better Decision-Making - Part 1 - Individual Decisions
There's no shortage of debate as to whether individual or group ideation yields better results. We're not going to take sides. What we're going to do is explore how to make better decisions by generating better ideas, regardless of the setting you're in. In Part 1, we examine a few ways you can increase your decision success rate by generating better ideas.
For more and exclusive video content, subscribe to the Path2Product YouTube channel
3 Tips for Greater Feature Adoption
Most features never get adopted, and I'm betting these three tips will help shift your success ratio upward.
Be sure to rate and review the podcast!
Subscribe to the Path2Product YouTube Channel for exclusive video content.
How To Hack The MBA - And Do You Even Need One?!
I get asked a lot about whether aspiring PMs need an MBA to land a Product Management job. The simple answer is no. But we dive into the nuance of why MBAs are valuable.
Here's the YouTube Video where we dive into how to go about hacking the MBA and some cost-effective MBA options
Establishing and Maintaining Alignment with Jonathon Hensley - Co-Founder and CEO @ Emerge Interactive and Author of Alignment - Overcoming Internal Sabotage and Product Failure
Today’s Lesson in Product Management comes from Jonathon Hensley, Co-Founder and CEO of Emerge Interactive and Author of Alignment: Overcoming Internal Sabotage and Product Failure. When I first heard about Jonathon’s book, I ordered it immediately. Alignment is one of the hardest parts of my job as a product manager, and I’ve enjoyed putting his advice and frameworks into practice. In this conversation you’ll get to hear the origin story that drove Jonathon to write the book, how to build the foundations of alignment in your own company, and the pitfalls that you should be aware of as you do. And Be sure to grab the link to Jonathon’s book in the show notes before you close the podcast app.
Here's what we discussed:
1:18 Johnathon's Introduction
2:24 Origin story of Alignment
4:34 How Jonathon defines Alignment
6:45 The importance and definition of vision
8:35 How to build the foundation of alignment
11:05 Three themes of the book: Assumptions, Communication, and Strategy
13:24 The difference between reality and truth
17:30 The danger of the “fail fast fail often” mantra
19:57 The pillars of good strategy
25:08 Product Management hack to get unique customer insights
30:45 The four levels of alignment
32:00 Where alignment falls apart
38:30 The impact of written communication and documentation
43:00 Grab Jonathon’s book Alignment: Overcoming Internal Sabotage and Product Failure
Grab a copy of Alignment on Amazon
Connect with Jonathan and Emerge Interactive
MVP vs MTP - Change The Narrative!
It’s funny how first releases have become synonymous with MVPs, but how many first releases have you seen that are able to stand on their own and sustain a business? In the early days it’s about testing and learning. You want Minimum TESTABLE Products
If you wait until you have something you think is a fully coded up MVP with what you believe to be the features that make the product minimally viable, you’re almost guaranteed to be wrong.
You can support the podcast for .99 a month by clicking the link below, and for exclusive video content, be sure to subscribe on our Path2Product YouTube Channel
Measuring Customer Sentiment feat. Pranav Desai - Chief Product Officer at Reputation
On today’s episode you’ll hear from Pranav Desai, Chief Product Officer at Reputation. We covered a ton of ground in the thirty minutes or so we talked, so don’t feel bad if you have to listen twice to take it all in. You’ll hear us talk about:
- Why one customer’s feedback isn’t the end all be all for decision making
- Why Product should own voice of the customer
- How to balance quantitative data with qualitative.
- How to distinguish between signals and noise
And so much more.
Be sure to subscribe to the Path2Product YouTube Channel for exclusive video content
Product Management vs Marketing with Brian Yam - Head of Marketing @ Paragon
There's an age-old debate about what's more important, a good product or great marketing? Brian Yam, Head of Marketing at Paragon, and I look to settle that debate. The answer might surprise you.
Subscribe to the Path 2 Product YouTube Channel for exclusive video content and downloadable resources.
Shipping Viable Products? What Does That Even Mean?!
You hear product people talk about feasibility, usability, and viability all the time as the three core variables product managers should care about. The typical definition of viability looks a lot like ROI, but today we challenge that narrow view of viability and expand the definition.
Follow us on the Path2Product YouTube Channel for more content and access to the slides!
There's A Problem With OKRs
OKRs are great, but they are NOT a replacement for strategy. To find the slides and subscribe, go to the Path2Product YouTube Channel
The Difference Between Strategic Analysis and Strategy Development
On today's episode, we discuss the difference between doing strategic analysis and developing strategy. Too many people conflate and confuse the two things as one, but they are not.
If you want a deep dive into what product strategy development actually looks like, check out the free course on our YouTube Channel
When to quit and when to persevere - feat. John Garratt, Product Manager @ Therapixel
Welcome back to Lessons in Product Management. I’m your host, John Fontenot, and today we have a bit of a different episode, but it’s soooo relevant. With the pandemic, working from home, and Zoom fatigue, our jobs are hard enough but how do you know when it’s time to call it quits? John Garret, Product Manager at Therapixel, and I talk through all of this and more.
For free product management courses, join us on the Path 2 Product YouTube Channel!
How Product Strategy Works With Product Discovery, featuring Henry Latham - Founder and CEO of ProdMBA
As we wrap up season 4 of Lessons in Product Management, we’re going to hear from Henry Latham, Founder and CEO of ProdMBA. Before starting ProdMBA, Henry served in UX and Product leadership roles for a variety of companies and has taken his experience and used it to produce a great book, “Product Leadership Starts With You,” as well as launch ProdMBA to fast track your career from PM to head of product. On this episode Henry and I break down product strategy and how it works in conjunction with product discovery. We’ve looked at product discovery from so many angels this season, and I’m excited to wrap it up with Henry and discuss one of my favorite topics, product strategy.
If you're an aspiring PM, join us at Path2Product for free product management resources, courses, and a chance to gain hands-on experience and build a portfolio project to help you get hired!
Startup vs Enterprise - Lessons in Product Discovery featuring Taylor Heyman - PM @ Lendio
Welcome back to Lessons in Product Management. it is November 22nd, 2021, and today we are chatting with Taylor Heyman, Product Manager at Lendio. Yes, we are co-workers, but I learned a lot about Taylor and his career in product that I didn’t know before this discussion. You see, Taylor’s PM career started in startups but how he get his start might surprise you.
Taylor’s shares his unique experience running discovery in startups and what he learned from those experiences and how to balance the need for discovery with the need to deliver value, while keeping in mind the law of unintended consequences.
For free product management resources and courses, exclusive content and AMAs, and a great community... join us at Path2Product
Why Great Product Leaders Create Space For Product Discovery featuring Elena Leonova - VP of Product @ BigCommerce
On today’s episode, I sat down with Elena Leonova, VP of Product at BigCommerce. With a decade of product management experience, I really wanted to get Elena’s take on Product Discovery and how it’s perceived from a product leadership point of view
We discussed how Elena got into Product by accidentally taking a Business Analyst role. And after reading Marty Cagan and getting inspired, Elena decided she’d make a pivot from BA to PM. Now as a product leader, Elena works to create space for her PMs to focus on the important work of product discovery. We talked through what discovery is, why we should do it, and what gets in the way.
Join our community at Path2Product for networking, free product management courses, and exclusive content!
Creating Organizational Alignment Through Discovery - Featuring Duy "Duhwee" Pham - Product Manager @ HREasily
On today’s episode we get to hear from Duy Pham, Product Manager at HREasily. We’ll hear about Duy’s really interesting path into product, how to create organizational alignment through discovery, and the 4 quadrants of discovery that need to be considered to get a holistic picture of your customer and the market at large.
Join our Path2Product community for free courses, exclusive content, and great product people to network with
A Growth PM's Perspective On Discovery w/ Austin Yang - Sr. Product Manager @ Landbot
On today's episode, we get to learn from Austin Yang, Sr. PM at Landbot. Austin shared his journey from SDR to Sr. PM, his perspective on discovery, and the differences he's seen in Discovery between being a Core PM vs a Growth PM.
Join our Product Management community at Path2Product where you get access to free resources, courses, and exclusive content and AMAs. If you're an Aspiring PM, the courses will give you the hands on experience you need to land your first PM role.
Using Customer Discovery for Market Validation featuring Jaudat Ali - Product Manager @ Toggl Track
For free Product Management training, join us at Path2Product
On today's episode, we get to hear from Jaudat Ali. Jaudat started as a startup founder before turning to PM, and now he works at Toggl Track as a Product Manager
One of my favorite quotes from this conversation is: “You can’t understand customer problems unless you talk to them.”
And we talk a little bit about how to get product management experience before you have the job.
Balancing customer discovery and market discovery w/ Jon Gatrell - Chief Product Officer @ Loren Data Corp
Jon shared a ton of great insights about discovery. Here are just a few of the points covered in this episode:
- The core skill to develop for discovery
- Using discovery to identify and enter new markets
- Balancing customer discovery w/ market discovery
- Build for markets, not for customers
- You’re not following the scientific method if you start with a hypothesis. You have to start with an observation. Hypotheses are only legit if they’re driven from an observation
- You can’t be emotionally attached to ideas. Invalidating hypotheses early is just as valuable as building good ideas
- Why “using data” is such a convoluted term
- Just because you found a pattern in data, it doesn’t mean you know why it exists or what to do about it
- You can’t have an ego as a PM, and you can’t take ego into discovery and expect to be successful
- How to successfully involve developers in the discovery process
If you're looking for free Product Management resources or have aspirations of becoming a Product Manager, join our free community and sign up for one of our free courses at Path2Product
Diverse input makes for great product discovery w/ Courtney Arnott - Sr. PM @ Casted
On today's episode, Courtney shares how she got into Product and how her love for discovery started in her career before she got into Product. We talked a lot about diverse inputs, and we talked about what good discovery is NOT. Enjoy!
Season 4 Intro: Discovery!
I would argue that Discovery is the MOST important part of product management, so I'm devoting a whole season to it. Let's go!
Communicating Product Strategy
How often do I need to remind stakeholders about the product strategy? Can my product strategy be changed or tweaked based on market and customers needs? These are great questions I was asked recently in the Path2Product Community after one of our members finished the Product Strategy Development Course so I figured I'd share my answer with the entire Lessons in Product Management audience.
30, 60, 90 Day PM Onboarding Best Practices
Starting fast in your career or at a new company require you to know where to start. Join me in this episode to learn best practices on how to approach your first 30, 60, and 90 days as a PM at a new company.
For free courses on Product Management, and the Product Strategy Development course I mentioned in the episode, join us at Path2Product for free!
You can also find more content on our Path2Product YouTube Channel
Why Constraints Are So Valuable
Most Product Managers hate constraints. In this episode of Lessons in Product Management, I break down why that is and why that mentality is wrong.
We also walk through some of the most commonly addressed constraints and the ones we probably don't spend enough time thinking through.
Let's all step up our game as PMs as we walk through this weighty topic!