Cubicle vs. Airplane Product Marketing

Too many Product Marketing managers build stories about the product or service they are selling while sitting in their cubicles. They describe every facet of the product, the technology, the interoperability, the special new features, etc. Cubicle marketing will never shake up a market, energize a sales force, or help to close a deal. I have told my product marketing teams for years that they must practice what they preach. Creating datasheets, slide sets, powerpoint presentations, white papers, etc. is one part of the responsibilities you will hold in product marketing. All too often, these "sales" documents are created in a cublicle without ever talking to a customer or sales rep. And all too often, the documents are thrown over the wall to sales reps that despise using them because they simply do not speak the language of the market and the customer. The customers are confused by these documents because they only discuss the product, while lacking discussion on the value of these products to the customer's business. I will throw out a challenge to all product marketing managers: practice what you preach. If you believe the marketing materials you produce enhance sales or excite customers, get yourself out on a few sales calls. Not simply a presentation in the executive briefing center, but a real sales call. Get a chance to present your creations to a real customer. Notice if their eyes are lighting up or if they are falling asleep. Are you talking about your product or about how to improve the customer's business using your product? Would the sales rep like to invite you on more deals or will she avoid bringing you on future sales calls? Is the sales rep going to close this deal sooner, or did you delay the sales cycle by talking too much about features and functionality and not enough about the customer's business. One role of the product marketing manager is to make the life of the sales rep easier. Measure your value by how much your work helps to (1) increase deal sizes and (2) reduce the sales cycle. If your creations are not improving either, it is time to begin thinking outside of your cubicle. Customers want to achieve business results by utilizing what you sell to pursue their own goals and objectives. Your company's best sales reps understand these goals and objectives and position what they are selling to meet the customer's needs. If you are practicing cubical marketing, chances are that your sales reps are translating your hard work into something that makes more sense to the customer. Yes -- you guessed it -- you are now delaying the sales cycle. If it is difficult for you to understand this concept, try to get in front of your customers, by accompanying your company's best sales rep on customer calls for a few days. Listen to what business objectives they talk about, notice when the customer's eyes light up, and be attentive when competitive offerings are being discussed. Put yourself in the shoes of the sales rep as well as the customer. What could you do to make the sales reps life easier? Imagine what it is like to be the customer -- how many sales reps will they see today or this week? how many are your competitors or just another piece of the wallet share for this account's budget? how will you differentiate yourself from all of the others competing for the customer's wallet share? Perhaps it is about airplane marketing versus cublicle marketing. Get a sense of what is happening with a birds-eye view of the market. Experience what is happening inside your customer's business and think about how to improve it. Tag along with your company's best sales reps and see how deals are closed when business objectives and goals are discussed. Then, when you see what is working in the trenches on the front lines -- create your marketing magic. Use the time in the airplane while you are heading back to the office to improve your marketing collateral, revise your marketing plans, and think about how to create repeatable, consistent, and successful results in the market.

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