Publications
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By John Mansour on January 8, 2024
How to Be The Solution Consultant You Love Buying From
For all of you pre-sales solution consultants and sales engineers looking for new ways to differentiate your demos, step away from your products for a quick minute. Sure, the product is what prospects are buying in the literal sense, but with few exceptions, the biggest thing that’ll differentiate your products and your organization in the […]
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By John Mansour on January 2, 2024
Portfolio Management – Strategic Product Management at Its Finest
If you ask 10 different product managers to describe strategic product management, you’ll probably get at least 10 answers, maybe more. Here’s the one thing they’ll all have in common though. Every description will be something related to the product manager’s job responsibilities, and that’s why the definition of strategic product management varies so widely […]
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By John Mansour on December 8, 2023
Why A Customer Account Roadmap Is Beneficial & How To Create One
The word roadmap usually conjures up thoughts of a product roadmap for people in a technology product company. For customer success managers though, the intent of a customer account roadmap, while similar, is bit more surgical than a product roadmap when it comes to defining success and leading customers to it. Think of the customer […]
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By John Mansour on December 5, 2023
Product Demos: How to Sell Solutions Versus Products
Here’s a simple three-step approach for your product demos that will help you sell solutions versus products. It’ll make differentiation easier and improve your sales win rates. In many cases, the product silos that exist within product management become transparent to buyers during the sales cycle, creating the perception you’ve got a bunch of fragmented […]
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By John Mansour on December 5, 2023
The Simple Way To Marry Company Strategy and Product Strategy
Here’s the easiest way to marry company strategy and product strategy. The first order of business is to make a clear distinction between your company’s financial goals and strategic goals. They’re often conflated. Financial goals are just that. While meeting those goals is critical to your organization’s success, financial goals themselves aren’t the same as […]
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By John Mansour on November 29, 2023
Positioning Value – The Simplest Things Are The Hardest to Say
To all of you product marketers out there, you totally understand this situation! When it comes to positioning value, sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to say. A good friend of mine is leaving his corporate job and going out on his own as a consultant with an amazing track record of success. He […]
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By John Mansour on November 9, 2023
I’m a New Product Manage With No Experience – First 5 To-Do’s
Your first 5 to-do’s as a new product manager! You’ve somehow landed in a product manager job and have no experience or formal training. You’re completely overwhelmed, drinking from the firehose! What do you do first? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Join Jackie Flake, Founder of Option 1 Partners, and John Mansour, Founder & President of Product Management […]
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By John Mansour on October 23, 2023
How to Set Customer Success Managers Up To Play Offense
In most B2B organizations, it’s more the exception than the rule that customer success managers inherit accounts where they’re in a position to play offense because the customer is thrilled with your products. Let’s dream for just a minute. It Starts With Product Management Product management consistently does discovery at a level that makes them […]
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By John Mansour on October 19, 2023
The Best Product Launches Launch the Story, Not the Product
The best product launches are like the cream cheese frosting on a decadent chocolate cake! You’ve just built some cool new A.I. enabled product or feature set and everyone’s totally energized over the upcoming announcement and marketing launch activities. The new product is going to boost your differentiation in the competitive space. Existing customers have […]
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By John Mansour on October 17, 2023
The One Thing That Simplifies Sales Enablement Most
Nothing eludes the ripple effect of your product management model, and sales enablement is no exception. Sales enablement encompasses a lot, but there’s one thing that still matters more than anything else when you’re a salesperson in the throes of the sales process. It’s the conversations you’re having with buyers at all levels, from users […]