Expert insights. Personalized for you.
Firms need to pivot quickly into new markets, messaging, and value propositions. Firms can identify prospects that have yet to deploy a solution or target competitors with messaging that highlights competitive differentiation versus individual competitors. Q2 2020 will go down in the history books as one of the most challenging environments for B2B sales. MORE
Instead, successfully replacing competitors requires ingenuity, customer intimacy, knowing your differentiating competencies, deep market understanding and – yes – competitive analysis. MORE
The spectrum of companies in Online Dating Market The online dating platforms can be divided into two dimensions regarding the strategy they use: one is the concept differentiations and another is the market focus and we can see that in the image below. Concept Differentiation dimension regards the usability and features presented on the dating platform. I’m also open to discussing anything directly, just send me a message on LinkedIn or via my Email. MORE
Your products and services do so many great things and you feel compelled to cram all ten pounds of greatness into a five-pound value story where the real message gets lost. 1. “It’s Impossible to Differentiate Every Product.”. Here’s an example of product positioning at its finest. If you’re a car enthusiast, go read the marketing copy for your dream car. MORE
At Intercom we think a lot about what it means to deliver a differentiated customer experience. Another key piece in delivering a differentiated customer experience is the Inbox. Median first time response will now measure the median time for a teammate’s first reply to a customer through inbound conversation, manual message or auto-message. Level AA, because business messaging should reach everyone, regardless of how they interact with the web. MORE
The market-problems approach forces you to spread resources thinner, compete and differentiate at a product level (feature wars) and usually means marketing and sales messages are fragmented across products and don’t tell a cohesive value story. MORE
Enables sales teams with foundational positioning and business value messaging. Along those same lines, if external messaging is not specific or tailored towards a target audience, the message will not be able to cut through the noise. Create product positioning that helps the product stand out in the market, differentiate from competitors, and allow for internal alignment. Build a framework to support consistent messaging across all marketing channels. MORE
Marketing and sales messages will be stronger and differentiate more effectively because they’re communicated in context of more strategic business drivers versus product value propositions that rarely address anything beyond the tactical needs of users. Are product revenue and profitability goals a good metric or are they counterproductive? If the target markets for each product are mutually exclusive, product revenue and profitability goals don’t present any issues in B2B. MORE
When awash with data and metrics, it’s easy for a product marketer to overlook precision in using the language of messaging. Div Manickam , director of portfolio messaging for Dell subsidiary Boomi , discussed subtle but significant differences in product marketing lexicon during an AMA on the evolution of product and solutions marketing to portfolio messaging. Then we validate our messaging with sales and presales to gain insights into prospect conversations. MORE
I would highly encourage you to find opportunities to volunteer as a way to differentiate yourself to employers. I got great visibility throughout the company, was able to contribute to a cause that I believed in and had a nice differentiator to put on my resume. And equally important you must master how to use tone to deliver your message in a manner that makes people listen. Become the Expert. Become the undisputed expert for your areas of responsibility. MORE
The prefect complement is a product marketing function that’s structured to create and communicate value messages that engage decision-makers and influencers in meaningful dialogues. The company story may be strong but it falls flat quickly when too many fragmented product messages don’t connect the dots to a common value theme. It’s easier to engage influencers and decision-makers with higher-level value messages that speak directly to their agendas. MORE
By Jennifer Gridley – As we approach Valentine’s Day, some may be enjoying The Spice Girls’ 1996 hit for its romantic message. Understands customers, the problems the product solves, why the product is winning or losing, competitive differentiation, etc. With 15 years of experience rooted in Investor Relations, she loves helping companies to grow and meaningfully improve product differentiation, customer understanding and go-to-market results. MORE
With Gainsight, we personalized the customer content and messaging through the CSM, and in six months, we met our goal at 50%. . One of our key differentiators is our amazing health coaches and clinical teams. Welcome to our Change the Game in 5 minutes Series. MORE
A few extremely well-chosen objectives impart a clear message about what we say ‘yes’ to and what we say ‘no’ to.”. Will you follow Porter’s path for differentiation or cost leadership? MORE
Defines the Whole Product concept to ensure value and differentiation. Defines the Positioning, Value Proposition, Messaging, and Unique Selling Proposition — Marketing MVP. Managing the Interrelated Roles and Responsibilities of Product Managers and Product Marketing Managers. Product Management and Product Marketing Management are complementary roles. In some companies, different people occupy these roles. In others, the same person fills both. MORE
Gartner includes software usage analytics and in-application messaging and polling among the types of in-application feedback product managers should use to improve product-market fit and drive product leadership (Use In-Application Feedback to Continuously Improve Product-Market Fit). MORE
Take that same concept into the B2B world and you have vertical market messaging for products and services that have value across many industries. When messaging is highly relevant to the business goals and challenges of each vertical market, the products are perceived as more unique and therefore more valuable to the customer. The “improve HCAPS” message will win 80% of the time as long as the product capabilities offer strong enough proof points to the value statement. MORE
Regularly read trade journals, product reviews, and user forum messages to see what’s happing in your industry and how people respond to your product. This helps you understand if your product is properly differentiated. Balancing Specific and Generic Skills. To do a great job as a product manager or product owner, you require two skills sets: product-specific and generic ones. MORE
They result from going to the market with a poor marketing message, i.e.: not Relevant , Differentiated , or Credible to the target market. Value Proposition and Messaging go hand-in-glove and are how you communicate your reason to buy to customers. The Core Messaging Deck. MORE
Is it time for a more interesting and unique flavor of selling – or is it time for a more tantalizing flavor of product management to differentiate the way you sell? Just not good enough to differentiate, especially if everyone else is doing the same thing. Your marketing messages and sales process are a direct reflection of how you do product management – identify tactical problems and deliver product solutions with tactical benefits. MORE
In-app messaging is a key component of a strong customer engagement strategy – one that reaches users at the right place, at the right time, and is consistent across platforms. Here, we take a deep dive on in-app messaging – defining exactly what it is and how to make it work best for your customers. What is in-app messaging? In-app messages are hyper-targeted notifications that are sent to users while they’re using a mobile or desktop application. MORE
For revenue-generating products, you should also investigate if the product is still effectively differentiated: Do users have a compelling reason to choose it over competitors’ offerings? Alternatively, you may want to unbundle one or more features into a new product, as Facebook did with Messenger in 2014 when the company released the messaging feature as a stand-alone app. See the Rewriting Effort as an Opportunity to Innovate. MORE
Build messages around real-world customer scenarios with emphasis on WHAT buyers are trying to accomplish in those scenarios and WHY each is important to their success. Use Themes to Differentiate. Lastly, find the common value thread in those scenarios and use it as your headline or differentiation theme. Powerful product positioning usually boils down to the best story, which is not always the best product. MORE
Follow three simple guidelines to differentiate with credibility and boost your win rates. Don’t expect your buyers to walk away with that one differentiating value theme if you don’t hit them right between the eyes with a very simple message. Product presentations and demos can be the determining factor in winning or losing a sale. In many cases, it comes down to the credibility of the presenter more than the capabilities of the product. MORE
Tristan received an automated transaction message: his credit card was just used at a convenience store 20 mins away! Forward thinking companies are starting to make service a part of their product, with messaging at the core. The rise of messaging. MORE
Claire Suellentrop (Founder/CMO, Userlist.io) – Get Out Of The Echo Chamber: How To Use JTBD To Perfect Your Product’s Messaging from Business of Software Conference. And as I worked on the deck and made it more relevant to the BoS community I realized this isn’t going to be about positioning it’s going to be about messaging which is a little bit different but they’re both they’re very related. So messaging is how you fuel up for your race right. MORE
These customers tend to be experts, and while their feedback and response to messaging can be valuable, they typically are a smaller segment of the market, not the mainstream buyer. This type of bias can lead to overly complicated products or messaging that is overly nuanced. It can also become cyclical, because as the product and messaging gets more complex, it becomes harder to train a salesforce, and requires continued involvement from the product experts on staff. MORE
Faced with a workforce that can be composed of five generations and the pressure to offer competitive, differentiating benefits packages, companies are creating more personalized offerings and expanding voluntary benefits to meet a broad range of needs and lifestyles, from tuition reimbursement to retirement planning. Send consistent messages in a variety of channels, which could mean text messages, emails, voicemails, or mobile app notifications. MORE
The resulting silos, competing priorities that change with the wind and value messages that don’t differentiate can paralyze any organization. Is the maturation of B2B product management and marketing keeping up with the demands of the market? MORE
When awash with data and metrics, it’s easy for a product marketer to overlook precision in using the language of messaging. Div Manickam , director of portfolio messaging for Dell subsidiary Boomi , discussed subtle but significant differences in product marketing lexicon during an AMA on the evolution of product and solutions marketing to portfolio messaging. Then we validate our messaging with sales and presales to gain insights into prospect conversations. MORE
But as they pick up steam, offering more products to multiple target markets, it’s easy for the message to get a little fuzzy. Imagine trying to maintain a unified message and overall brand vision across those time zones and organizations – it’s a big challenge for any marketer. As a company grows, the message gets fractured. Clarify your message. One of Shane’s biggest ongoing challenges is distilling those narratives into a crystal-clear message. MORE
That stems mostly from needing to command the respect of the highly respected engineers you work with but also from needing to be able to determine how to leverage sophisticated technology to create unique product differentiation. MORE
We (the product managers) are the experts in our product: We know who it’s for, we know why it’s better, we know its differentiators, we know the stories of pain our prospects are suffering, and the glories of the successes of our customers. Co-opting product management into sales. MORE
The great Marketing Solution recognizes a single customer with multiple vehicles and makes it easy for a car dealership to market to those customers with relevant messages and offers that demonstrate their appreciation for that loyalty. While the good solutions can do almost everything the great solutions do, the incremental what-if scenarios in the great solutions become a clear point of differentiation that most car dealers would prefer. MORE
Differentiation and innovation are your two best options! Differentiation. Differentiation boils down to unique positioning in your sales and marketing efforts with your products and company reputation serving up the proof points. Use that theme as the umbrella message in all of your marketing and sales communications. Innovation and differentiation often go hand-in-hand. MORE
Without knowing the Positioning you want your product to take, its Value proposition to customers, and how you will Message these things, you don’t have a path to market success. Moreover, you can’t really make critical Product MVP (Minimally Viable Product) decisions because those decisions must be based upon the Marketing MVP factors (Messaging, Value proposition & Positioning) that lead to market success. Proceed to Messaging. MORE
Making the shift from horizontal products to industry solutions boils down to differentiation…not just the marketing and messaging variety but adding product capabilities specific to key industry segments that deliver exponentially more value than generic one-size-fits-all products or services. For example, many cloud computing providers espouse IT cost savings and data security benefits while attempting to differentiate on technical superiority and service levels. MORE
it is a message or tagline that is consistent with the value proposition. A value proposition (aka, a value prop) is a plainly-written building block that informs the marketing messages, pricing strategies, partnership priorities, development roadmap, etc. MORE
This stage is where your company messaging and solution positioning can fully engage buyers or push them away. If your sales people are requesting new product literature for each account, it may be an indication of messaging that’s too product focused versus buyer focused. MORE
The maturity of your market plays a huge role in determining your product’s messaging. Differentiation becomes all the more important when products and services are indistinguishable — this is a process that begins with a story. How do you differentiate a soap’s messaging? Positioning yourself as something that already exists in your customers’ minds will help you focus on communicating why they should choose you – the differentiator – and not the features. MORE
The goal is to make sure sales dialogues lead with a strong vision and a differentiating value story that’s supported by all products. Without the overarching portfolio vision and market positioning, sales has little more than a bunch of fragmented tactical product messages that don’t tell a compelling value story, making the wins harder to come by. This guide to portfolio product management and marketing answers the following seven questions. MORE
Proficientz
MARCH 11, 2017
Differentiation and innovation are your two best options! Differentiation. Differentiation boils down to unique positioning in your sales and marketing efforts with your products and company reputation serving up the proof points. Use that theme as the umbrella message in all of your marketing and sales communications. Innovation and differentiation often go hand-in-hand.
Pragmatic Marketing
FEBRUARY 25, 2020
When awash with data and metrics, it’s easy for a product marketer to overlook precision in using the language of messaging. Div Manickam , director of portfolio messaging for Dell subsidiary Boomi , discussed subtle but significant differences in product marketing lexicon during an AMA on the evolution of product and solutions marketing to portfolio messaging. Then we validate our messaging with sales and presales to gain insights into prospect conversations.
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Pragmatic Marketing
FEBRUARY 25, 2020
When awash with data and metrics, it’s easy for a product marketer to overlook precision in using the language of messaging. Div Manickam , director of portfolio messaging for Dell subsidiary Boomi , discussed subtle but significant differences in product marketing lexicon during an AMA on the evolution of product and solutions marketing to portfolio messaging. Then we validate our messaging with sales and presales to gain insights into prospect conversations.
Inside Intercom
JUNE 22, 2020
In-app messaging is a key component of a strong customer engagement strategy – one that reaches users at the right place, at the right time, and is consistent across platforms. Here, we take a deep dive on in-app messaging – defining exactly what it is and how to make it work best for your customers. What is in-app messaging? In-app messages are hyper-targeted notifications that are sent to users while they’re using a mobile or desktop application.
Business of Software Conference
AUGUST 30, 2019
Claire Suellentrop (Founder/CMO, Userlist.io) – Get Out Of The Echo Chamber: How To Use JTBD To Perfect Your Product’s Messaging from Business of Software Conference. And as I worked on the deck and made it more relevant to the BoS community I realized this isn’t going to be about positioning it’s going to be about messaging which is a little bit different but they’re both they’re very related. So messaging is how you fuel up for your race right.
Inside Intercom
DECEMBER 4, 2018
At Intercom we think a lot about what it means to deliver a differentiated customer experience. Another key piece in delivering a differentiated customer experience is the Inbox. Median first time response will now measure the median time for a teammate’s first reply to a customer through inbound conversation, manual message or auto-message. Level AA, because business messaging should reach everyone, regardless of how they interact with the web.
|
Proficientz
JANUARY 18, 2019
Build messages around real-world customer scenarios with emphasis on WHAT buyers are trying to accomplish in those scenarios and WHY each is important to their success. Use Themes to Differentiate. Lastly, find the common value thread in those scenarios and use it as your headline or differentiation theme. Powerful product positioning usually boils down to the best story, which is not always the best product.
280 Group
MAY 25, 2020
Without knowing the Positioning you want your product to take, its Value proposition to customers, and how you will Message these things, you don’t have a path to market success. Moreover, you can’t really make critical Product MVP (Minimally Viable Product) decisions because those decisions must be based upon the Marketing MVP factors (Messaging, Value proposition & Positioning) that lead to market success. Proceed to Messaging.
The Secret PM Handbook
OCTOBER 9, 2018
We (the product managers) are the experts in our product: We know who it’s for, we know why it’s better, we know its differentiators, we know the stories of pain our prospects are suffering, and the glories of the successes of our customers. Co-opting product management into sales.
bpma ProductHub
FEBRUARY 4, 2018
By Jennifer Gridley – As we approach Valentine’s Day, some may be enjoying The Spice Girls’ 1996 hit for its romantic message. Understands customers, the problems the product solves, why the product is winning or losing, competitive differentiation, etc. With 15 years of experience rooted in Investor Relations, she loves helping companies to grow and meaningfully improve product differentiation, customer understanding and go-to-market results.
Proficientz
JULY 7, 2020
The resulting silos, competing priorities that change with the wind and value messages that don’t differentiate can paralyze any organization. Is the maturation of B2B product management and marketing keeping up with the demands of the market?
|
Proficientz
MAY 11, 2018
Take that same concept into the B2B world and you have vertical market messaging for products and services that have value across many industries. When messaging is highly relevant to the business goals and challenges of each vertical market, the products are perceived as more unique and therefore more valuable to the customer. The “improve HCAPS” message will win 80% of the time as long as the product capabilities offer strong enough proof points to the value statement.
280 Group
APRIL 14, 2020
Instead, successfully replacing competitors requires ingenuity, customer intimacy, knowing your differentiating competencies, deep market understanding and – yes – competitive analysis.
Proficientz
OCTOBER 29, 2019
Marketing and sales messages will be stronger and differentiate more effectively because they’re communicated in context of more strategic business drivers versus product value propositions that rarely address anything beyond the tactical needs of users. Are product revenue and profitability goals a good metric or are they counterproductive? If the target markets for each product are mutually exclusive, product revenue and profitability goals don’t present any issues in B2B.
Proficientz
AUGUST 13, 2019
The prefect complement is a product marketing function that’s structured to create and communicate value messages that engage decision-makers and influencers in meaningful dialogues. The company story may be strong but it falls flat quickly when too many fragmented product messages don’t connect the dots to a common value theme. It’s easier to engage influencers and decision-makers with higher-level value messages that speak directly to their agendas.
Proficientz
JANUARY 27, 2017
Making the shift from horizontal products to industry solutions boils down to differentiation…not just the marketing and messaging variety but adding product capabilities specific to key industry segments that deliver exponentially more value than generic one-size-fits-all products or services. For example, many cloud computing providers espouse IT cost savings and data security benefits while attempting to differentiate on technical superiority and service levels.
Mind the Product
OCTOBER 11, 2019
The maturity of your market plays a huge role in determining your product’s messaging. Differentiation becomes all the more important when products and services are indistinguishable — this is a process that begins with a story. How do you differentiate a soap’s messaging? Positioning yourself as something that already exists in your customers’ minds will help you focus on communicating why they should choose you – the differentiator – and not the features.
280 Group
SEPTEMBER 17, 2019
I would highly encourage you to find opportunities to volunteer as a way to differentiate yourself to employers. I got great visibility throughout the company, was able to contribute to a cause that I believed in and had a nice differentiator to put on my resume. And equally important you must master how to use tone to deliver your message in a manner that makes people listen. Become the Expert. Become the undisputed expert for your areas of responsibility.
Mind the Product
SEPTEMBER 2, 2019
These customers tend to be experts, and while their feedback and response to messaging can be valuable, they typically are a smaller segment of the market, not the mainstream buyer. This type of bias can lead to overly complicated products or messaging that is overly nuanced. It can also become cyclical, because as the product and messaging gets more complex, it becomes harder to train a salesforce, and requires continued involvement from the product experts on staff.
280 Group
JUNE 18, 2020
Defines the Whole Product concept to ensure value and differentiation. Defines the Positioning, Value Proposition, Messaging, and Unique Selling Proposition — Marketing MVP. Managing the Interrelated Roles and Responsibilities of Product Managers and Product Marketing Managers. Product Management and Product Marketing Management are complementary roles. In some companies, different people occupy these roles. In others, the same person fills both.
Proficientz
JULY 25, 2018
Follow three simple guidelines to differentiate with credibility and boost your win rates. Don’t expect your buyers to walk away with that one differentiating value theme if you don’t hit them right between the eyes with a very simple message. Product presentations and demos can be the determining factor in winning or losing a sale. In many cases, it comes down to the credibility of the presenter more than the capabilities of the product.
280 Group
JULY 16, 2018
They result from going to the market with a poor marketing message, i.e.: not Relevant , Differentiated , or Credible to the target market. Value Proposition and Messaging go hand-in-glove and are how you communicate your reason to buy to customers. The Core Messaging Deck.
Roman Pichler
JANUARY 8, 2019
For revenue-generating products, you should also investigate if the product is still effectively differentiated: Do users have a compelling reason to choose it over competitors’ offerings? Alternatively, you may want to unbundle one or more features into a new product, as Facebook did with Messenger in 2014 when the company released the messaging feature as a stand-alone app. See the Rewriting Effort as an Opportunity to Innovate.
Proficientz
APRIL 15, 2018
Is it time for a more interesting and unique flavor of selling – or is it time for a more tantalizing flavor of product management to differentiate the way you sell? Just not good enough to differentiate, especially if everyone else is doing the same thing. Your marketing messages and sales process are a direct reflection of how you do product management – identify tactical problems and deliver product solutions with tactical benefits.
Proficientz
NOVEMBER 13, 2018
This stage is where your company messaging and solution positioning can fully engage buyers or push them away. If your sales people are requesting new product literature for each account, it may be an indication of messaging that’s too product focused versus buyer focused.
Inside Intercom
JUNE 19, 2018
Tristan received an automated transaction message: his credit card was just used at a convenience store 20 mins away! Forward thinking companies are starting to make service a part of their product, with messaging at the core. The rise of messaging.
Product Management Lessons from the Trenches
JULY 17, 2018
it is a message or tagline that is consistent with the value proposition. A value proposition (aka, a value prop) is a plainly-written building block that informs the marketing messages, pricing strategies, partnership priorities, development roadmap, etc.
Proficientz
JANUARY 10, 2017
The great Marketing Solution recognizes a single customer with multiple vehicles and makes it easy for a car dealership to market to those customers with relevant messages and offers that demonstrate their appreciation for that loyalty. While the good solutions can do almost everything the great solutions do, the incremental what-if scenarios in the great solutions become a clear point of differentiation that most car dealers would prefer.
Proficientz
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
Your products and services do so many great things and you feel compelled to cram all ten pounds of greatness into a five-pound value story where the real message gets lost. 1. “It’s Impossible to Differentiate Every Product.”. Here’s an example of product positioning at its finest. If you’re a car enthusiast, go read the marketing copy for your dream car.
Inside Intercom
OCTOBER 1, 2019
But as they pick up steam, offering more products to multiple target markets, it’s easy for the message to get a little fuzzy. Imagine trying to maintain a unified message and overall brand vision across those time zones and organizations – it’s a big challenge for any marketer. As a company grows, the message gets fractured. Clarify your message. One of Shane’s biggest ongoing challenges is distilling those narratives into a crystal-clear message.
Roman Pichler
MAY 10, 2017
Regularly read trade journals, product reviews, and user forum messages to see what’s happing in your industry and how people respond to your product. This helps you understand if your product is properly differentiated. Balancing Specific and Generic Skills. To do a great job as a product manager or product owner, you require two skills sets: product-specific and generic ones.
Gainsight
AUGUST 19, 2020
With Gainsight, we personalized the customer content and messaging through the CSM, and in six months, we met our goal at 50%. . One of our key differentiators is our amazing health coaches and clinical teams. Welcome to our Change the Game in 5 minutes Series.
Sachin Rekhi
FEBRUARY 9, 2020
That stems mostly from needing to command the respect of the highly respected engineers you work with but also from needing to be able to determine how to leverage sophisticated technology to create unique product differentiation.
Mind the Product
APRIL 6, 2020
A few extremely well-chosen objectives impart a clear message about what we say ‘yes’ to and what we say ‘no’ to.”. Will you follow Porter’s path for differentiation or cost leadership?
DemandMatrix
MAY 26, 2020
Firms need to pivot quickly into new markets, messaging, and value propositions. Firms can identify prospects that have yet to deploy a solution or target competitors with messaging that highlights competitive differentiation versus individual competitors. Q2 2020 will go down in the history books as one of the most challenging environments for B2B sales.
Innovatemap
OCTOBER 4, 2019
Faced with a workforce that can be composed of five generations and the pressure to offer competitive, differentiating benefits packages, companies are creating more personalized offerings and expanding voluntary benefits to meet a broad range of needs and lifestyles, from tuition reimbursement to retirement planning. Send consistent messages in a variety of channels, which could mean text messages, emails, voicemails, or mobile app notifications.
Innovatemap
OCTOBER 4, 2019
Enables sales teams with foundational positioning and business value messaging. Along those same lines, if external messaging is not specific or tailored towards a target audience, the message will not be able to cut through the noise. Create product positioning that helps the product stand out in the market, differentiate from competitors, and allow for internal alignment. Build a framework to support consistent messaging across all marketing channels.
Revulytics
DECEMBER 12, 2019
Gartner includes software usage analytics and in-application messaging and polling among the types of in-application feedback product managers should use to improve product-market fit and drive product leadership (Use In-Application Feedback to Continuously Improve Product-Market Fit).
The Product Coalition
MARCH 9, 2020
The spectrum of companies in Online Dating Market The online dating platforms can be divided into two dimensions regarding the strategy they use: one is the concept differentiations and another is the market focus and we can see that in the image below. Concept Differentiation dimension regards the usability and features presented on the dating platform. I’m also open to discussing anything directly, just send me a message on LinkedIn or via my Email.
Proficientz
FEBRUARY 25, 2020
The goal is to make sure sales dialogues lead with a strong vision and a differentiating value story that’s supported by all products. Without the overarching portfolio vision and market positioning, sales has little more than a bunch of fragmented tactical product messages that don’t tell a compelling value story, making the wins harder to come by. This guide to portfolio product management and marketing answers the following seven questions.
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