PCT 2010 - 5 min- Product Management Axioms

Product Management Axioms
Rules to Follow for Product Management Success
Saeed Khan
Twitter: @saeedwkhan, @onpm
http://www.onproductmanagement.net

Every Activity is part of a Sale
Axiom # 1

Product Management is cross-functional
It is a matrixed role
Product Managers must influence those around them to achieve desired results
What do people say?

How can you INFLUENCE others to help you achieve your goals?

Gain people’s trust

Understand their needs and objectives

Know why they will block you

Know their influencers and allies

Know what is competing for their time

Convince them you can help them

Gain people’s trust
Understand their needs and objectives
Know why they will block you
Know their influencers and allies
Know what is competing for their time
Convince them you can help them
Sounds like a sales process to me

Nail it, then Scale it
Axiom # 2

Provide value to one group or segment of customers, achieve your goals (revenue, profit, etc.) THEN expand, expand, expand

Two short case studies
1. Webvan
2. Craigslist

Webvan – How not to run a business

Webvan – started in SF Bay Area

Webvan – started in SF Bay Area
First location was not profitable

Webvan – expanded to many cities

Webvan – expanded to many cities
New locations were also unprofitable

Webvan – How not to run a business
Founded in 1999
Within 18 months spent $1,000,000,000 ($1 Billion) on warehouses, trucks etc.
Rapidly expanded into multiple US cities
Raised almost $500,000,000 by going public and bought out one of its largest rivals, HomeGrocer.
By 2001, declared bankruptcy, firing 2,000 employees in the process.

Craigslist – started small & simple (1999)

Evolved slowly (May 2000)

Scaled once patterns were clear (July 2000)

Continued Scaling (Dec 2000)

Today – 100’s of Cities – Same Interface

Craigslist today – Top 10 in US-Top 50 WW

Change is a process, not an event
Axiom # 3

You are an agent…

…of change!

Change is never easy…

Nor does it happen overnight…

The Change Cycle – truly a process
Point of initial awareness
Peak of Elation and Relief
Slope of Understanding
Plateau of Acceptance
Trough of Anxiety and Confusion
See http://wp.me/pXBON-1D3 for more info

Think horizontally, act vertically
Axiom # 4

A view of Product Management

Another view of Product Management

Product Management looks across silos…

But works with each individually to foster change

Every Activity is part of a Sale
Nail it, then Scale it
Change is a process, not an event
Think horizontally, act vertically

Get your favourite Axiom on a Mug!
http://www.zazzle.com/onpm44

Rules to Follow for Product Management Success
Saeed Khan
Twitter: @saeedwkhan, @onpm
http://www.onproductmanagement.net

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PCT 2010 - 5 min- Product Management Axioms

by ProductCamp Toronto on Jun 01, 2010

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PCT 2010 - 5 min- Product Management Axioms — Presentation Transcript