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

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Every Activity is part of a Sale<br />Axiom # 1<br />

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

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How can you INFLUENCE others to help you achieve your goals?<br />

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Gain people’s trust<br />

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Understand their needs and objectives<br />

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Know why they will block you<br />

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Know their influencers and allies<br />

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Know what is competing for their time<br />

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Convince them you can help them<br />

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

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Nail it, then Scale it<br />Axiom # 2<br />

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

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Two short case studies<br />1. Webvan<br />2. Craigslist<br />

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Webvan – How not to run a business<br />

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Webvan – started in SF Bay Area<br />

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Webvan – started in SF Bay Area<br />First location was not profitable<br />

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Webvan – expanded to many cities<br />

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Webvan – expanded to many cities<br />New locations were also unprofitable <br />

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

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Craigslist – started small & simple (1999)<br />

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Evolved slowly (May 2000)<br />

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Scaled once patterns were clear (July 2000)<br />

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Continued Scaling (Dec 2000)<br />

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Today – 100’s of Cities – Same Interface<br />

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Craigslist today – Top 10 in US-Top 50 WW<br />

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Change is a process, not an event<br />Axiom # 3<br />

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You are an agent…<br />

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…of change!<br />

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Change is never easy…<br />

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Nor does it happen overnight…<br />

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

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Think horizontally, act vertically<br />Axiom # 4<br />

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A view of Product Management<br />

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Another view of Product Management<br />

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Product Management looks across silos…<br />

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But works with each individually to foster change<br />

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Every Activity is part of a Sale<br />Nail it, then Scale it<br />Change is a process, not an event<br />Think horizontally, act vertically<br />Product Management Axioms<br />

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

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