ProductCamp Boston May 12 2018

1. Facilitated by Gary Dietz
Product Camp Boston, May 12, 2018
Email: gdietz@garydietz.com
Mobile: +1-603-320-7095 (EST)
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/garymdietz
Blog: http://www.garydietz.com
Seven Dumb Product & Marketing Mistakes I've Made
(So You Don't Have To)

2. Gary
PM and PMM
Experience in launching products across
many spaces and channels
Teacher and writer
A love of people and technology that impacts
the world
Small company person (generally)
Hands-on work at organizations with 3 to 160
people
Sales and channel enabler
Focus on programs and content that enable
sales growth
Author
Dads of Disability: Stories for, by, and about
fathers of children who experience disability

3. Why?
For Who?
Generalize these stories
Your mileage may vary
Apply in proper company and
political and team contexts
I’m fibbing a bit; Yes, plenty of
“dumb,” but mostly positive
advice and stories
On to the seven things!
Agenda and Caveats

4. Mistakes made in
direct versus
channel models
1. Train the Trainer on Trains

5. 1. Know how it will be sold
2. Know who will be selling it and their motivations
3. Try to sell it yourself if possible to understand the cycle
4. When, what kind of resellers to use
5. Number of “partners” means squat
Direct VS Channel:
Points to Ponder Over Coffee

6. Mistakes made in
socializing drafts -- of
just about anything
2. It’s really drafty in here!

7. 1. What are you actually asking your audience to review?
2. What is your style and how will you ask for feedback
and react to it? This will guide future interactions
3. Tools can make things look done when they aren’t
4. Yet some people need it to look finished to give
comments
5. The ever-ending review cycle
Distributing drafts of anything
Points to Ponder Over Coffee

8. Mistakes made by
not picking up the
phone
3. Dial “M” for Murder Marketing

9. 1. Customer/Partner/Peer/Boss – The phone works!
2. Email loss-of-context, sheer volume
3. It can be scary to call customers, but…
4. PM and PMM is ultimately about people
5. Learn how to ask open ended questions, unless you
don’t want to or can’t.
Using the phone
Points to Ponder Over Coffee

10. Mistakes made in
networking
4. Networking isn’t disingenuous (It’s a gift!)

11. 1. Networking is a gift to someone, not from someone
2. Go to a tradeshow not in your space
3. Networking is not just for salespeople, and it isn’t “dirty”
4. At some point, people won’t want to connect, no worries
5. Listen authentically
Networking
Points to Ponder Over Coffee

12. Mistakes made in
deploying tools
5. Obsessing about the tools in your shed
(at the wrong time)

13. Tools with business goals and
realities
Points to Ponder Over Coffee
1. Choose and implement a tool at the right time
2. Tool love is great, but who gets to love them?
3. Build a business so it can scale, but don’t forget to build
the business
4. There will ALWAYS be another tool – perfect is the
enemy of the good
5. You can always refactor and rebuild, calculate the price

14. Mistakes made by
not making it safe
for the entire team
to brainstorm freely
6. Inclusionary (not Exclusionary) Brainstorming

15. 1. Introverted, extraverted, smartest-in-the-room or most-
powerful-in-the-room etc.
2. Most people don’t know how to be silly
3. Tools again – sometimes a whiteboard is enough
4. Are there bounds or are there really no “dumb ideas”
5. Tools again – remote brainstorming and the “Slacks” of
the world
Create Inclusionary
Brainstorming Opportunities
Points to Ponder Over Coffee

16. Mistakes made by
planning a product
or program that
can’t make money
7. Incomplete margin planning

17. 1. Use the back-of-the-napkin early
2. Be, or use, your analysts wisely
3. Plan for the fact that things always cost more to deliver
than you plan
4. The art of not leaving money on the table and helping
your teams know when to walk away from deal
5. Point five
Margin planning
Points to Ponder Over Coffee

18. Thanks for your time and
participation!
Email: gdietz@garydietz.com
Mobile: +1-603-320-7095 (EST)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garymdietz
Blog: http://www.garydietz.com
Gary Dietz