Products Don't Sell Themselves The document discusses differing perspectives on the role of product marketing. Some see it as focused on lead generation, content creation, and driving sales. Others see a broader strategic role in understanding customer needs, defining compelling products and value propositions, and ensuring alignment across functions. The author argues that marketing should contribute in all these areas by understanding customer problems and opportunities rather than just selling existing products. True success comes from solving customer needs, not from any single function alone.

1. Products Don't Sell Themselves
 Published on September 26, 2019
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Joseph Orlando
PRODUCT AND DIGITAL MARKETING EXECUTIVE
20 articles
I recently encountered a circumstance that demonstrates how the term “Marketing” has become a
matter open for philosophical interpretation. In a discussion about the focus for a Product
Marketing Senior Executive, after a topical review of contributions to life cycle product
management; establishing Market and Product Requirements; User Stories development; target
customer segmentation and compelling value propositions; Go to Market considerations and
ways to position messaging on a competitive landscape, it became evident that the other parties
to the conversation felt I had gone off the rail (and thus lost an opportunity.)
They went on to tell me how Product Marketing was all about lead generation; creating Market
Qualified Leads and Sales Qualified Leads; creating content and social media buzz; optimizing a
product’s position in search engines; lower customer acquisition costs and manage higher click
through and conversion rates; manage profitability per customer and lifetime customer values
and improving Net Promoter Scores.
How can it be that the topic can be so wildly disconnected? Across a forty-year career, I have
experienced this dichotomy in perspective. On one side, Marketing is there as an extension to the
Sales organization to provide collateral; leads; events that generate sales opportunities;
PowerPoint presentations to prospects and customers; create and promote reference materials
and compelling customer success stories.
To some, the other end of the Marketing spectrum is the role of Marketing to help identify the
markets with the greatest potential; competitive differentiation; identify unmet needs; keep a
finger on industry, regulatory and competitive pulse; help add definition to what would constitute
the most compelling products or services for the identified segmented and targeted markets;
provide strategic insights into the product/service Road Maps based on anticipating Market
needs; establish the image, brand, support the Mission Statement and be the Voice of the
Customer.
From this foundation, developing compelling value propositions and establish the most impactful
means to deliver these to the right audiences, at the right time and place. Instead of working
harder to SELL something…if a product or service is developed to meet a recognized unmet
need and there is a clear profile of the target market … then knowing to whom what you have to

2. offer means the most would mean you have to do less SELLING…they already recognize
they need what you have to offer…and you help them buy what they already recognize
they need.
In my view, Marketing should be empowered to contribute in ALL of these ways but, truth is,
based on management’s philosophy (and this can often be predicted based on to whom the head
of Marketing reports to) that Marketing is often relegated to emphasize one perspective over the
other.
Everyone recognizes that Sales drives revenues and without profitable revenues there is little to
discuss. The challenge to philosophies is to what extent does the Sales organization drive the
enterprise. In too many instances have I experienced Sales driving the entire enterprise from
what Marketing needs to do to what Engineering and Development should be doing and by when
and to how Customer Service should behave.
The solution, in my humble opinion, is to take a strategic step back and find a means to create a
symbiotic relationship between these key functions. Recognition that no single silo defines the
success of the enterprise. It is isn’t technological wizardry and magical sophistication that
defines success. It isn’t the persuasive words and branding that delivers results and it isn’t merely
relationships with customers that brings in revenues. Your enterprise either solves a known or
anticipated problem; creates a new opportunity for the customer’s enterprise and/or delivers
quantifiable ROI or the relationship is meaningless.