Product Game Plan

As product managers, we often focus on the technical aspects of our role, but it's the soft skills that can make or break our success. In this episode of Product Game Plan, I share a recent experience that highlights the critical importance of communication touchpoints for productivity in enterprise product management.I discuss how a simple check-in with a team member revealed a misalignment in expectations, leading to unnecessary stress and potential burnout. This situation underscores the value of open communication and the need for regular updates, especially in fast-paced environments where priorities can shift quickly.Key Insights on Communication and ProductivityHow to identify and address communication gaps that can impact team productivityThe importance of resetting expectations across teams and stakeholdersStrategies for maintaining open lines of communication in a busy work environmentWays to leverage modern communication tools for swift updates and realignmentI discuss examples that illustrate how proactive communication can prevent misunderstandings, reduce stress, and improve overall team efficiency. By implementing these strategies, you can create a more balanced and productive work environment for your team."Managing expectations should be carefully planned between business stakeholders and external customers and their users."VALUABLE RESOURCESMy free guideCheck out my programs and workshops ABOUT THE HOSTHeather has had more than 25 years of experience working with 1000s of customers and securing hundreds of millions of product funding.  Early in her career, she was successful at rapidly growing start-up organizations, and over the past 15+ years she has a record of aligning diverse teams to deliver value for customers and strategies for organizations.  All through having a focus on solving customer needs to achieve business outcomes.CONNECT & CONTACTVisit my community on Mighty Networks Find me on LinkedInEmail:  info@listen-evolve-inspire.com

In this episode of the Product Game Plan, I share insights from my recent European event that highlight the importance of maintaining strong relationships with customers and partners. We'll explore how these connections can drive product quality, foster loyalty, and ultimately lead to business growth.Key Takeaways:Discover why product quality should be your top priorityLearn the value of human loyalty in business relationshipsUnderstand the power of continuous engagement with usersExplore strategies for creating effective customer and partner advisory forumsGain insights on building processes that support future strategiesBEST MOMENTSWhen you scale up, practice will smooth the edges of your unpracticed self.""It is your commitment to the process that will determine your progress.""Goals win you the game, but systems keep you in the game. So fall in love with the cycle of continuous improvement."VALUABLE RESOURCESMy free guideCheck out my programs and workshops ABOUT THE HOSTHeather has had more than 25 years of experience working with 1000s of customers and securing hundreds of millions of product funding.  Early in her career, she was successful at rapidly growing start-up organizations, and over the past 15+ years she has a record of aligning diverse teams to deliver value for customers and strategies for organizations.  All through having a focus on solving customer needs to achieve business outcomes.CONNECT & CONTACTVisit my community on Mighty Networks Find me on LinkedInEmail:  info@listen-evolve-inspire.com

Building strong customer relationships is the cornerstone of any successful product strategy. As product managers, we often focus on features and functionality, but the real magic happens when we connect with our users on a deeper level.I've discovered that forging meaningful connections with customers falls into two distinct categories: those we're just getting to know and those we've built a rapport with over time. Let's explore strategies for both scenarios.KEY TAKEAWAYSCultivating New Customer RelationshipsWhen approaching new customers or users, preparation is key. Before any interaction, I make it a priority to:Research their company, industry, and specific use casesAnalyze their purchase history and support ticketsIdentify key stakeholders and decision-makersThis groundwork allows me to enter conversations with context and demonstrate genuine interest in their business.The Power of Follow-ThroughRegardless of the relationship stage, following up on commitments is non-negotiable. After every meaningful interaction:Summarize key points and action itemsSet clear expectations for next stepsDeliver on promises, no matter how smallThis consistency builds trust and shows customers that their input is valued and acted upon.DM me in my community on Mighty Networks, ask me anything!BEST MOMENTS“Let them know that the evolution of your product relies on honest and constructive feedback from users like them.”“Building rich relationships with your various stakeholders, especially your users, will transform you into an expert, shape you into a trusted resource, and actuate the accuracy of your knowledge toward your business's objectives for your customers.”“If you listen to and solve problems for a broad base of your customers, your investments will become aligned with your business intentions.”“You may need to carry the conversation with some users. Remind them that you asked for the meeting so that you could listen to their experiences, even if the feedback is not favorable. VALUABLE RESOURCESMy free customer baseline guide + bonusesMy free tips for conducting customer feedback sessionsCheck out my programs and workshops ABOUT THE HOSTHeather has had more than 25 years of experience working with 1000s of customers and securing hundreds of millions of product funding. Early in her career, she was successful at rapidly growing start-up organizations, and over the past 15+ years she has a record of aligning diverse teams to deliver value for customers and strategies for organizations. All through having a focus on solving customer needs to achieve business outcomes.CONNECT & CONTACTVisit my community on Mighty Networks Find me on LinkedInEmail: info@listen-evolve-inspire.com

Before I ever book a meeting with my management to ask for funding, lay out a strategy for my product's needs, or ask for sponsorship, I make sure what I'm asking for is grounded in reality. Therefore, you will need an accurate and believable pitch. Precise prioritization of what should be in your pitch requires real user data, which means you need a broad enough sampling of user feedback to prove out the story for your pitch. Anything less than hard facts will only embarrass you and risk your credibility.KEY TAKEAWAYSThe first thing I always do is seek out enough information from end users.Here's a pro tip: I always ask my users to prioritize what's most important to them before concluding each feedback session. Doing so will reinforce the accuracy of your foundational dataThe second action I take is sharing the summarized, prioritized user feedback with my business peersThe second action output will include summaries of prioritized user feedback and business priorities, which were mapped using user data. My third action is to share the business output with my stakeholders. This output is aimed at making informed decisions based on a combination of prioritized user and business needs.The stakeholder analysis's output should include details of resources, effort scoping, timelines, and budget requirements. I like to summarize these details into points within the overall product program pitchDM me in my community on Mighty Networks, ask me anything!BEST MOMENTS“When I prepare for a pitch, I need to anticipate the questions and possible push-back moments from what I'm presenting. The pitch needs to make sense right away to the new listeners.”“The priorities of what I'm asking for must be rock-solid, or I won't get the business to invest in my strategy.”VALUABLE RESOURCESMy free guideCheck out my programs and workshops ABOUT THE HOSTHeather has had more than 25 years of experience working with 1000s of customers and securing hundreds of millions of product funding.  Early in her career, she was successful at rapidly growing start-up organizations, and over the past 15+ years she has a record of aligning diverse teams to deliver value for customers and strategies for organizations.  All through having a focus on solving customer needs to achieve business outcomes.CONNECT & CONTACTVisit my community on Mighty Networks Find me on LinkedInEmail:  info@listen-evolve-inspire.com

As December comes to a close, I like to revisit my year. From a fiscal year perspective, I review the goals of my mid-year in-flight programs.Are your programs on track, and can you measure their trajectory? What must occur from January through June to accomplish your goals? Then, what strategic business outcomes can you plan for and fulfill to meet goals between July and December?KEY TAKEAWAYSAnother way I reflect on my year is to assess if my work compelled me to evolve how I interacted with my customers, partners, peers, stakeholders, and management. Did I target and act on my professional development goals to level up my skills and add one new habit to my professional operating model, making my goals a reality?Did I receive or seek out feedback from others about how I can evolve my techniques for interacting with the teams I work with?Did I cultivate any new customers and partners into advisory roles this year?Looking beyond myself, who did I mentor or support with their role or career? DM me in my community on Mighty Networks, ask me anything!BEST MOMENTS“As a professional, it’s essential to constantly assess what’s working and what’s not working so that you can evolve your next opportunity.”“Challenge yourself to mature a reputable operating model. Then, work it into your daily practice.”VALUABLE RESOURCESMy free guideCheck out my programs and workshops ABOUT THE HOSTHeather has had more than 25 years of experience working with 1000s of customers and securing hundreds of millions of product funding. Early in her career, she was successful at rapidly growing start-up organizations, and over the past 15+ years she has a record of aligning diverse teams to deliver value for customers and strategies for organizations. All through having a focus on solving customer needs to achieve business outcomes.CONNECT & CONTACTVisit my community on Mighty Networks Find me on LinkedInEmail: info@listen-evolve-inspire.com

This conversation delves into the methodology of conducting Product Insight Sprints, emphasizing the importance of user feedback in product development. I outline the process from planning and preparing for the sprint, engaging users during the sessions, categorizing and prioritizing feedback, for assessing implementation efforts and creating an executive pitch deck. The focus is on fostering genuine relationships with users and stakeholders to drive informed business decisions and enhance product usability.KEY TAKEAWAYSThe goal of design sprints is to reduce adoption risks and improve a user's experience by:Hearing use case-specific feedback directly from usersGetting answers to critical business questions to make informed decisionsComing up with new ideas with users and subject matter expertsAligning teams under a shared visionDeveloping scope estimates with all teamsPrototyping an idea, developing wireframes or workflowsValidating it rapidly with usersFinally, having a formulated a data-driven, user-validated pitch for your management and stakeholdersBEST MOMENTS“I consistently check in with users and stakeholders to stay current with what users need and keep my relationships genuine and accessible should I need to make various business decisions.”“This product insight sprint is a series of sessions in which users of products and employees from various teams share and discuss usability feedback and run ideation sessions that conclude with a nicely formed pile of stack-ranked decisions for a specific product.”‘In a nutshell, a product insight sprint is a series of time-bound processes that use design thinking activities to help design or redesign a product, service, or feature.’VALUABLE RESOURCESMy free guideCheck out my programs and workshops ABOUT THE HOSTHeather has had more than 25 years of experience working with 1000s of customers and securing hundreds of millions of product funding.  Early in her career, she was successful at rapidly growing start-up organizations, and over the past 15+ years she has a record of aligning diverse teams to deliver value for customers and strategies for organizations.  All through having a focus on solving customer needs to achieve business outcomes.CONNECT & CONTACTVisit my community on Mighty Networks Find me on LinkedInEmail:  info@listen-evolve-inspire.com