Product Management

& The Holy Grail As Seen Through The Eyes of Monty Python

Tom Evans

Lûcrum Marketing

@compellingmktr

In Search of the Holy Grail

Who Made You King?

Product Management is an Influence Role

1- set a clear vision of the product and goal

2- set a clear process and roles for the team

3- get the team involved by eliciting ideas or suggestions

4- get people to volunteer for roles and responsibility

5- take ownership of final decision

6- keep reiterating the vision and keep the team involved

7- thank and celebrate team success

John Wu – via Product Management LinkedIn Group -

http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&discussionID=144735903&gid=42629&commentID=

91420696&trk=view_disc&ut=2B5r6MYmjz4Bo1

What Happens Now?

Strategy & Execution

• Plan the strategy

• Communicate it

• Know how to execute it

• Do it

She’s a Witch!

Make Decisions Based Upon Facts

• Market Research

• Voice-of-the-Customer

• Competitive Analysis

• Market Tests

http://blog.kitetail.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/imgdecisionqualitychain.png

Welcome to the Castle Anthrax!

Don’t Get Seduced Away From Your Mission

• Stick to and support the mission of your company

• Commit to your target market segments

• Define & defend your product positioning & strategy

We Want ….. A Shrubbery!

Beware of the Wild-Goose Chase!

• A futile search or fruitless errand, a task inordinately

complex relative to its outcome

• A demanding/complaining customer

• CEO or salesperson with the opportunity dujour

• Customer with one-off need

• Exec or customer that always changing their mind

What is the Airspeed Velocity of an

Unladen Swallow?

Discover the Underlying Issue

• Ask questions

• 7 “elements of circumstance” (Hermagoras of Temnos)

– Quis, quid, quando, ubi, cur, quem ad modum, quibus

adminiculis.

– (Who, what, when, where, why, in what way, by what

means)

• Tell me more

Just a Flesh Wound!

What, Behind the Rabbit?

Know Thy Competition!

• Do your competitive analysis

• Do not underestimate them

I’m Not Dead!

If a Product Is a Dog, Kill It!

http://www.maxi-pedia.com/BCG+matrix+model

What, Ridden On A Horse?

They See the Coconuts, Not the Horse!

• To your prospects

• To your customers

• To your teammates

• To your management

Lying v. Embellishment

Which PM Are You?

• Sir Lancelot the Brave

• Sir Gallahad the Pure

• Sir Robin the not-quite-so-brave-as-Sir-Lancelot

• Sir Not appearing-in-this-film

Copyright 2012 - LÛCRUM MARKETING

Thank You!

Tom Evans

Lûcrum Marketing

tevans@lucrum-marketing.com

+1.512.961.5267

@compellingmktr