A team is a group of individuals coming together to make magic happen. That’s our dream team, our PMM team. My lucky 13. #winningtogether
Our diverse minds, our conflicts and shakedowns. The annual team retreat and what happened in the past year. What can we do different, not just better.
Rinse and repeat is not the answer to PMM questions in most teams. What makes a dream PMM team?
It took all of me to understand and unlearn the mindset that shaped my career.
Each role and team in my career is a stepping stone. I knew what work environments I thrived in and what stifle my creativity.
A year ago, I shared my experiences of 10+ years as a product marketing leader in my book: [Book] Product Marketing: Mastering the art and science of PMM.
Opportunities unfolded to lead and grow teams from 4 to 12 in 18 months, to empower a global team of 25 (product marketing and product management) in 10+ countries. Each day was a learning to unlearn. To build empathy in our daily actions.
![[Book] Product Marketing: Mastering the art and science of PMM](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0CKX!,w_1300,h_650,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F15f2b252-f7fc-47dd-9228-df41e7d7d578_1500x1500.png)
Love the recognition and support from the community - Thank you Book Authority for naming my book as one of best new product marketing books in 2023.
5 Best New Product Marketing Books to read in 2023
As featured on CNN, Forbes and Inc – BookAuthority is the
leading site for book recommendations.
Product Marketing: Mastering the art and science of PMM
Div Manickam
PMM is different in each company. How do you define Product Marketing?
Product marketing is the linchpin, guiding the product, sales and marketing teams in the same direction. We are the voice of the customer and the market. We understand and empathize with our customer’s painpoint and articulate the value.
Every team is unique as we shape the product growth and drive sales and marketing. Start with the product lifecycle stage and the team and company maturity.
What was the one thing you wish to change or guide the leadership team on how to think about PMM value?
PMM is not a solo function. It’s an interconnection and link across product, sales and marketing. Hierarchy and team under Product or Marketing can add confusion on the focus and priority. Clear alignment and focus is critical to make sure we are all rowing in the same direction. Else our efforts can feel like an uphill every time.
Once we find the synergy, a beautiful rhythm steps in to make product marketing the magical thread bringing folks together and achieving team success.
What untapped opportunities are we missing by getting sucked into limiting PMM potential with only content creation?
PMM is a strategic opportunity to bring cross functional alignment. Don’t limit the scope to the immediate needs, but also expose the long term vision and goals to drive growth and momentum across industries and market segments.
Understand the core needs of each stakeholder from product, sales to marketing. Start with the foundation and then build your way into value creation from messaging and positioning to product launch to sales enablement and everything in between.
What is your dream PMM team? What skills and roles would you bring to unleash the momentum?
A blend of team players and folks who live and breathe the CEO mindset (thanks to my mentee for the acronym) - Curiosity, Empathy and Openness. With product marketers, solution and industry marketers, competitive intelligence and product launch managers, you can empower success.
Who is by your side to help propel our team and drive product growth and adoption? Which stakeholders are key to our team’s success?
I was really lucky to have the most supportive leader who gave us the opportunity to experiment, grow and learn. Always open minded to new ideas and helped shape my thinking of what kind of leader I want to be - the authentic leader I will follow.
![[Book] Fearless: Be the Authentic Leader you will Follow](https://substackcdn.com/image/youtube/w_728,c_limit/ZQeKbOEsfX4)
Cheers to the PMM leaders who are creating their own mark in the world of product marketing. We matter. Let’s make it count and drive the impact.
Join us on PMM Talks as we uncover the deep secrets of PMM value and building the PMM team of our dreams.
