AMA: Adobe Director, Product Marketing & Strategy, Gagan Mand on GTM Strategy and Product Launches for Enterprise Software

Product marketing roles vary widely, but at its core, it’s about driving growth and retention. With that broad responsibility, collaboration is key, which can naturally lead to some friction. Here’s how I usually think about navigating it: * GTM Execution Teams: This includes teams like Campaign marketing, PR, Branding, Web, and Analyst Relations, etc. The main challenge here is prioritizing sales tactics (for a single product) or distributing efforts and budgets across a product portfolio. Using a tiered launch framework, sharing roadmaps early, and clearly outlining the business impact can help get everyone on the same page. * Sales Execution: The challenge here is incentive misalignment—sales teams focus on short-term targets, while PMMs look at long-term growth. This can be tackled by finding creative ways to structure deals that benefit both the sales goals and the business in the long run. * Product Alignment: Staying in sync with Product and Engineering teams is crucial. Regular check-ins, open communication channels, and clear hand-off processes help us avoid misalignment on strategy, timelines, or product positioning.

Supporting my team’s career growth revolves around clarity, feedback, and opportunities. Here’s my approach: * Growth Framework: Simplify the company’s job leveling guide to ensure everyone understands what it takes to progress. Match each team member with projects that leverage their strengths and help them develop the skills needed for the next level. * Candid Feedback: Timely, constructive feedback is essential. Providing specific examples and actionable suggestions allows them to implement improvements immediately, rather than waiting for formal reviews. * Prioritization: Help the team focus on what matters most each week to ensure high-impact work takes precedence over distractions. We use a Top-of-week standup format to align on this. * Celebrate Wins: Recognize and celebrate achievements to keep the team motivated and engaged. * Learning Opportunities: Encourage using the company’s learning budget for books, courses, or industry resources to foster continuous skill development.

Marketing teams—like product marketing, brand marketing, and campaign marketing—each have unique roles and metrics to drive. Understanding these metrics is key to aligning everyone toward common goals. When the team is aligned, brainstorming about contributors versus owners becomes much smoother. Often, conflicts arise from a "lack of context." In cases of duplication, here’s how to address it: * Inquire About the Initiative: Assume good intent when discussing overlaps. * Educate the Teams: Share insights on any similar initiatives running in parallel. * Identify Opportunities: Look for ways to contribute, align, or collaborate. Product marketing teams, in particular, possess valuable knowledge about products, market trends, personas, and customer insights. This expertise can significantly enhance initiatives led by other teams.

Product marketers, PMs, and Engineering are like the three legs of a stool—each playing a crucial role in keeping business and product stable. Here’s how we stay in sync: * Bi-annual Roadmap Planning: PMMs act as key contributors and influencers in shaping the roadmap. * Monthly PM/PMM Syncs: We align on upcoming innovations, target audiences, and the pain points these capabilities will address. * Weekly Leadership Syncs: These meetings focus on aligning strategic product priorities. * Monthly Cross-functional Syncs: Regular touchpoints across PM, PMM, and Engineering teams ensure we’re all on the same page.

To effectively roll out new collateral and training to a remote sales team, we leverage scalable channels, such as: * Sales/Partner Enablement Platforms: Modular content that allows sales to select relevant use cases, success stories, and value propositions. * Live Enablement Webinars: Engaging webinars scheduled for global teams, incorporating interactive elements like Q&As and quizzes. * Demo Hubs: Customizable demo scripts and resources tailored to different customer scenarios. * Monthly Feature Release Webinars: Highlighted in the internal GTM newsletter to keep everyone updated. 1:Many: Creating opportunities for real-time engagement is essential: * Regular Office Hours: Monthly sessions with key sales influencers to address questions and concerns. * Slack Channels: Dedicated channels for immediate access to the product team for quick responses. * Regional Tiger Teams: Ensuring consistent messaging and GTM strategies across different regions.

The scope of a product marketing role can vary significantly between companies. In a high-impact position, a product marketer acts as the general manager, overseeing strategy, operations, and overall performance. Short-term Metrics: Key short-term metrics include: * Pipeline: Measures activities related to awareness. * Close Ratio: Indicates execution effectiveness. * Retention: Reflects product adoption. Long-term Success Indicators: A high-performing product marketing team is recognized by: * Revenue Growth Rate: Despite business fluctuations, a strong PMM team effectively identifies and addresses key challenges. * Speed to Market: The team's ability to quickly react to market trends and competitor moves is crucial for sustained success.