AMA: Cisco Head of Product Marketing, Cisco IoT, Patty Medberry on Product Launches

Successful product marketing, even outside of launches, requires close collaboration with the product management team. I encourage the PM team to consider product marketing as part of their team. Attending their staff meetings, business/planning meetings, and regular sync-ups are a must to understand and execute on the business. Choosing which features and products to focus on is a joint effort between the two groups. PMMs work with the PMs to understand what problem these new capabilities will solve or the opportunity this brings to customers. We also work with them to understand feature revenue potential, target market, etc. At the same time, PMMs are looking at our bigger story to the market and how these capabilities support that. All this helps us decide what to focus on…. We have two standard messaging templates (one long, one short) that include who we are targeting, the problem we are addressing, customer benefits, and key proof points. The longer version will include competitive information, the narrative, etc.

In crafting the messaging, we get input and feedback not just from product management, but also from sales, executive leadership, and other key stakeholders. We also reach out to analysts and to customers to make sure that our thinking will resonate with the external market in general. It is an iterative process that helps ensure that our message will land in the market and be used by our sellers and partners as they go-to-market.

The launch process is almost always the same. We brief our sellers, distributors, partners, and then launch to the external market, in that order, every single time. First briefing sellers, distributors, and partners ensures that they are not caught off guard by the announcement. It enables them to support customers and their questions on launch day and allows them to plan their strategy on how to use the launch to capture revenue and mindshare. Typically, analysts and press are briefed under embargo before launch day giving them time to write articles and be ready on day one. Press events on the day of the launch can be another option depending on the strategy.

No. In fact, launching at industry events can have a negative impact on the launch success depending upon what you are trying to do. Major events like the Consumer Electronics Show and Mobile World Congress, to name a few, are often so filled with news that your story may get buried. You might be more successful to launch before the event and use that event to amplify your news. Also, launching on its own can have huge benefits especially if there is no other major news happening at that time.

Launching a product too early or too late can impact launch success. In many organizations, there is a lot of pressure to launch products before they are ready. In launching too early, I have seen the following results: * Loss of trust - quality issues or changes in product availability can affect how the market views the product and your brand * Loss of momentum – It is hard to get your sales force behind a product that won’t be available for months when they have a quota to meet today. Customers can feel the same way, as they also have deadlines. * Loss of productivity – much of what goes into a launch must be replicated or redone when the product becomes available. * Loss of Revenue - Instead of buying what you have today, customers may wait to purchase the new product. That said, there are very good reasons to launch early. For example, announcing a new product may stall your competitors’ sales and provide an entry point for you into the market. Waiting too long to launch a product can also have ramifications. It could delay time to revenue. It also could give your competitors the opportunity to fill the void in the market, making it more difficult for you to compete. As a PMM, it is important to understand the readiness of the product and market dynamics to guide the organization in choosing a launch date that will bring the most success. I typically like to launch products within two months of their general availability. Product managers have more confidence in the product timeline and its quality. Customers and sellers have time to learn and assess the product before buying.