AMA: Cisco Meraki Head of Product Marketing, Grant Shirk on Influencing the Product Roadmap
December 15 @ 10:00AM PT
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Cisco Head of Product Marketing, Cisco Campus Network Experiences | Formerly Tellme Networks, Microsoft, Box, Vera, Scout RFP, and Sisu Data, to name a few. • 3y
Okay, this is a fun one, so I'm going to start here. As a former UI designer (at Pixo and Tellme Networks**), this is probably the most fun you'll have in product marketi...
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Cisco Head of Product Marketing, Cisco Campus Network Experiences | Formerly Tellme Networks, Microsoft, Box, Vera, Scout RFP, and Sisu Data, to name a few. • 3y
If I understand your question correctly, constantly. No matter if you're the lead product marketer for an enterprise product, SMB, or consumer; whether you have a product...
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Cisco Head of Product Marketing, Cisco Campus Network Experiences | Formerly Tellme Networks, Microsoft, Box, Vera, Scout RFP, and Sisu Data, to name a few. • 3y
The great thing about roadmaps is they're like the Pirates' Code. "It's more of a guideline." First, never lose sight of the fact that if you have a concrete roadmap fr...
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Cisco Head of Product Marketing, Cisco Campus Network Experiences | Formerly Tellme Networks, Microsoft, Box, Vera, Scout RFP, and Sisu Data, to name a few. • 3y
I strongly recommend against providing ANY incentive for alpha and beta users to provide feedback or engagement. I find it creates bias and influences the kind of feedbac...
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Cisco Head of Product Marketing, Cisco Campus Network Experiences | Formerly Tellme Networks, Microsoft, Box, Vera, Scout RFP, and Sisu Data, to name a few. • 3y
Currently, we do not. I don't believe it's the product marketing team's role to quantify the technical costs of a product or solution investment. That's stepping too far...
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Cisco Head of Product Marketing, Cisco Campus Network Experiences | Formerly Tellme Networks, Microsoft, Box, Vera, Scout RFP, and Sisu Data, to name a few. • 3y
There are two big categories here. Speaking with a customer after specific feature feedback Re-introducing a product to a prospect/customer who said "no" I'll address...
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Cisco Head of Product Marketing, Cisco Campus Network Experiences | Formerly Tellme Networks, Microsoft, Box, Vera, Scout RFP, and Sisu Data, to name a few. • 3y
Roadmaps are a living, breathing plan. This should be a continual conversation with product (and sales, and cs, and...) to make sure you always know what is happening and...
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How do you define between a customer(s) want or request and a feature that is actually needed?
Customers may want many things, but it might not always be the right feature to implement. How do you decide this?
Cisco Head of Product Marketing, Cisco Campus Network Experiences | Formerly Tellme Networks, Microsoft, Box, Vera, Scout RFP, and Sisu Data, to name a few. • 3y
Repeatability. Customers are asking for a feature because they believe the need it. Nobody has time to invent frivolous features for companies they don't work for. As a...
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What kinds of market research do you do to shape the product roadmap and build, buy, and partner strategy? And more tactically, what format do you share your analysis?
I'm tasked with doing market research -- voice of the customer, competitive intelligence, and doing internal interviews -- to segment a new market and what we need to invest in to increase market penetration.
Cisco Head of Product Marketing, Cisco Campus Network Experiences | Formerly Tellme Networks, Microsoft, Box, Vera, Scout RFP, and Sisu Data, to name a few. • 3y
I find that there are two times when it makes sense to truly invest in deep market research like what you mention: When you're considering starting a company or buildin...
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What template do you use when pitching customer/prospect priorities to Product leadership?
We have data points and a long backlog of features that need to be prioritized to help us win. I'm struggling to consolidate it into a consumable format for product to digest and decide
Cisco Head of Product Marketing, Cisco Campus Network Experiences | Formerly Tellme Networks, Microsoft, Box, Vera, Scout RFP, and Sisu Data, to name a few. • 3y
This is an inteesting one. My first question is, "Why are you pitching to Product leadership?" A pitch is a judgemental situation. Instead, I'd urge you to discuss your i...
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Cisco Head of Product Marketing, Cisco Campus Network Experiences | Formerly Tellme Networks, Microsoft, Box, Vera, Scout RFP, and Sisu Data, to name a few. • 3y
Offer to help write product copy. One, it's really fun, and a nice break from the usual. Two, it forces you to put your money where your mouth is. How would *you* guide...
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Cisco Head of Product Marketing, Cisco Campus Network Experiences | Formerly Tellme Networks, Microsoft, Box, Vera, Scout RFP, and Sisu Data, to name a few. • 3y
I'm currently the Head of Product Marketing at Cisco Meraki. I also have responsibility for the Cisco Wireless product portfolio. In the Meraki business, Product Marketin...
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