AMA: Cisco Product Marketing Leader, Elizabeth Grossenbacher on Platform and Solutions Product Marketing

Since your packaging is normally solution-based, shifting to persona-based packaging requires a different approach. Steps to package multi-product features for a persona: 1. Define the Persona’s Workflow & Key Challenges * Understand their day-to-day job and the biggest problems they face. 2. Map Features to a Cohesive Story * Instead of listing features, craft a use case-driven story that explains how these features together solve the persona’s pain points. 3. Name the Persona Package * Give it a memorable name that resonates with the target audience (e.g., “Revenue Operations Suite” for RevOps teams). 4. Pricing & GTM Strategy * Decide if this will be an add-on, a pre-configured bundle, or a new SKU. * Position it as an upgrade or must-have for that persona (e.g., “For growth-focused marketing leaders, this package delivers XYZ”). 5. Sales Enablement & Messaging Alignment * Ensure sales understands when to pitch the persona package vs. a broader solution sale. Key question to answer: “Why does this persona need this package today vs. piecing it together themselves?”

Product messaging highlights specific capabilities, differentiation, and use cases tied to one offering. Portfolio messaging needs to unify multiple products under a single value proposition, making it broader and more strategic. At Cisco, we focus on business outcomes rather than individual product features. For example, if your customers seek to “simplify their business operations,” then your job as a PMM is to illustrate how all products in the portfolio help the customer achieve that outcome. Here are three simple steps to get started on portfolio level messaging: 1. Identify common pain points your customers experience across your multiple products. 2. Think about the outcomes. Stepping away from your products for a moment, and focusing on the customer, think about this question: what are the business outcomes your customer is trying to achieve, where these pain points are preventing them from doing so? If you haven’t already done so, this is where you should do some interviews with customers. 3. Define the value prop. Map how different products work together to produce that outcome and define a core value narrative that aligns with customer priorities (e.g., cost savings, efficiency, risk reduction). The “how we do this” is defined by the products available in the platform.

I usually approach this with an expectation that the data exists somewhere in the org; we just need to create unity with the teams who steward them. I do this by showing teams like PM or Sales how we use data as inputs to our framework. I’ve never had someone tell me “no” once I expose how the data is used. If that doesn’t work, here are some creative ways to think about accessing data: * Leverage customer-facing teams: Work with sales, CS, and SEs to collect qualitative feedback on solution usage and challenges. * Use meeting recording software: Salespeople usually record their calls with customers. A good example of this is Gong. * Use win/loss analysis: Even if you don’t have direct access to CRM data, win/loss interviews can provide insights. * Third-party research: Use analyst reports, industry benchmarks, and market surveys. * Create the data yourself: Pursue an initiative to conduct whatever surveys/interviews are needed to get the information. * Pilot and test: A/B test messaging with specific customer segments to see what resonates.

This varies by organization. Generally speaking, the VP PMM leader creates an organizational strategy that outlines all of this. Here’s how I have seen it work at various organizations: * Industry marketing tailors messaging to a specific vertical, speaking directly to sector-specific pain points, regulations, and trends. * Solutions marketing focuses on cross-product use cases, emphasizing how different products work together to solve a business problem. * Product marketing still includes industry and solutions messaging, but it’s primarily focused on positioning an individual product or a portfolio of products—it doesn’t always tell the broader story of multiple products working together or industry-wide impact.

This starts with leadership alignment. Whoever leads Solutions marketing must be tightly locked with PMM leadership with shared goals and strategy. With visibility into that, Product PMMs and Solution PMMs know what’s coming when and how they should engage. Here are some ways we have achieved around that at Cisco: * Regular syncs & alignment on messaging: Ensure product PMMs understand how their product contributes to the overall solution/platform story. * Shared go-to-market (GTM) motions: Work together on cross-product launch plans and sales enablement materials. * Segmented content strategy: Product PMMs focus on product-specific differentiation, while platform PMMs tie it back to use cases or broader customer business outcomes. * Joint customer references & use cases: Show how customers use multiple products together for a holistic solution.

Imagine you’re putting together an outfit for a grand party! The business outcome is that you want to look fabulous. Solutions marketing is the entire ensemble (pants, belt, top, jacket, shoes, jewelry, etc.). Product marketing is each one of those items. Fine leather shoes are beautiful on their own, but they tie in so well with those gorgeous trousers. That’s how Solutions Marketing and Product Marketing work together. * Product Marketing → Focuses on an individual product, its features, positioning, differentiation, and direct competitive comparison. * Solution Marketing → Combines multiple products to achieve specific business outcomes for the customer, often aligning with industry needs. * Key difference: Solutions marketing is more outcome-driven and brings together many products, while product marketing focuses on one component.

You have to do this in 3 phases: * Pre- Roll Out * Roll Put * Post Roll Out Pre-Rollout: * Executive buy-in first: Ensure leadership aligns on messaging before rollout. * Train the trainers: Enable sales enablement, SEs, and CS teams first—they’ll be critical in reinforcing messaging. * Tailor to sales segments: Different teams (enterprise, SMB, industry verticals) may need customized versions of the messaging. Roll Out * Schedule a roadshow: Have your trainers (or you, depending on the org size) conduct roadshows to get the info out. * Use real-world customer stories: Make messaging relatable by tying it to use cases, ROI examples, and competitive positioning. PRO TIP! Give sales people an example pitch from one of their own peers. * Create easy-to-use assets: Think battlecards, pitch decks, one-pagers, and call scripts that reinforce key messages. * Run live training & on-demand learning: Have an interactive sales kickoff, followed by short-form video refreshers in your LMS. Post Roll Out * Use your enablement platform: Upload all of the materials to a centralized hub or page to make it easy for salespeople to access the materials. * Track adoption & refine: Gather feedback from sales on what’s working and adjust messaging as needed.

Once you’ve told the big industry story, you need to show depth and credibility within that industry. Ways to reinforce industry expertise: * Customer Proof: Showcase customer case studies from that industry (bonus: use industry-specific metrics). * Partnerships: Highlight industry-specific integrations or co-sell agreements with relevant partners. * Industry Certifications & Compliance: Show that your product meets sector regulations (HIPAA for healthcare, SOC2 for fintech, etc.). * Dedicated Industry Events & Content: Speak at industry conferences, sponsor sector-specific reports, and engage in industry analyst briefings. * Industry-Specific Roadmap: Show that your product team is investing in features that matter to that industry.

If you're not using AI, you're behind! Here are some tips on how to get started right away. The AI tools I love are ChatGTP, Claude, Notion, and Perplexity. PRO TIP: Lots of other PMM tool favorites now have APIs with AI tools, like Google sheets! ;) 1. Customer & Market Research * Use Case: Gather insights from customer reviews, competitor websites, and industry reports to understand pain points and trends. * Perplexity – Acts as an AI-powered search engine for pulling insights from real-time sources. * Example Prompt: “Summarize the top challenges [target audience] faces with [product category].” * ChatGPT/Claude – Process and analyze raw research data. * Example Prompt: “Analyze these customer reviews and identify common themes in pain points and benefits.” 2. Drafting Positioning Statements * Use Case: Create multiple variations of positioning statements to align with different personas. * ChatGPT/Claude – Generate and refine positioning frameworks using battle-tested templates. * Example Prompt: “Using the Geoffrey Moore positioning framework, generate a positioning statement for [product] targeting [audience] solving [problem].” * Perplexity – Validate and compare against competitor positioning. 3. Messaging Framework Development * Use Case: Build structured messaging tailored for different personas and market segments. * ChatGPT/Claude – Structure messaging hierarchies, ensuring alignment with pain points and product benefits. * Example Prompt: “Create a messaging framework for [product] including a high-level positioning statement, three key value propositions, and supporting proof points.” * Perplexity – Cross-check how competitors frame similar messaging. 4. Testing and Refining Messaging * Use Case: Evaluate resonance and clarity of messaging. * ChatGPT – Act as a sounding board by providing critiques. * Example Prompt: “Act as a skeptical customer. Does this message sound compelling and clear? Where can it improve?” * Claude – Rewrite messaging in different tones or simplify complex language. 5. Generating Copy Variations for Channels * Use Case: Adapt messaging for different formats (landing pages, sales decks, social posts). * Tools & How to Use Them: * ChatGPT – Convert messaging into various content formats. * Example Prompt: “Transform this positioning statement into a Twitter thread and a LinkedIn post.” * Claude – Expand on key ideas with a more narrative-driven approach. * Perplexity – Compare messaging styles used in the industry. 6. Competitive Analysis & Differentiation * Use Case: Identify white space in positioning. * Tools & How to Use Them: * Perplexity – Research competitor claims and key messaging. * Example Prompt: “Compare the messaging of [Competitor A] vs. [Competitor B] for [product category].” * ChatGPT/Claude – Generate differentiation statements based on gaps found in competitor messaging. Best Practices for AI-Assisted Positioning & Messaging * Start with Human Insights – AI is best at refining, not replacing, strategic thinking. * Prompt Iteratively – Use structured prompts to guide AI toward better outputs. * Validate with Real Feedback – Test AI-generated messaging with customers and sales teams. * Cross-Check Sources – Especially when using Perplexity for competitive research.