AMA: ClickUp VP, Product Marketing, Mike Berger on Developing Your Product Marketing Career
November 11 @ 10:00AM PST
View AMA Answers
ClickUp VP, Product Marketing, Mike Berger on Developing Your Product Marketing Career
Top Questions
How do you update stakeholders, and the company as a whole, on the recent activities and achievements of product marketing?
What channel/form, what content do you include, formats, etc.
Mike Berger
Ex-VP, Product Marketing @ ClickUp, SurveyMonkey, Gainsight, Marketo • November 11
I think a monthly email update, or Slack update sent to the entire company is a great way to update the rest of the organization on the activities and achievements of PMM. Generally speaking, there is so much noise with all the channels of communication people have to deal with today that somet......Read More
561 Views
2 requests
Mike Berger
Ex-VP, Product Marketing @ ClickUp, SurveyMonkey, Gainsight, Marketo • November 11
Here are some ways to think about the move from Sr. PMM to Lead: Skills * Sr. PMM - You have advanced product marketing skills and significant experience in the field. Based on your expertise, you regularly work to define the scope of your role and build on your skillset. * Lead - You h......Read More
1016 Views
3 requests
How to approach the conversation with my manager regarding promotion after working in b2b product marketing for several years and not been promoted
I started a new role recently at the PMM level, and already have several years of PMM experience. both roles were in enterprise software, but the industries / products are very different so there is a big learning curve in the new role
Mike Berger
Ex-VP, Product Marketing @ ClickUp, SurveyMonkey, Gainsight, Marketo • November 11
This is very hard to answer without more detail. Knowing the reason why you haven't been promoted yet would obviously inform how I'd approach the conversation. But my advice would be to simply approach the conversation honestly. Some tips: 1. Make it clear you believe you deserve a promotion 2......Read More
443 Views
1 request
Mike Berger
Ex-VP, Product Marketing @ ClickUp, SurveyMonkey, Gainsight, Marketo • November 11
I look for a combination of: 1. Impact - have they played a significant role in driving positive business outcomes for the company 2. Skills - have they achieved a level of mastery necessary to successfully coach others 3. Leadership - have they recognized and elevated those around th......Read More
488 Views
1 request
Mike Berger
Ex-VP, Product Marketing @ ClickUp, SurveyMonkey, Gainsight, Marketo • November 11
Short answer, yes. If it's a job you really want, go above and beyond. Now, if a company says they want you to prepare a 5 slide presentation on something, I wouldn't simply decide that 10 slides is fine, because they might want to see whether or not you can create a concise deck. So if you plan ......Read More
1487 Views
1 request
What would you say are the top 3 - 5 areas a Product Marketing Manager should always be focused on that can make the biggest impact at a growing start-up?
Product Marketing can end up being a catch-all in terms of responsibilities.
Mike Berger
Ex-VP, Product Marketing @ ClickUp, SurveyMonkey, Gainsight, Marketo • November 11
Here's what is top of mind for me as it relates to making a big impact in a startup environment: * Understanding of the customer - not just a surface level understanding of the customer, but a deep understanding of customers incuding their pains and motivations. This is knowledge that no ......Read More
557 Views
6 requests
What are the most important skills (both tactical and intangible) that are must-have for product marketers?
Ex... GTM: it more important to be skilled at product or feature-specific launches or to be skilled at high-level overall GTM (messaging, positioning, pricing, packaging).
Mike Berger
Ex-VP, Product Marketing @ ClickUp, SurveyMonkey, Gainsight, Marketo • November 11
I'll answer this by conveying what I look for when I hire product marketers: 1. Messaging skills - can you take complex things and make them seem simple and easily digestible 2. Writing skills - writing is an art form, and is the most important foundational skill for a PMM in my opinio......Read More
707 Views
2 requests
Mike Berger
Ex-VP, Product Marketing @ ClickUp, SurveyMonkey, Gainsight, Marketo • November 11
I think the one thing that most PMMs that are early on in their careers should focus on is storytelling. Conveying the value of a solution in a clear, concise and compelling way is incredibly important, but it's table stakes. Doing the same by telling a story takes it to another level, and makes ......Read More
417 Views
4 requests
What are good product marketing OKRs?
I would like to know what metrics are used to measure PMM and what does good look like
Mike Berger
Ex-VP, Product Marketing @ ClickUp, SurveyMonkey, Gainsight, Marketo • November 11
If you are looking for key Product Marketing metrics to determine success, here are some ideas: * For a mature product: new users, adoption (usage), active users, daily active users, monthly active users, retention, net retention, pipeline, revenue, deal size, win rate, close rate, veloci......Read More
10430 Views
3 requests
What can I include in my marketing portfolio to standout from the crowd as a product marketing candidate.
I'm new to Product Marketing. In the interviews that I've done, I am being asked to present a marketing portfolio.
Mike Berger
Ex-VP, Product Marketing @ ClickUp, SurveyMonkey, Gainsight, Marketo • November 11
Maybe I'm unique but I've been in Product Marketing for a long time and I've never been asked to present a "marketing portfolio". I have, on the other hand, been asked to present on specific topics or share specific experiences on many occasions. If someone is asking you to present a "marketing ......Read More
5721 Views
3 requests
What framework do you use when assessing a new opportunity at a different company?
Some criteria I've used in the past: what problems have I solved that I'm good at and what do I want to solve next, the team makeup, where the role sits in the organization, company culture, and where the product fits in the market
Mike Berger
Ex-VP, Product Marketing @ ClickUp, SurveyMonkey, Gainsight, Marketo • November 11
For those of you who are earlier on (first ~8 years) in your career, here is the framework I'd use: 1. People (and Culture) - You should feel energized about working with the people at the company, ESPECIALLY your manager, and the culture should feel like a fit. 2. Company - Join a roc......Read More
1225 Views
4 requests
Mike Berger
Ex-VP, Product Marketing @ ClickUp, SurveyMonkey, Gainsight, Marketo • November 11
I've always thought that Hubspot has done a great job with product marketing. They have great product market fit and their messaging and positioning is typically on point. As their platform has grown and they've introduced new offerings like their CRM, their "powerful alone, better together" mess......Read More
1023 Views
1 request
Mike Berger
Ex-VP, Product Marketing @ ClickUp, SurveyMonkey, Gainsight, Marketo • November 11
I can tell you based on quite a bit of experience that this is the easiest question I'll ever answer on the topic of building a successful PMM career. It isn't even close. When you are early on in your career, forget about the role, title, pay, etc. Instead, jump into any seat on a rocketship. ......Read More
1230 Views
2 requests
Mike Berger
Ex-VP, Product Marketing @ ClickUp, SurveyMonkey, Gainsight, Marketo • November 11
Great PMMs really understand the nuances behind messaging and are able to create simplicity out of complexity. They are framework-driven. They connect their work to strategic company initiatives, especially those tied to growth. They are "drivers" with a strong bias to action. They are ph......Read More
1509 Views
1 request