AMA: Dandy Director of Product Marketing, Jesse Lopez on Stakeholder Management

Balancing feedback and getting buy-in from different stakeholders is always tricky, especially when opinions differ. I’ve found that using a clear decision-making framework like Gokul Rajaram's SPADE makes a big difference. SPADE helps me structure decisions by defining the situation, identifying stakeholders, presenting multiple options, and evaluating the pros and cons of each before driving alignment. For example, when I was working on a pricing and packaging recommendation at Square for my p ...Read More

When the product team stalls, I see it as my opportunity to step in and bring the customer’s voice front and center. I make it a habit to regularly interview our most valued customers and prospects to dig into their pain points, needs, and what they wish we’d solve for them. These conversations are incredibly insightful, but I also know that qualitative insights need to be backed by data. Beyond surveys, I analyze other sources like CX feedback, comments in the support center, input from account ...Read More

Leveraging external-facing teams like sales, account management, and CX is one of the best ways to bring diverse opinions to the table and gain influence with other teams. For example, I’ve worked with sales leadership to build a win/loss analysis program that identifies the biggest product gaps and assesses the potential TAM or revenue opportunity tied to each gap. This isn’t just a one-time exercise—it’s an ongoing voice-of-customer program where insights are presented to product teams on a qu ...Read More

When resolving conflict between team members, I believe in tackling it head-on and fostering open communication. Here’s how I typically approach it: Address the conflict directly: I start by setting up a meeting with the individuals involved to understand their perspectives and identify the root cause of the tension. The goal isn’t to assign blame but to figure out what improvements can be made to resolve the conflict and prevent it from recurring. Lead by example: I make a point to model the be ...Read More

Three key tips for keeping stakeholders informed effectively regularly include: Establishing meeting rhythms to keep momentum: I’ve found that keeping stakeholders informed is all about building the right communication rhythms. For bigger launches or complex projects, I set up dedicated working teams that meet regularly—weekly or biweekly—to ensure alignment and momentum. It’s a great way to keep people engaged and address challenges early. Tailoring updates to maximize engagement: One thing tha ...Read More