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Ryan Smith

AMA: Eightfold Sr. Director, Product Marketing, Ryan Smith on Product Marketing Career Path

March 8 @ 10:00AM PST
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Eightfold Sr. Director, Product Marketing, Ryan Smith on Product Marketing Career Path
Top Questions
How do you stand out in a pool of product marketing candidates? What kinds of experiences, or which characteristics/traits, do employers care about most?
Ryan Smith
Ryan Smith
Eightfold VP, Product Marketing • March 9
A few things: - Highlight business impact as much as possible (ex helped grow ACV by 100% in 1 year) - Highlight product launches - Highlight technical proficiencies (I've always thought Solution Engineers make some of the best PMMs because they know the product so well) - Personally,......Read More
664 Views
2 requests
If you know that Product Marketing is your passion and you eventually want to be a leader of product marketing, how do you continue to grow in your role over time and take on the right experiences?
Ryan Smith
Ryan Smith
Eightfold VP, Product Marketing • March 9
Read. Watch. Listen. Consume as much information as possible. Knowledge is power. People listen and follow leaders who have opinions. Opinions are shaped by experiences. When you're uncomfortable, there's a good chance you're probably learning. Put yourself in uncomfortable situations.  Rem......Read More
589 Views
2 requests
What do you see as the foundational skill sets and areas of focus for a product marketer? And what are the best ways to establish those skills and competency in those areas?
Ryan Smith
Ryan Smith
Eightfold VP, Product Marketing • March 9
The best product marketers put themselves at the center of the 5 Ps: Product, Packaging, Positioning, Promotion, and Place (aka Enablement).  On any given day, your work should be related to the above.  PMMs should be the most athletic (multi-dimensional) marketer at the company. The more y......Read More
954 Views
2 requests
Scenario — you’ve just landed your first Product Marketing role. What ideas or projects would you try to take on and lead, and what skills do you need to make those projects as successful as possible?
Ryan Smith
Ryan Smith
Eightfold VP, Product Marketing • March 9
Get involved in a Product Launch ASAP. Product launches are a great way to get experience with the 5Ps (covered in the first question).  The other beautiful thing about product launches is that they typically touch every function of the company (or nearly every function) so you'll get the oppo......Read More
929 Views
2 requests
How have you set yourself up for promotion at a company?
This is in relation to not moving companies for a promotion it’s about how to get promoted at the existing company you are at. Also would love any insights to how establish the organization was in marketing as it relates to promote-ability.
Ryan Smith
Ryan Smith
Eightfold VP, Product Marketing • March 9
This is a tricky one and often depends on the philosophy of the company, org and individual leaders. From my experience there are 3 major indicators: - Led a big, cross-functional product launch. I find this particularly important for Sr. Managers looking for a Director promotion. Launches ......Read More
896 Views
1 request
What do you look for when someone on your team wants to make the move from an individual contributor to a people manager?
Ryan Smith
Ryan Smith
Eightfold VP, Product Marketing • March 9
* This is hard to quantify, but for me, it's all about being easy to work with and a great collaborator. Cross-functional collaboration is inherent to product marketing leadership and people have to enjoy working with you.  * Think about thinking. One of the biggest adjustments for ICs......Read More
946 Views
2 requests
What team structures have you explored, and which do you recommend?
When building a new PMM team, how would you think about structuring the team when product-alignment isn't a clear cut answer (ie, our platform isn't ready for distinct ownership of feature sets)?
Ryan Smith
Ryan Smith
Eightfold VP, Product Marketing • March 9
Two dimensions to think about: product and operational.  PMMs need to be aligned to persona solutions. If the product set only has one key buyer there may be opportunities to break down by user personas or level two buyers.  If that's still challenging I would suggest thinking about operati......Read More
969 Views
1 request