AMA: Enable VP of Product Marketing, Amanda Groves on Product Marketing Career Path

September 3, 2024 @ 9:00AM PT

VP of Product Marketing · Zywave

👋 Hi I'm Amanda Groves.. Philly native (Go Flyers!), Pittsburgh transplant (Go Panthers!)

💼 I currently am the VP of Product Marketing at Zywave, an InsurTech company focused on helping carriers and brokers manage, protect, and grow their book of business intelligently.

👀 Topics of interest for me are managing M&A and integrating offerings... AI product innovation/roll out and building high-performance PMM teams.

🤝 Topics I am help with... adopting agile marketing, core PMM/Solution PMM, new product introduction process/tiering and pricing and packaging.

🍦 Favorite ice cream flavor.. mochi!

How do you see the PMM market changing given some of the changes in the market?

Amanda Groves

Zywave VP of Product Marketing | Formerly Crossbeam, 6sense, JazzHR, Imagine Learning, Appsembler • 1y

The biggest trends we're seeing in the market are related to consumers having: more choices less budget more pressure to perform Causing: longer sales cycles "no decisions" sticking with "status quo" This means as a PMM, we need to focus more than ever on our competitive positioning muscles. Sharpening competitive positioning and differentiated value propositions are critical skills for PMMs to finesse to ride the undulating waves of market changes. Help buyers understand why your brand is uniqu ...Read More

1,405 Views

2 requests
How can one get 1-2 projects to prove to potential employers that they can do the job of a Product Marketer when their background is in growth marketing?

Amanda Groves

Zywave VP of Product Marketing | Formerly Crossbeam, 6sense, JazzHR, Imagine Learning, Appsembler • 1y

Growth marketing is an excellent background to segue into Product Marketing. Some projects you could consider showcasing to potential employers are: Data-driven optimization projects: Showcase how your growth marketing background has influenced a specific "mico-funnel" or growth lever in a business. Bonus points if you're able to showcase segmentation by a specific persona, vertical, industry as prospective companies deeply care about targeting and personalization within the PMM profession. Infl ...Read More

1,169 Views

2 requests
What are some of the key moments that shaped your success as a product marketer?

What type of experience is critical to grow in a product marketing career?

Amanda Groves

Zywave VP of Product Marketing | Formerly Crossbeam, 6sense, JazzHR, Imagine Learning, Appsembler • 1y

Rolling out the New Product Introduction process has been a critical part of my success in organizations. Also developing "tiering calculators" messaging and positioning templates, and defining the difference between "market readiness" and "development complete" has really set me apart as an expert/influencer v. an order taker.

955 Views

1 request
I have six years' experience in marketing and four as a PMM. I am currently looking for my next challenge as a PMM and I keep failing the interview. As a result, I wonder how and what I should do in order to prove my value and pass my assignments.

In addition to the background check and research, I spend a full work day (more than 9 hours) on the home assignments. Should I take a course? Do you have one you recommend? It would be great to have a mentor to guide me and to brainstorm with.

Amanda Groves

Zywave VP of Product Marketing | Formerly Crossbeam, 6sense, JazzHR, Imagine Learning, Appsembler • 1y

Hello! I would encourage you to ask for feedback in the interview follow-up to understand where things are misaligned. In general I hire for: Aptitude, Attitude, and Coachability. If you are showcasing your empathy, curiosity, and prowess for the assignment at hand you will strike a positive chord with the hiring team. I'd also suggest having conviction in your point of view as many companies want PMMs to influence and incite change. Make sure you do your homework and prepare compelling question ...Read More

830 Views

1 request
If you’re looking to break into product marketing, is it helpful to have an advanced degree like a Masters Degree in Marketing or an MBA?

Amanda Groves

Zywave VP of Product Marketing | Formerly Crossbeam, 6sense, JazzHR, Imagine Learning, Appsembler • 1y

I think there is always upside in advanced education however I myself as a hiring manager do not require it. There are many certifications now that folks can get from organizations like Reforge, Pragmatic, and PMA that help teach on the job skills and competencies. These programs may be able to move faster with SaaS trends versus traditional MBAs. It just depends where you want to work in terms of company size, stage, B2B/B2C, etc.

819 Views

1 request
Do you think it's more important for mid-career PMMs to double-down on their strengths, or shore up their weaknesses? Can you share why, and an example of how you've done so?

Amanda Groves

Zywave VP of Product Marketing | Formerly Crossbeam, 6sense, JazzHR, Imagine Learning, Appsembler • 1y

This is a great question and one that is definitely unique to the individual. I'd say for me, doubling down on my strengths while being aware of my weaknesses has been the move. We all have natural strengths that lead us to follow a certain path. Studying journalism and being a strong believer in words, empathy, curiosity, has allowed me to follow a certain trajectory that wouldn't have been possible if I focused on my weaknesses. However, as things evolve, certain weaknesses will essentially pl ...Read More

814 Views

2 requests
What are some critical skillsets that are important to building your career in Product Marketing?

Amanda Groves

Zywave VP of Product Marketing | Formerly Crossbeam, 6sense, JazzHR, Imagine Learning, Appsembler • 1y

There are a few things that have helped my career in PMM. I have a journalism background so having a keen sense of asking questions to answer the five Ws: who, what, where, when why—has helped me develop targeted messaging, positioning, and push back when needed as it relates to market readiness of a new product. I also think having empathy, curiosity, and strong active listening skills are extremely important to developing a strong voice of the market. These traits also help with influencing st ...Read More

814 Views

2 requests
Any tips for how you can position yourself as a more strategic player in a larger organization?

Amanda Groves

Zywave VP of Product Marketing | Formerly Crossbeam, 6sense, JazzHR, Imagine Learning, Appsembler • 1y

The customer is the ultimate aligner. If you're able to show your proximity to the customer via surveys, research, and interactions you'll have more influence in strategic conversations. Build a bench of customer intelligence to help the company make decisions that are both good for the target audience, and for the business... this is the critical area to invest in to become the strategic growth lever the business needs, and is always lacking intelligence on.

809 Views

2 requests
Hi , Thank you for doing this! I have a PMM background from about 5 years ago ( for about 3 years) , then worked in more general marketing roles ( like demand gen) for a couple of years, went to bschool and now I’m in a pricing role - which is not exactly PMM. I want to make the pivot back into PMM . How can I leverage what I am doing currently and what I have done in the past, to take on a messaging, positioning and enablement PMM role ?

Amanda Groves

Zywave VP of Product Marketing | Formerly Crossbeam, 6sense, JazzHR, Imagine Learning, Appsembler • 1y

Hello! I would say that you're continuing to build on a strong PMM base given the pivot from product marketing into a more general role. When considering new roles that are back in a specialization, I'd encourage you to focus on the following facets of PMM in your resume: Data-driven decision making Influencing the roadmap Segmentation Messaging and positioning R&D: competitive, market, customer intelligence Showcase how in your past roles you've been able to impact the aforementioned areas ...Read More

754 Views

1 request

AMA: Enable VP of Product Marketing, Amanda Groves on Product Marketing Career Path

View AMA Answers

How do you see the PMM market changing given some of the changes in the market?

How can one get 1-2 projects to prove to potential employers that they can do the job of a Product Marketer when their background is in growth marketing?

What are some of the key moments that shaped your success as a product marketer?

I have six years' experience in marketing and four as a PMM. I am currently looking for my next challenge as a PMM and I keep failing the interview. As a result, I wonder how and what I should do in order to prove my value and pass my assignments.

If you’re looking to break into product marketing, is it helpful to have an advanced degree like a Masters Degree in Marketing or an MBA?

Do you think it's more important for mid-career PMMs to double-down on their strengths, or shore up their weaknesses? Can you share why, and an example of how you've done so?

What are some critical skillsets that are important to building your career in Product Marketing?

Any tips for how you can position yourself as a more strategic player in a larger organization?