AMA: Gong Former Director, Product Marketing, Ryane Bohm on PMM Soft and Hard Skills

I find that a lot of the most successful marketers as well as product marketers come from a sales background and I have a lot to learn from them. You're already super customer-focused, you're a great communicator, you are an expert at thriving in tense situations, and nobody knows the go-to-market motion better. Let's bottle that up and turn you into a PMM! 1. Find an industry you will thrive in and a product you are passionate about. Maybe this is an industry you have sold into or maybe it's something you already love. Build a network within that industry and start learning the ins and outs. There are a ton of places you can do this like Sharebird (!!), Product Marketing Alliance, LinkedIn, and even local meetups. 2. Figure out any gaps and fill them. Start learning the basics of Product Marketing through online resources and courses. By submitting this question and tuning into Sharebird, you're off to a great start. 3. Play up your strengths. You're the product now! Make sure you are positioning yourself accordingly on your resume, in public-facing forums, and by participating in relevant communities. Oh, and do everything in groups of 3s. I'm noticing a bit of a pattern here with my answers :) 

I talked about soft skills in another question, so let's laser focus on the hard skills needed to succeed in PMM here. Here are 3 hard skills you can focus on right now: 1. Data-Driven Decision Making: I actually teach a dedicated course on this topic at Loyola Chicago because I believe in it so much! Data helps with identifying and speaking to your target audience, defining the value of your product and ROI, market sizing, predicting buyer behavior, validating success in the market, and so much more. Even if you don't fancy yourself a "numbers person" - it is important to get into enough detail both qualitatively and quantitatively to target your approach. 2. Storytelling: You will more often than not need to use an emotional connection to convince buyers of the value of your product, service, or solution. By telling the story of your product and getting your prospective buyer to relate on a personal level, you are creating empathy that can take you miles. Take them through highs and lows and make them feel something. I took an amazing Pixar class on this a few years ago that I highly recommend to really harness this skill. 3. Program Management: PMMs are often tasked with huge initiatives, like product launches. I hear over and over that PMMs are the "quarterbacks" in product launches (yay sports!). By being the QB, you need to make sure there is a collective goal, a process in place, defined roles & responsibilities, and everyone has what they need to complete their responsibilities. This comes with epic organization, program, and process management skills.

Great question and a challenge I've definitely run into throughout the years. Every role and every company is different and you're not always going to get the full spectrum of PMM with every move. To fill any gaps, I strongly recommend making friends in other departments. If other marketing teams are covering responsibilities, try to partner with them or shadow them to stay involved and learn. If you want to buff up on your enablement skills, grab coffee with your GTM and enablement teams to talk about doing a "minor" project on the side. I also recommend always having a BFF in Sales that you can do ride-alongs with and bounce questions off. That is invaluable! When you're not hanging out with your new cross-functional friends, go big in online communities and courses! There are a ton of opportunities to learn the craft so you are ready when it's time to launch. 

In a product-led growth company, PMM needs to prove the product value and push for the next steps - like getting contact and lead information, securing a demo, or setting up a meeting for example. With that in mind, always make sure your marketing assets & content are putting the customer first instead of boasting about features and functions. It's easy to fall into that trap. Know that your content is likely going to be the customer's first time interacting with the product rather than a conversation with a sales rep right off the bat. Their success is your success.

Product Marketers are experts in soft skills, and there is a never-ending array of skills I see in the most Successful PMMs. Let's boil it down to a few: 1. Communication: One of the defining attributes of a successful product marketer is strong communication skills. PMMs need to be able to articulate complex thoughts in a clear and concise way - both in written and verbal formats - and have the ability to present those ideas thoughtfully. 2. Emotional Intelligence: To be successful, you need to be able to build strong relationships with Product Management, Sales, Enablement, Engineering, Design, and so many more - and have the ability to influence and prioritize across an org. You will rely on these relationships day in and day out, so having the EQ to build and maintain is key 3. Adaptability: Now more than ever before we as marketers need to be willing and able to adapt to whatever is thrown our way. Whether that is a changing marketplace, organizational changes, or product launches, enhancements, or sunsets - we need to be ready to understand, adapt, and course-correct accordingly.

I tend to keep my communications short, sweet, and to the point while keeping the mentality of "what's in it for them" at the top of my mind. Bullet points and a TL;DR summary help with this. Make sure there is a crisp ask or offering at the end if you are hoping for a next step And as you would with anybody you work with, be respectful of their time!