AMA: Instruqt VP of Marketing, Sean Lauer on Product Marketing 30/60/90 Day Plan

As a new product marketer, it is crucial that you establish effective communication and collaboration with both the engineering and sales teams during your first month. Conducting one-on-one meetings with members from both teams can provide you with vital information and insights to help you gain a better understanding of the product, market, and customer needs. Consider asking the questions below to gather the necessary information: Questions for Engineers: 1. Product Overview: * Can you provide a high-level overview of our product, its key features, and its technical architecture? * What are the main technologies or tools used in building and maintaining the product? 2. Product Roadmap: * What are the upcoming product releases or updates? * Are there any major technical challenges or opportunities on the horizon? 3. Technical Documentation: * Where can I find technical documentation, specifications, or architecture diagrams for the product? * Do you have any recommended resources or contacts for technical questions? 4. Development Process: * Can you explain the product development process, including how features are prioritized and developed? * Are there any development methodologies or tools (e.g., Agile, Scrum) used by the engineering team? 5. Competitive Analysis: * How do you see our product's technical capabilities compared to our competitors? * Are there any technical strengths or weaknesses we should be aware of? 6. Customer Feedback: * Have there been any recent technical issues or challenges reported by customers? * How does the engineering team handle customer feedback and bug fixes? 7. Data and Analytics: * What data and analytics tools are used to track product usage and performance? * Are there any key performance indicators (KPIs) that engineering monitors regularly? Questions for Sales Team: 1. Customer Insights: * What are the most common customer pain points or challenges related to our product? * Can you share any success stories or use cases that highlight our product's value? 2. Competitor Information: * Who are our main competitors, and how do we differentiate ourselves from them in sales conversations? * Are there any competitive objections or concerns that frequently come up? 3. Sales Process: * Can you walk me through the typical sales process, from lead generation to closing deals? * What resources or collateral do you find most helpful in the sales process? 4. Customer Personas: * What are the key customer personas or segments that we target? * Do you have any insights on the unique needs and preferences of these personas? 5. Marketing Materials: * Are there any existing marketing materials or sales enablement content that you find particularly effective? * Are there any gaps in our current marketing collateral? 6. Feedback Loop: * How do you currently share customer feedback and insights with the product and marketing teams? * What improvements or features do you frequently hear from customers? 7. Sales Goals and Targets: * What are the sales team's quarterly and annual goals and targets? * How can marketing support these goals through campaigns or content? These questions will help you build strong working relationships with both teams, gain a deeper understanding of the product and market, and identify opportunities to align product marketing strategies with business objectives. Additionally, it's important to keep these conversations ongoing to stay informed about changes and updates in both the technical and sales aspects of your organization.

As the first Head of PMM in a startup, you should use a structured approach over your first 30, 60, and 90 days: * Day 0-30: Learning & discovery—Focus on learning as much as possible. Don't worry about your impact at this point. It's your job to learn in order to make more informed decisions and build an effective plan. * Key actions: * People * Familiarize with company tech, culture, people * Stakeholder and customer conversations * Meet and assess marketing team * Understand sales, marketing, and product roles and responsibilities * Establish rhythm of business & team culture Product * Product and metrics deep dive * Understand customer journey * Analyze marketing data and effectiveness * Market & competitor analysis Plan * Review existing sales and marketing materials and strategy * Day 31-60: Strategic planning & alignment—Now that you have a basic understanding of the landscape, it's time to start thinking about strategy and diving deeper into the GTM motion. * Key actions: * People * Ongoing customer & stakeholder conversations Product * Further market & competitor analysis * Examine tech stack and operations Plan * Assess marketing objectives * Evaluate resources (people, tech, budget) * Understand revenue model * Day 61-90: Execution & optimization—It's time to start creating some small wins as you build toward a more comprehensive strategy. * Key actions: * People * Celebrate team wins and reinforce culture Product * Additional customer conversations Plan * Optimize existing PMM efforts * Upgrade tech stack * Monitor revenue model * Key deliverables by day 90 (draft or final state): * Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) * Positioning and messaging framework * Product release process, including tiering structure * Customer testimonials/quotes * Competitive landscape overview * Website and core asset inventory and analysis * Plan for next quarter

Three things to consider if you're a junior PMM as the first PMM hire: 1. Start small: Build the PMM foundation by breaking apart tasks into small wins. Don't try to boil the ocean. There will be more to do than anyone can do alone, so focus on the basics. 2. Under-promise and over-deliver: Build an achievable plan. Given the high number of PMM projects that you could tackle, it's easier to over-promise. Set yourself up for success from the start. 3. Communicate early and often: Don't assume everyone knows what you're doing. PMM is new to a lot of people. Create opportunities to educate and share your work.

As the first PMM hire, you will need to do your research before you can prioritize needs. Here's a three-step plan that should guide you to success: 1. Talk to stakeholders: As a PMM, you are the connective tissue between product, marketing, and sales. Get to know these stakeholders. Understand their goals and their needs. 2. Crunch the numbers: Understand historical revenue and user growth deeply. Sometimes, what people tell you is different from what the numbers tell you. Get as much data as you can to make informed decisions. 3. Have a point of view: Most of the time, there are many top priorities. If you communicate your plan with conviction, you will get more people behind it. Let people know why you've prioritized one thing ahead of another.

PMM should be scaled in a way that makes sense for the business. Some questions that you can think about to help guide your growth plan: * Is your business B2B, B2C, or somewhere in between? * Is your GTM motion inbound, outbound, or both? * Do you benefit from product-led growth, sales-led growth, or both? * Do you have one target audience or multiple target audiences? * Do you have one product or multiple products? * Is there a difference in personas between your buyers and your users? * Are you marketing to a technical audience? * How is your product team structured? The answers to these questions can help guide your PMM hiring strategy and also determine appropriate timing.