AMA: Okta Senior Manager, Product Marketing & Analyst Relations, Jen Vaccaro McParland on Messaging

The metric many PMMs overlook is whether sales reps actually use the messaging without being told to. Pipeline numbers matter, but adoption is the leading indicator. Here's what we've focused on effectively: Sales adoption: Pull 10 random Gong calls per month and tag whether reps are using the new messaging verbatim, paraphrasing it, or ignoring it entirely. Ignoring it is your real problem, not the funnel Customer echo: In win/loss interviews, count how often customers use your exact phrases ba ...Read More

Frameworks are guides, not scripture. The mistake I see most often is PMMs treating classic frameowrks like a fill-in-the-blank exercise instead of a thinking aid. How I recommend approaching it: Start with the job to be done. Are you launching a new category, repositioning against a new competitor, or expanding into a new segment? Each calls for a different tool. New category needs narrative. Repositioning needs sharp contrast. Segment expansion needs "jobs to be done" work Pressure test with t ...Read More

The best inspiration comes from watching how mature B2B brands solve specific messaging problems, not generic "great copy" lists. Where I actually pull from: Enterprise B2B done right: ServiceNow for platform narrative. They tell a "single system of action" story across IT, HR, security, and CS without diluting the core message HubSpot for ICP clarity. Their Starter, Pro, and Enterprise messaging reads like three different companies talking to three different buyers, which is exactly right Okta ...Read More

Compelling messaging spreads without you pushing it. Everything else is a leading indicator. Tests my team runs: The Gong parrot test. In your next 10 discovery calls, count how often prospects use your exact words back at you. When buyers pitch your product to themselves, it's lodged The sales improv test. Listen to 5 cold calls. Are reps using your language naturally, or reverting to old habits? The "so what" test. Read every line and ask "so what?" If there's no answer, cut it The mom test. C ...Read More

Start with conversations. Talk to 10 customers who recently bought. Ask why they switched, what they almost bought instead, and what they'd tell a peer. Record everything Get info on 3 who churned or said no. Talk to sales reps, compete team, or competitive intel tools Steal their words. The best messaging is already in your customers' mouths. Your job is to notice it and sharpen it, not invent it Then open a framework Now you have inputs to fill it with, not guesses The rookie trap: starting in ...Read More

The messaging framework explains the why. Sales tools give reps what to say in the next 10 seconds. What actually gets used: Business outcomes: Speak in the words your customers need to achieve. People buy to get promoted or to avoid being fired. Talk in terms that resonate. Discovery question bank. 8-10 questions mapped to each value pillar. Reps don't need a pitch, they need the right questions to make the prospect sell themselves Objection handlers in "they say / you say" format. Two sentence ...Read More

Think of it like writing a book, not rewriting one. You're adding new chapters with smooth transitions, not throwing out the manuscript every quarter. Constant rewrites create whiplash for sales and confusion for customers. Separate what should change from what shouldn't: Core positioning (18-24 months): Who you serve, your category, your POV. Almost annoyingly stable. If you're rewriting it quarterly, you don't have positioning, you have moods Value pillars (6-12 months): The 3 reasons you win. ...Read More

Validation shifts as the product matures. What "landing" means at launch isn't what it means at scale. Pre-launch: UX panels with ICP buyers. Internal "explain it back" test with sales. Measuring clarity, not conversion Early launch (30-60 days): A/B test headlines, track rep adoption in Gong calls, watch landing page conversion Growth stage: Win/loss interviews (are buyers using your words?), demo-to-opportunity rate, win rate vs named competitors Mature stage: Analyst echo, press pickup, inbou ...Read More

The ones where buyers actually spend time, not the ones marketers love to optimize: Sales call openings. The first 30 seconds of every demo is messaging real estate most PMMs ignore. Reps wing it. Scripted properly, it's your highest-leverage channel Your pricing page. Buyers read it more carefully than your homepage. Most companies treat it as a table instead of a messaging surface Customer onboarding emails. Highest open rates you'll ever see. Perfect for reinforcing the why behind the purchas ...Read More

The assumption: good information wins. The reality: clarity and leading with the "why" wins. What I learned the hard way: even for the most technical products, we're all humans who need to understand what you're actually saying and why it matters. Early in my career I'd pack messaging with specs, capabilities, and proof points, assuming buyers would connect the dots. They didn't. The wake-up was a win/loss call where a buyer said he picked the competitor because "they made me feel like they got ...Read More