AMA: Okta VP, Industries & Platform Product Marketing, Christiana Rattazzi on Developing Your Product Marketing Career

A Lead should be able to drive a strategic, cross-functional effort and solve issues without any defined structure. Some things I might look for: * Messaging - can independently define product (and cross-product) positioning and secure the right buy-in from cross-functional stakeholders to move forward * Interpersonal skills - someone who can navigate complex team dynamics and can effectively influence key stakeholders * Strategic thinking - proactively surfaces the most impactful initiatives and brings focus to them * Execution - influences the prioritization of key projects and sets accurate expectations internally

Ah, that's tough. When you're competing with an internal candidate, you're up against someone who has considerable product, market and organizational intel. They won't take a long time to ramp, and they have minimal cultural risk too. So - to counteract this, you have to come prepared - and I'm not just talking some Google research. I would develop a compelling outside-in perspective that is deeply informed. Prepare some provocative questions, have recommendations for positioning on the website and maybe flag some big market or competitive moves that inform your opinions. Bonus points if you can find a friendly inside the company to give you an inside scoop! As a hiring manager, I'd be looking for someone who surprises and/or impresses me, because it feels like they've been in our strategy meetings based on their unique perspective on an issue we're tackling. Hang in there - there are a LOT of great PMM jobs out there. 

Every executive team is different, so I would encourage you to think through the culture (and sometimes - quirks!) of the members of that team as you craft your own approach. That said, I've found a couple things particularly effective in my experience. * Bring along key lieutenants for the ride - once you get to the exec team, a number of important leaders should have been part of the ideation and review process. Individual sales leaders, product owners, customer success leads should all be stops on your journey to craft the right message. That way - one of the first slides in your exec team meeting is the classic "how we got here" where you share who influenced this work product. * Infuse the voice of the customer and market - messaging is both art and science. Surveying analysts, customers, prospects and even competitors ensures you're keeping everything relevant. But if you truly turn it into a science, you'll have some great quotes and stats to convince an exec team that there's validity to what you're recommending. Good luck! If all else fails, make sure you remind them that messaging is iterative - always. You do want to get it right, but you also don't want to be so paralyzed that nothing sees the light of day. 

First of all - I don't think you HAVE to become a VP of Marketing from Head of PMM. You can choose to take on bigger PMM roles at bigger companies. That said, I've made the move to be a VP of Marketing at an earlier-stage company. I personally believe that PMM leaders make great VPMs for certain businesses - especially ones that have a mid-market or enterprise sales motion, require category creation or are in crowded markets (and will rely on differentiation). While in the Head of PMM role, make sure you really partner closely with the Head of DG. You are uniquely positioned to think through the audience (which is targeting), the value proposition (which is the campaign theme or message) and the offer to build a trusted advisor relationship (a compelling call-to-action). For the rest - you need to demonstrate that you will be GREAT at hiring, especially for your weaknesses. There's actually strength in that. :) 

I touch on this a little in another question. That said, a Manager should have a solid grasp of major PMM skills alongside leadership abilities. Some attributes I look for are: * Evangelism - whether promoting core value proposition or the work of the PMM team, this person should be skilled in championing the interests of customers, the market and the team. Their opinion and perspective should be influential. * Diplomacy - PMM is so cross-functional (and often, the starting point for important projects) that a Lead should be able to work through stated and unstated priorities across the organization with understanding, grace and... ruthless priortization. * Empathy - any great product marketer will be able to listen to the market, the prospect's business problems and understand how the company relates to it. Bonus points goes to the Lead who can move beyond what you're hearing now to where it'll go in the future.

The best competitive research I've seen goes beyond the competitor's website, press releases and YouTube videos. They might include competitor customer interviews and tailored sales demos. I've personally worked with great small businesses and consultants who are experts in doing this analysis and research. If you have a little budget, I'd recommend that path. 

The best IC PMMs I've seen do two things amazingly well: 1. They are masters of positioning - keeping it concise, relevant and void of fluff. They get to the heart of why it matters for that audience. 2. They cross the finish line - reliably delivering their projects on-time and with high-quality. They are self-starters who manage their time and build trust by doing what they say they're going to do. 

I love this question, as I've spent time across these related organizations in my career (Product Marketing, Solutions Marketing and Industry Marketing). Typically, Industry and Solutions Marketing consider the audience and business outcomes related to the combination of multiple products (and sometimes multiple products + tech partners). Industry will be considering the specific audience (often a vertical like Fin Serv or Healthcare) whereas Solutions will be thinking about it horizontally. For example - a company might have a PMM for raspberries, one for strawberries and one for blueberries - but a Solutions marketer will market the Mixed Berry Fruit Salad. And Industry marketer will market the Kids Berry Bowl (see what I did there? specific audience!). Industry and Solutions marketers will need to partner closely with the PMMs to ensure the fruits are compatible, that they will deliver on the outcomes expected, and that we're pricing it accordingly. An overly simplistic view (of course) - but hope this helps!

Totally agree with this comment. The response varies a little based on the stage of the business and GTM motion (e.g. self-serve vs sales-lead). That said, I think the top areas would be (in no particular order) 1. Messaging and positioning 2. New product introduction (launches) 3. A core set of field-facing materials (e.g. Pitch Deck) Other honorable mentions for me might include: * Sales enablement / training * Demo flow and script * Product adoption and engagement * Pricing and packaging * Competitive

I think there are a couple ways I'd think about it - and it would depend on what the PM organization looks like and the individual skills of the folks on the PMM team (if already in-seat). Approach 1 - Make one of the PMMs Product-facing (handling predominantly new product/feature introductions or launches and product enablement) and one of them more Marketing- or Sales-facing (handling things like first-call decks, website copy, core positioning) Approach 2 - Map those PMMs to the PMs and have the teammates cover everything from launches to sales collateral for specific products or product surface areas. Whichever path you chose, you will need to be really clear on what your team can and can't handle. Easier said than done, I know. :)