AMA: Yelp Product Marketing Expert & Mentor, Jennifer Kay Corridon on Stakeholder Management

Keeping stakeholders informed is about being proactive, consistent, and tailoring communication to their needs. I rely on a few key practices & frameworks and then tailor it to projects and the people involved. 1. Set a cadence and stick to it: For regular updates, I have a set rhythm—monthly newsletters for broad updates, bi-weekly syncs for core teams, and weekly Slack pings for fast-moving projects. People know when and where they’ll hear from me, which builds trust. 2. Tailor the message: "What does this person need to know to make better decisions or feel good about the decisions I've made. Not every stakeholder needs the same level of detail. For executives, I focus on high-level insights and big wins with as few words as possible. For the team in the weeds, it’s more about tactical updates and next steps. 3. Create simple, visual updates: I often use quick dashboards or one-pagers—no one has time to dig through dense slides. More is simply, not always helpful. 4. Ask for feedback: At the end of key campaigns or projects, I ask stakeholders, “Was this helpful? How could it be better?” 5. Stay approachable: I encourage impromptu questions, whether it's a quick Slack or a coffee chat. One VP once told me, “Your updates are great, but I really value being able to ping you for context.” Those informal moments often solve misalignments faster than any deck. At the end of the day, the best communication is like good storytelling: clear, purposeful, and easy to follow. My goal is always to make it impossible for stakeholders to feel out of the loop.

When building an annual marketing plan, I focus on creating clarity around goals, solving open questions, and aligning stakeholders. Here’s my approach: 1. Start with the goals: I anchor the plan in company-level objectives (e.g., revenue growth, market share) and connect marketing-specific goals to those outcomes. For example, if the company is aiming for a 9% growth target, I might set objectives around acquisition campaigns, upselling, or increasing ARR per customer. 2. Define the big questions: I identify the key unknowns we need to answer to succeed. These could be customer insights, market dynamics, or competitive positioning gaps. For example, “What motivates restaurant owners to switch software during a downturn?” or “What price points drive the highest SaaS adoption?” These questions guide our research and experimentation priorities. 3. Use a prioritization framework: I rely on frameworks like OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) or ICE (Impact, Confidence, Effort) to evaluate and prioritize initiatives. This ensures we focus on high-impact projects with the best ROI. 4. Organize around initiatives and projects: I group activities under strategic initiatives (e.g., monetization, customer acquisition) and break them into projects with clear timelines and owners. This makes it easier for stakeholders to see how individual tasks ladder up to broader goals. 5. Incorporate data and insights: I use historical performance data, market research, and stakeholder feedback to inform the plan. For example, if a previous campaign drove strong SQLs but low conversions, I’ll focus on messaging refinement or sales enablement. 6. Build flexibility into the plan: I account for shifting priorities by allocating resources for “wildcard” opportunities or market changes. Once, mid-year feedback from sales reshaped our focus, and having built-in flexibility kept us agile. 7. Visualize for collaboration: I create a roadmap or calendar to map out initiatives across the year, showing key milestones and decision points. This visual tool helps stakeholders understand the flow and timing of the plan. 8. Communicate and refine: I socialize the draft plan through iterative feedback sessions with key teams—sales, product, customer success—to ensure alignment. I ask questions like, “Does this address your biggest needs?” or “What’s missing that would make this more effective for you?”

Let's be real- flat organizations have implied hierarchies & gaining alignment and decisions at the C-level requires careful orchestration and a strategic approach to group dynamics. Here's how I navigate this: 1. Start with circulating conversations: Before taking anything to the C-suite, I focus on informal discussions with key stakeholders. I frame these as opportunities to explore ideas and uncover concerns. For example, if I’m proposing a new pricing model, I’ll first talk to sales leaders about feasibility, product leaders about technical implications, and finance about revenue projections. These early conversations help me refine the pitch. 2. Build a coalition: No one wants to stand alone in front of the C-suite. I identify stakeholders who are most likely to support the initiative and align them on the “why” behind it. Recently, I pre-aligned with both sales and customer success leads to ensure they’d back a messaging shift. When we presented it to the C-suite, their visible agreement carried weight. 3. Find the shared priority: Consensus often comes from tying the initiative to a priority everyone cares about. For example, when discussing a GTM strategy, I positioned it as solving both a sales conversion issue and a product adoption challenge. This united stakeholders with different goals around a shared outcome. 4. Resolve conflicts before the big room: If there are major disagreements, I address them before involving C-level leaders. I’ll pull conflicting stakeholders into a smaller meeting to align or compromise. Once, I spent an extra week ironing out differences on metrics definitions so the final pitch was rock-solid and unified. 5. Frame for decision, not debate: When presenting to the C-suite, I make it clear what decision is needed and how we arrived there. I highlight the consensus built through prior discussions and the trade-offs considered. For example, I might say, “We’ve explored options A, B, and C, and the leadership team supports B because it balances speed and impact.” This shows thoughtfulness and reduces the chance of reopening the debate. 6. Be inclusive in tone and process: Even if I’ve pre-aligned with key players, I make room for everyone’s voice to be heard when presenting the decision to the group. This ensures no one feels bypassed, which is especially critical in flat organizations where influence isn’t always tied to title.

In most of my experiences sales leads in the company, it shapes decision-making and prioritization around revenue-driving activities, often creating a high-pressure, fast-paced environment. As a pmm leader, this dynamic requires me to: 1. Align closely with sales goals: Everything marketing does must be tied to sales enablement and revenue outcomes. For example, campaigns are evaluated not just on impressions but on how they influence SQLs or pipeline growth. I’ve learned to position marketing as an ally by asking questions like, “How can this campaign make your team’s job easier?” 2. Be nimble and responsive: In a sales-driven culture, priorities can shift quickly based on quarterly targets or market dynamics. Once, a campaign I was leading pivoted mid-way because sales needed messaging to counter a competitor’s promotion. Flexibility is key. 3. Quantify marketing’s impact: In a sales-led company, the conversation is about numbers. I make sure marketing’s contributions—whether lead generation, deal velocity, or customer acquisition—are crystal clear. 4. Focus on tools and enablement: Sales teams need resources to close deals faster. As a marketing leader, I prioritize creating pitch decks, one-pagers, and competitive battle cards. I’ve also worked closely with sales to refine talk tracks, ensuring alignment on messaging. 5. Advocate for the long-term: While sales may drive immediate priorities, part of my role is balancing short-term wins with strategic initiatives. I use data to make the case for long-term investments—like brand building or customer education—that ultimately make selling easier. 6. Build strong relationships: Partnering with sales leaders is non-negotiable. I’ve spent time shadowing calls, attending deal reviews, and joining QBRs to stay attuned to their challenges. These relationships not only ensure alignment but also build trust, so sales sees marketing as a partner, not a support function.

When there’s no formal launch process, chaos can easily and does creep in. I’ve found that creating a flexible tiering system is a great way to organize launches, prioritize effectively, and bring structure to the team while earning buy-in from engineering and product management. 1. Establish a tiering framework: I categorize launches into tiers based on impact and effort. For example: * Tier 1: High-impact, cross-functional launches that require significant resources (e.g., a new product or major feature). * Tier 2: Mid-level enhancements that impact specific teams or segments. * Tier 3: Quick wins or small updates with minimal cross-functional involvement. This framework helps everyone see that not every launch gets equal attention and ensures resources are allocated where they’ll drive the most value. 2. Get alignment on the “why” behind the system: Early on, I bring stakeholders into the conversation and explain the benefits of tiering: * It reduces chaos by setting clear priorities. * It prevents burnout by focusing efforts on high-impact launches. * It ensures visibility into what’s happening across teams. For example, I’ve framed it like this: “Not every update can have a full campaign, but this system ensures Tier 1 launches get the spotlight they need, while Tier 3 still moves efficiently without derailing anyone.” 3. Define roles and responsibilities: I clarify who does what for each tier. For instance: * Tier 1 might involve a detailed GTM plan, executive reviews, and a coordinated launch. * Tier 2 could rely on product marketing and sales alignment but skip the heavy campaign lift. * Tier 3 might just need a quick announcement and documentation update. This structure makes it easier for engineering and product teams to commit their time and effort where it matters most. 4. Start small and iterate: I roll out the system gradually, often starting with a retrospective on past launches to highlight inefficiencies. Once, I introduced a pilot version for just one quarter to show how the tiering system could streamline our work and reduce last-minute scrambling. 5. Measure success and refine: After implementing the system, I track outcomes like fewer launch delays, clearer communication, and better resource allocation. I also invite feedback from engineering and product to make sure it works for them. 6. Create visibility: I use simple tools like a shared calendar or roadmap to show where each launch falls in the system. Transparency ensures everyone knows the priorities and feels confident in the process.

Balancing feedback and buy-in while keeping it manageable is a mix of clarity, focus, and diplomacy. After several starts and stumbles learned over time, here's how I approach it: 1. Set the stage early: Before diving into feedback, I clarify the goals and non-negotiables upfront. For example, I’ll say, “We’re aligned on launching X by this date—feedback today should focus on positioning and messaging.” This narrows the scope and avoids endless loops of input. 2. Know your influencers: Every group has key voices that sway opinions. I make it a point to know who these influencers are and involve them early. For example, when launching a new campaign, I loop in the head of sales first, because their buy-in cascades across the team. 3. Understand individual priorities: People care most about topics tied to their role or goals. I tailor conversations to those priorities—talking about scalability with ops, conversion rates with sales, or campaign ROI with marketing. Recently, knowing that a stakeholder cared deeply about customer adoption, I framed a pitch around how the new messaging would drive more signups. 4. Bring a starting point, not a blank slate: People are more productive when reacting rather than creating. I once showed up with a blank page for a pricing discussion—it became chaos. Now, I share a draft or framework to anchor the conversation. This is a game changer. 5. Facilitate alignment conversations: When differences arise, I get stakeholders in the same room (or Zoom) to hash it out. My role is to frame the disagreement, propose potential solutions, and ensure the discussion stays focused. Its never fun to be the one that needs to call out to parking lot part of a discussion, but I've found its necessary to keep focus. 6. Document decisions and next steps: After feedback sessions, I share a summary of what’s decided and why. It’s a light lift that prevents misinterpretations. I’ve learned that even a one-paragraph recap can save hours of back-and-forth later. I strongly recommend using meeting recordings and transcripts (and then summarizing through chatgpt) to keep things on track. 7. Choose your battles: Some feedback isn’t worth fighting over. If a tweak doesn’t break the strategy or timeline, I let it go. This keeps the lift light and shows stakeholders that their input matters.

I haven’t specifically used stakeholder empathy maps, but I’ve built them for customers and the concept could be valuable for internal alignment. Here’s how I think about it: 1. Why it’s useful: Empathy maps help distill what stakeholders think, feel, and need. For example, mapping out what sales leaders care about (e.g., faster deal velocity, competitive positioning) versus what product cares about (e.g., feature adoption, customer satisfaction) can highlight shared goals and potential tension points. 2. Time and resources: A simple version could take as little as a few hours of brainstorming with cross-functional teams. For deeper insights, you might spend a week conducting stakeholder interviews or analyzing previous feedback. If it feels too formal, an empathy map can also evolve naturally by jotting down what you learn in meetings and 1:1s. 3. When to refresh: In product marketing, priorities shift based on launches, campaigns, and company goals. I’d recommend revisiting it quarterly or when there’s a major organizational change, like a new strategic focus or leadership shift. 4. What I’ve learned from customer empathy maps: Doing this for customers has taught me how powerful it is to visualize motivations and pain points. Applying that lens to stakeholders could foster better collaboration and alignment. For example, a sales leader may “say” they need better pricing tools but actually “feel” frustrated by slow enablement resources. An empathy map could help unpack and address both layers.

Visibility is about showing value without arrogance and creating connections across teams. By consistently tying your work to the company’s broader success and sharing it in ways people can relate to, you build a reputation that carries across all levels. 1. Share your wins strategically: I make it a point to share the why and impact behind my work, not just the tasks I completed. For example, instead of saying, “I launched a new pricing campaign,” I’ll say, “Our new pricing campaign drove a 15% increase in conversions, helping sales close faster during a tough quarter.” Framing your work in terms of outcomes makes it memorable. 2. Credit others while showcasing your role: People are more likely to notice your work when it’s tied to a team win. I always say something like, “This campaign was a collaboration with sales and product, but I’m especially proud of how the messaging strategy resonated with customers.” This balances humility with impact. 3. Tell stories that stick: People remember stories, not just stats. When talking about my work, I use anecdotes to make it relatable. For example, I once shared how a new feature launch helped a restaurant owner reduce no-shows by 20%, which stuck with leaders far more than just the feature metrics.