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Lauren Hakim

AMA: Zendesk Group Product Marketing Manager, AI, Lauren Hakim on Product Marketing Skills

May 6, 2025 @ 9:00AM PT

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  1. How do product marketers make sure they're learning enough varied skills to be a well-rounded professional when scope is an issue?

    i.e. working at a large company with minimal scope, focusing on sales enablement but knowing you need experience on the product launch side, other marketing teams covering responsibilities, etc.

    Lauren Hakim
    Lauren Hakim

    Zendesk Director of Product Marketing | AI • 1y

    Great PMMs are intentional about their development - this is especially important if you’re on a team with narrow scope. If you’re not getting exposure to new areas - pricing, enablement, customer insights - you have to create your own opportunities. I always encourage my team to plug into projects outside their immediate scope - co-owning a launch, shadowing a cross-functional project, or leading smaller side initiatives like a competitive standup or lunch-and-learns. These are the opportunitie ...Read More

    2,949 Views
    2 requests

  2. What is your top tactical suggestion to make content creation scalable and efficient? Includes content for internal enablement, external launches/content, and more.

    Lauren Hakim
    Lauren Hakim

    Zendesk Director of Product Marketing | AI • 1y

    At Zendesk, we spend a lot of energy up on the core narrative up front before we ever start building assets. When you have a strong foundation, it’s much easier to adapt, repackage, and apply it consistently across sales, web, product, and enablement without starting from scratch every time. Investing the time up front can work really well, but a tight feedback loop with the field is critical to make it successful. If something isn’t landing or resonating the way you anticipated, adjust the core ...Read More

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    2 requests

  3. How do you recommend working in my soft skills and their importance in the job interview when not directly asked?

    I find that interviewers very often focus on the hard skills, but I think it’s the soft skills that can make/break a candidate. I usually try to highlight my soft skills within the context of my “STAR” stories.

    Lauren Hakim
    Lauren Hakim

    Zendesk Director of Product Marketing | AI • 1y

    Weave them through examples of how you work! Instead of simply saying “I’m collaborative” - walk through a situation where you navigated ambiguity, pulled cross-functional partners together, and helped drive tough decisions forward. 

    If you focus on outcomes and explain your approach, the soft skills come through without needing to spell them out.

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  4. How have you been able to showcase your contribution to the company beyond your immediate team?

    Lauren Hakim
    Lauren Hakim

    Zendesk Director of Product Marketing | AI • 1y

    I’ve found the best way to highlight impact comes through how you make your work useful to other teams. If your positioning helps sales close deals faster or your insights help product partners make smart roadmap decisions, people start pulling you in big conversations more and more. In my experience, bringing a strong PMM point of view into exec reviews and cross-functional planning has been critical. Whether its shaping how you position new products or driving clarity around pricing and packag ...Read More

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  5. What are the critical skills required to succeed in Product Marketing at a senior level and what are the failproof way to learn them?

    Lauren Hakim
    Lauren Hakim

    Zendesk Director of Product Marketing | AI • 1y

    At the senior level, it’s all about about prioritization, clarity and influence. 

    The PMMs I see grow the fastest are the ones who lean into the messy, ambiguous, challenging projects. They ask tough questions, take ownership even when it's uncomfortable, and communicate in a way that moves people forward. You build those skills by putting yourself in those situations and figure out how to lead them.

    1,629 Views
    3 requests

  6. What skills and qualifications are necessary to make the move from a Product Marketing Specialist to a Product Marketing Manager?

    Lauren Hakim
    Lauren Hakim

    Zendesk Director of Product Marketing | AI • 1y

    Making the move from specialist to PMM is a lot about shifting from execution to ownership. As a specialist you may be building assets, delivering specific pieces of a project, strengthening your fundamental skills, etc. When you become a PMM, you start to own outcomes. Our career path at Zendesk is really clear on this. A PMM needs to show they can build messaging with less coaching, run focused launches, and proactively drive cross-functional projects without waiting for direction.  Someone re ...Read More

    1,609 Views
    2 requests

  7. When joining a new team, is it better to have the right soft skills and have to learn the hard skills of the job or vice versa?

    Lauren Hakim
    Lauren Hakim

    Zendesk Director of Product Marketing | AI • 1y

    I’d take soft skills, every time! Product marketing is such a trusted, cross-functional role. You can learn the tech, the market, how to build messaging frameworks, etc. If you can’t build trust & relationships, communicate effectively, influence, and drive momentum - it’s hard to make an impact.

    1,425 Views
    2 requests

  8. What are some helpful tips for writing email communications to the sales team?

    Lauren Hakim
    Lauren Hakim

    Zendesk Director of Product Marketing | AI • 1y

    At Zendesk, we keep sales communications short, action-oriented, and always tied to how it will help them close deals, defend against competitors, or have better customer conversations.

    My advice - make it immediately clear why it matters and keep it simple. What’s the update, why should they care, and what do they need to know or do? Sales doesn’t have time to dig, so you need to put the tools right in front of them, making them super clear, direct and easy to act on.

    1,525 Views
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  9. How do you tailor your content for different stages of the buyer's journey?

    Lauren Hakim
    Lauren Hakim

    Zendesk Director of Product Marketing | AI • 1y

    My advice is to always start with understanding the customer’s state of mind at each stage. With that, you can then make sure you're building the right assets to move them forward. In the early stages, it's about framing the problem, driving urgency and relevant. Thought leadership, blog content, and broader narratives can help buyers see opportunities/risks they may have not fully recognized yet. As they move into consideration, start building confidence in your solution. Sales decks, competiti ...Read More

    1,395 Views
    2 requests