AMA: Zendesk Senior Director, Product Marketing, Candace Marshall on Product Marketing Career Path

May 8 @ 10:00AM PT

View AMA Answers

AMA Page

As a senior PMM with 8 - 10 years of experience under my belt, how do I position myself for a Director/Head of Product Marketing role without direct report experience? Besides people management skills, what other skills can a candidate highlight to stand out from the candidate pool?

Candace Marshall•

Zendesk Vice President, Product Marketing, AI and Automation | Formerly LinkedIn • 1y

IMHO, the jump from Senior PMM to Director/Head of PMM is one of the biggest! Having people management skills is important, yes, but it's not the only skill that's needed...

1784 Views

1 request

In a large company, how can you ensure you are making an impact in your role as a product marketer?

Candace Marshall•

Zendesk Vice President, Product Marketing, AI and Automation | Formerly LinkedIn • 1y

In large companies, you can make your mark as a PMM through alignment and relationships. Firstly, it's important to ensure your work directly aligns with the company's go...

2213 Views

1 request

What is the best thing about being a product marketer and what is the biggest challenge? How do you overcome this challenge?

Candace Marshall•

Zendesk Vice President, Product Marketing, AI and Automation | Formerly LinkedIn • 1y

The best thing about being a product marketer is the strategic role it offers and the opportunity to have a seat at the table when shaping the direction of not just a pro...

1862 Views

1 request

If you’re impacted by a layoff what can you do to keep progressing as a PMM?

Candace Marshall•

Zendesk Vice President, Product Marketing, AI and Automation | Formerly LinkedIn • 1y

Firstly, I'm so sorry if you've been impacted by layoffs. My advice is to reach out to your network for support, advice, and potential job opportunities. We're here for y...

1717 Views

1 request

Is it possible to continue to grow to an executive role as a product marketer? Are there some industries that are better suited than some others? What about growing into a marketing leadership role?

Candace Marshall•

Zendesk Vice President, Product Marketing, AI and Automation | Formerly LinkedIn • 1y

Absolutely. In fact, there are numerous CMOs who came up the ranks through product marketing. Take a look at ex-Salesforce product marketing leaders - many of them have g...

1802 Views

2 requests

If you had to build out a team of PMMs from scratch, how would you organize your team and which roles would own what?

In other words, if you went from one to ten - what would the structure look like? 1 Director/team lead, 2-3 Senior PMMs, and 4 PMMs? Would the team be divided by audience segment? By product? By strategy vs. tactics (i.e. larger GTM vs product launch)?

Candace Marshall•

Zendesk Vice President, Product Marketing, AI and Automation | Formerly LinkedIn • 1y

Sounds like your business is growing - how exciting! It's hard to answer this question without knowing how your business is structured but I'm happy to share common struc...

2745 Views

3 requests

How do you grow from a PMM to senior PMM at a hypergrowth startup where you don't have time to “ramp up” your skills?

Candace Marshall•

Zendesk Vice President, Product Marketing, AI and Automation | Formerly LinkedIn • 1y

My best advice is just dive right in! Learning happens best on the job, even if it feels uncomfortable at times (trust me, I've been there). Stay focused on the objective...

1716 Views

2 requests