How do you influence products managers with long tenure in the space they operate in?

Implicit in this question is that long-tenured PMs are more difficult to influence, because they may think they know it all. This certainly isn’t always the case, but to the extent that it is true, I find it a fairly reasonable and understandable position. Fundamentally, I don’t think the answer in this scenario is any different than if you're working with a less-experienced PM: To influence someone, you need to establish your credibility. Depending on your own tenure, doing so may require that ...Read More

The key to influencing long-tenured PMs is first investing in the relationship and building trust - no amount of insights will influence them without this foundation. When you're new to an organization or if product marketing is a new function, start by doing more listening than talking. Understand the PM's priorities, how they think about their roadmap, and their process for gathering insights. Once trust is established, educate them on how you can help make their job easier. Position yourself ...Read More

Building trusting relationships is the foundation for influencing long-tenured PMs. This starts with creating regular touchpoints and collaborative environments. At LinkedIn, we conduct planning offsites with our product partners each half, bringing teams together in person even when we don't all work in the same office. Our PMMs join weekly core team meetings that include product, sales, and customer support to maintain constant dialogue. I recommend approaching product teams without an agenda ...Read More

Start by understanding their perspective - a long-tenured PM likely knows a lot about the product and has context you might not have. Try to understand why they're resistant to your input. Keep conversations objective rather than making it about 'you versus me.' Focus on the bigger picture of what you're collectively trying to achieve and how you can divide and conquer to get there. Bring empathy to these interactions. There are two possible scenarios: either they have valuable perspective you d ...Read More