In what ways to you see (or recommend) product marketers build trust with their XFN partners?

Building trust is the key component here and I think you get there by taking the time to listen and learn. With the product team specifically, it’s educating them on your role and how you’re ultimately aligned to the same thing --> amplifying the value of the product they’re building and to grow revenue and adoption. That said, there are many cross-functional teams product marketing works with and the best way to build trust is to know your products, your market, and your customers. If you ca ...Read More

First, this is so hard! I have been through a few turns of this and candidly I’d say not every company is ready. There are companies that are just not ready to have a strategic pmm org. Maybe their product org is still maturing, or not on secure footing for some reason. It is especially hard to have a strong product marketing team without well led and secure, collaborative product orgs. Second thing I’d suggest is to build trust, get closer to the customer. Product orgs always need more time wit ...Read More

This happens a lot, and a lot of times it’s because PMM wasn’t established when the company started shipping products and became successful without the help of a PMM function.  The key is to really help the PM’s understand the true value of PMM and that we are able to take a lot of the work they actually don’t enjoy doing (writing documentation, building sales enablement and project managing a launch). PMs have enough on their hands working with their engineers and trying to meet tight deadlines ...Read More

This is an interesting one. In my last company, I joined as the first PMM. In my first meeting with the product team, I spent a fair bit of time explaining the role of PMMs and what we do — how we connect the market to the goals of the organization, and the product back to the market. That helped PMs understand when and how to engage with PMM. In that instance, the company was also undertaking a shift from selling to developers -- an audience PMs knew well -- to business buyers. It was definitel ...Read More

The No. 1 way you can build trust with cross-functional partners is by listening to them. Try meeting with them at least quarterly and asking:- What have you liked that product marketers have done for you in the distant past?- What are some things my team/I have done for you that's been helpful this past quarter?- What are some things my team/I have done that aren't as helpful?- What's changing in your department that you think might affect product marketing?- How are you feeling pressure in new ...Read More

Start with discovery and a series of questions that you can consistently ask your stakeholders.  1. Understand them as humans: what motivates people, how they communicate, what they're passionate about, what parts of their job they feel best at. 2. Understand how they work: how they form strategy, how they build products, what data they trust, what data and strategy they lack and would love.  3. Understand how they position your product, what the value prop is, who your best-fit customers are.   ...Read More