How to approach the conversation with my manager regarding promotion after working in b2b product marketing for several years and not been promoted

Taking my PMM hat off again and putting on a general career development one. I’ve typically approached promotion conversations by first asking, several quarters before I hope to be promoted: “What do I need to demonstrate in order to move to the next level?”It’s a really important question because it gives your manager some work that they frankly should be doing anyway - laying out a career path for you along with the (clear) markers you need to hit them. Then I’d probably say something to the e ...Read More

Start by writing down your career goals. Answer questions like: What experiences are you looking to get in the next phase of your career, and why? Why do you think this is the right role, time, and environment to deliver on those experiences? What things have you done in your past that give you confidence in your ability to perform in this role? What challenges do you foresee? What are your expectations from management? Use this career development framework to have a conversation with your manag ...Read More

My advice would be to come right out and state that this is what you’re looking for in terms of career growth and next steps. If you have 1:1’s with your manager that is a great place for this conversation. As a manager, it’s my job to understand what my teams’ careers aspirations are and work to give them the opportunities where they can grow and learn the skills that will take them to the next level. But that starts with the intent being made clear on what your goals are so they can help get y ...Read More

To be honest, you shouldn't assume years of experience or tenure influence promotion. Promotion, especially at earlier-stage companies, is super aligned to where you create value for the company and being able to align that value to the highest-level corporate goals. This is especially true in PMM, where the metrics and KPIs are not nearly as straightforward as Growth or Demand Generation, for example. So, don't only be your own advocate, but, more importantly, advocate to develop and work on pr ...Read More

This is very hard to answer without more detail. Knowing the reason why you haven't been promoted yet would obviously inform how I'd approach the conversation. But my advice would be to simply approach the conversation honestly. Some tips: Make it clear you believe you deserve a promotion List the reasons why (focus on the impact you've made) Ask your manager if he/she agrees with your assessment If yes, ask about a timeline  If not, ask them what you would need to do in order to be considered f ...Read More

Congrats on the new role! What you are describing seems like a lateral move, you moved to a similar role to the one you had before, but in a different industry. This could be an opportunity for you to learn the new industry quickly and showcase your PMM skills to have an important impact in the organization quickly. One suggestion here could be to talk to your manager about your career path on either an upcoming 1:1 or during the formal review process. I would come prepared to that meeting under ...Read More

If you haven’t already, I would start by making sure your manager actually knows that you aspire to become a Senior PMM and would like to work towards getting promoted. It’s often implied as most people want to continuously work towards the next level, but that’s definitely not always the case and if you’ve never discussed that desire with your manager, then that’s a key first step. If you’re already performing well and it’s clear that you want to and are working towards a promotion, the convers ...Read More