Alex Lobert

I'm big on updating information based on actions that need to be taken / decision that need to be made.  When it comes to market research and personas, clarify what decisions you need to make based on the information and the cadence to which you will make them. If you use market research to inform half-by-half planning then updating the information prior to the beginning of each half is a good starting assumption.  I recommend keeping a regular pulse on the competition, though. For example, by r ...Read More

The two biggest mistakes I see are (1) not having a clear goal as to what you want to learn from customers and how this will inform product / go-to-market strategy, and (2) not truly prioritizing or resourcing the effort.  With regard to (1), I find it's really important to be clear about what you are trying to learn from Voice of Customer. Don't get me wrong, it's important to have broad discussions with customers that raise topics you may not have thought... however, I suggest gathering these ...Read More

To assess the performance of sales enablement materials, I recommend using a mix of feedback and usage data. Feedback. Regularly gather feedback from the sales team through surveys or interviews about the usefulness, relevance, and user-friendliness of the materials. This type of direct feedback can highlight what’s working and what’s not. This approach also allows you to target feedback from critical sales representatives / customer segments. Usage Data: Leverage analytics tools to track how of ...Read More

Building a new product launch process can seem daunting. To do this, I recommend: Start small. Focus on delivering value. Scale once you have “process market fit” Start small. Create 1-2 simple templates and process. This will help you get wins and keep maintenance / overhead low. For example: GTM Template: A go-to-market template that can serve as source of truth for launch activities like messaging Launch Calendar: A document and process to collect and share upcoming launches Focus on deliveri ...Read More

To create your sales enablement roadmap identify the opportunity you need to capture, uncover the barriers to adoption, and then deliver new materials and activations that address those barriers. Identify the Opportunity: Which segment or customers do you need to drive action from? And what action do you need them to take? If you start from a clear target (who + what), you will be able to craft tactics that get you to that outcome. Uncover Barriers: What is holding back your target customers fro ...Read More

I recommend a two-part approach to getting sales feedback on sales collateral: Create a sales council: Identify a small set of sales team members that are motivated to provide feedback on sales collateral — what’s working, what isn’t, what’s missing. These sales members are often the ones responsible for accounts that are heavy users of a particular product. These people will typically have deep, actionable feedback that will drive immediate results with your key customers. Collect always-on fee ...Read More

To know if a launch is successful, we look at if people are using our product and if they are getting the value we anticipated. We informally review metrics weekly with more detailed analysis done each month. A bit more on each metric. Usage is simple at the top line. We look at adoption and retention. Prior to launch, we set targets based on similar products or based on information learned from pilots / tests. We’re always updating our forecasts / targets based on what we learn in market though ...Read More

I recommend a combination of training, support, and ongoing refreshers / support. Comprehensive Training: First and foremost, you need to develop a training program. This might as simple as a webinar / presentation to your sales organization or as involved as an on-demand training course. You will want to discuss the features and benefits of the product as well as how to use resources to support the sales process. If possible, make sure the training is hands-on and interactive to keep the team e ...Read More

Good internal communication is a super power of great product teams but it doesn’t happen without concerted effort. The benefits are big though. Gets everyone in the company aligned as to how they can support your launch Surfaces potential product launch issues / conflicts. Recognizes the team’s effort publicly But how do you do it? Just like with external launches, you want to map out who needs to know about your launch internally and the level of information required. Sales teams may need info ...Read More

When gathering competitive intel, I find the most important thing is to have the goal for it clearly mapped out. Why does Sales (or product) want the competitive intel? What will they use it for? If you start from a clear understanding of how the intel will help, it is easier to provide useful information. I recommend being as prescriptive as possible with regard to how the info can be used to help your team achieve a goal. Assuming you have intelligence that achieves your stated goals, you may ...Read More