Elizabeth Grossenbacher

There are many reasons why a price war could happen, and without more context into the market/players, it would be hard for me to say. It’s true that for nearly all transactions in the B2B world, budget is a top priority for buyers. That doesn’t mean it should come down to price. At various organizations I’ve been at (Cisco, Twilio, and a few start-ups), we have won multiple competitive deals while having a premium-priced product. When we won despite being the more expensive product, it’s becaus ...Read More

If you’re not yet in the PML role: Start by reviewing your company’s career ladder or leveling guide. Write your self-review or performance summary as if you’re already operating at the next level. Your goal is to make it obvious you’re ready before you ask for a promotion. If you’re already in the role and want to level up: Start thinking like a GM or CMO. You’re not just running campaigns — you’re owning a business. Know your portfolio’s performance — pipeline, win rates, churn, adoption. Cont ...Read More

I usually approach this with an expectation that the data exists somewhere in the org; we just need to create unity with the teams who steward them. I do this by showing teams like PM or Sales how we use data as inputs to our framework. I’ve never had someone tell me “no” once I expose how the data is used.  If that doesn’t work, here are some creative ways to think about accessing data:  Leverage customer-facing teams: Work with sales, CS, and SEs to collect qualitative feedback on solution usa ...Read More

Story time! I once worked at a small company where two stakeholders disagreed on the product roadmap. The CTO disagreed with the CPO. In that scenario, the CTO had the experience as the customer, so this person felt that the experience was valid and warranted a seat at the table in product development discussions. As the PMM on the product, I took extra care to understand why the CTO disagreed. I took an inquisitive approach and treated the conversation like an interview with a Key Opinion Leade ...Read More

Since your packaging is normally solution-based, shifting to persona-based packaging requires a different approach. Steps to package multi-product features for a persona: Define the Persona’s Workflow & Key Challenges Understand their day-to-day job and the biggest problems they face. Map Features to a Cohesive Story Instead of listing features, craft a use case-driven story that explains how these features together solve the persona’s pain points. Name the Persona Package Give it a memorabl ...Read More

One of my favorite quotes in marketing is: “sell the hole, not the drill.” A marketing professor at Harvard, Theodore Levitt, lectured about this and would argue that people don’t want to buy a drill; they want a hole. The drill is just the tool used to create the hole. This is where I’ve seen some PMMs get it wrong; they focus on the benefits of their product before the outcome the customer is looking to achieve. Here’s what we know from human psychology: in both B2B and B2C settings, buyers pu ...Read More

I think of a GTM strategy as the document to get everyone aligned. As a fun analogy, imagine you’re all on one of those ancient Viking ships. Each person has an oar, and you all need to be rowing in the same direction and at the same pace. The GTM strategy is the charted path on a map that the captain uses to give appropriate instructions for direction and pace. Coming back to present-day, the GTM strategy should have the following components. (1) North-star goal: What are you trying to achieve? ...Read More

Product messaging highlights specific capabilities, differentiation, and use cases tied to one offering. Portfolio messaging needs to unify multiple products under a single value proposition, making it broader and more strategic.  At Cisco, we focus on business outcomes rather than individual product features. For example, if your customers seek to “simplify their business operations,” then your job as a PMM is to illustrate how all products in the portfolio help the customer achieve that outcom ...Read More

First, take a step back and understand why you would need to participate in AR activities. Is it for PR? Product validation? Make sure you partner with your AR/PR team to align on the strategy for how you intend to leverage analyst relations and reports from these firms. If market/product validation is your goal, here are some approaches to consider: Engage directly with these firms to explore opportunities. Analyst firms have other reports they use in industries where there is no Wave or MQ. I ...Read More

Imagine you’re putting together an outfit for a grand party! The business outcome is that you want to look fabulous. Solutions marketing is the entire ensemble (pants, belt, top, jacket, shoes, jewelry, etc.). Product marketing is each one of those items. Fine leather shoes are beautiful on their own, but they tie in so well with those gorgeous trousers.  That’s how Solutions Marketing and Product Marketing work together.  Product Marketing → Focuses on an individual product, its features, posit ...Read More