Michele Nieberding 🚀

Every launch is different, but here is a good starting point! 1. Identify key stakeholders - I like to do a kickoff before a big launch wiht a POC from key teams including legal, pricing, CS, etc. as needed 2. Align the team around the product - talk about WHAT the product is, WHY it matters, and the opportunity this brings for the company 3. Develop a story behind the product launch and define your messaging 4. Prepare a launch plan (and find a streamlined way to track progress) 5. Define your success metrics 6. Identify marketing channels for launch - work with demand gen 7. Complete beta (if applicable), and use customer feedback to tweak story and approach as needed 8. Select your product launch date (clearly communicate tech ready vs. market ready if there is a difference) 9. ENABLE! Communicate the product launch with all the employees--the WHY this is happening, and what their role in the success of the launch will be 10. Plan EXTERNAL communications 11. Create an ongoing adoption strategy and check in points Most importantly (IMO), celebrate the victories, even the little ones. Did you get some awesome logos on your launch webinar?? Did you move prospects into a later stage opp? I find that excitement goes a long way!

When we first started to verticalize our solution, we looked at: * TAM (total addressable market) and SAM (sellable addressable market--what is realistic that YOUR company can sell in to?) * CARR * Win Rate * Average Deal Size (ADS) * Sales Cycle (# of days) * Number of Curent Customers This gave us a good idea for where we were already winning and where we had the biggest opportunity. We have also been monitoring industries with high "digital maturity" based on reports from McKinsey and other analysts which has been helpful in planning for the next 3 years. We have since refined our strategy and doubled down on key verticals for the next year by looking at: * Pipeline (where do we have the most opportunity coming from?) * Product Gap Analysis - what are key product gaps that are leading to lost deals by vertical? And what is the low hanging fruit and level of effort to close some of those gaps * In addition to Total ARR and ADS This has led us to a 2023 plan to win in verticals based on these 3 things: * SUCCESS: lean into what is already working (i.e. high ADS and win rates) and maintain success * ALIGNMENT: with product vision and brand positioning (multi-channel, depth and scale of data, orchestrated journeys, content and automation needs) * VELOCITY: lower win rates but higher (potential) speed to “success” by focusing on higher ADS verticals due to multiple channels, higher data fees, and need for premium features + higher opportunity (TAM)

The biggest risk I typically see in GTM strategies is that it doesnt work. Somewhere, something was missed, or the messaging, product, etc. doesnt resonate with prospects and customers. ' I have found that your webiste is a great place to experiment to ensure this doesnt happen. It has historical data to anaylze various aspects of your GTM strategy including verticals, personas, messaging, sales motions, customer marketing, etc. Training the org is another big risk. If there is a new revenue-driving feature that CS/CSMs/SEs dont know how to technically talk about or sell, that new feature will fall flat.

Looking at your current customer base and the characteristics of top customers (I do this based on ARR) is a great place to start! You can focus on relevant characteristics such as: 1. Industry/vertical 2. Employee headcount — companywide and within key departments 3. Annual revenue 4. Tech stack 5. Geography 6. Size of their customer base 7. Technologyical/digital maturity 8. Public vs. private company (if they are looking to IPO, we have found great success in getting our foot in the door with NEW logos!) If you want to dig into personas WITHIN those ICPs, that can be helpful as well, but it depends on what your GTM strategy is, of course this can change. For example, if you have "Verticals" as a GTM strategy, your ICP may look very different than an "ABM" approach. To operationalize them, I have worked with our Demand Gen and Events+Field Marketing team to specifcally define HOW to target those ICPs. For example, if we want to drive MQLs via a LinkedIn paid campaign, we may want to look for people with x titles in y industry at a company that has over z number of employees. I also like to share this with SDRs as they as prospecting. It is also important to define what companies/people are NOT a good fit. I have built a list of "disqualifiers" for sales and marketing so that we dont spend marketing budget on poor leads and sales doesnt waste time pitching to bad fit companies.

To simplify it at a high level, I would say its having a clear understand of the 3 C's: Customers, Company, and Competition. To dissect that a bit: 1. Identify your target market and key buyer personas -this includes understanding the demand 2. Understand their problems and how your product specifically solves them 3. Develop your messaging 4. Understand your customer's journey (what does the buying process look like) 5. Develop pricing strategy 6. Create marketing plan (with clearly defined success metrics) 7. Generate content 8. Enable teams (not just sales!) To make this even stronger and repeatable, I use an Asana template with clearly defined steps and assigned POCs. I have clear buckets related to each step that I use for every GTM plan so that other teams know what to expect and can also track progress and links to deliverables!

I hate to say it, but it depends on the launch--for example, is this a paid new feature or included? For a paid product/feature: * Opportunities created * Customer TAM (of the customers we have identified as a good fit for this, how many have an open opportunity?) * Revenue generated For a non-paid product/feature: * Demand gen metrics like webinar attendees, clicks on website, etc. are helpful since it is not related to revenue Overlap for all products/features: * Adoption (how many customers have tried this?) * Retention --with acqusition costs being so high, this is a critical piece! CS is a great source of insight into why retention is increasing or decreasing As for cadence - after you set your accomplishments (goals), I recommend checking a weekly basis and sharing the numbers in GTM meetings. Once there is a set of trends (I like to look at 90 days), you can present/address them with product --assuming they arent already aware. Sometimes there are items that need to be addressed within the first month or so of launch. 

Having worked as a Product Marketer in 5 different tech companies (varying in sizes), I find that this is different everywhere I go! It has ranged from being more reactive (PM saying they have features ready for launch) to proactive (inserting myself). I have found that it can be a transition to moving to proactive, which can be tricky, especially when explaining why a "launch" might need to have a later date to formally announce it than the date it is tech ready. Clearly communicating the impact the timing will have on the success of the launch is critical--you want to be able to take the blood, sweat, and tears that the product team has put into making the new feature/product/capability a reality and really make an impact in the market with it! When you approach it from the aspect of "I want to make sure your product gets the attention it deserves," I have found it much easier to lead the charge then simply react to when something is tech ready. Clearly definig the timing of seasonal releases has helped as well, and keeps product managers accountable in reaching those release deadlines! And customers know when to expect to hear about new things. To align stakeholders and ensure the process is consistent (which can be particularly tricky in regards to timing), constant communication is key. 1. STARTING WITH THE WHY: Why are we doing this, and what is the current plan? 2. COLLECTING FEEDBACK: What are quesitons that should be addressed up front (this can avoid conflict and confusion later in the launch) 3. IMPACT: How will this impact each team, and how can you prepare each team to be successful once the product is launched

Having this type of background is GOLD! Don't underestimate yourself here. I understand companies may want a specific example of how you've positioned a new product in the market, but positioning a new product means nothing if you can't create clear content or enable sales to talk about WHY that new product is important/what pain points it solves. Here are some thoughts on how to repurpose your experience with a GTM lens to (hopefully) crush your next interview: 1. Show that you understand the GTM process. What have you learned in the courses you've (proactively) taken? From product launches you've seen (maybe from the company you're interviewing with), what would you do better/differently or do again (aka what do you think worked well/didn't work well). Be clear in your examples! 2. Leverage Your Content Marketing Skills: Your expertise in content marketing can be a hugely valuable asset in GTM and product launches. In fact, some companies specifically seek PMMs that are strong in this area (content marketing AND content creation). Showcase your ability to create compelling messaging, content, and collateral that resonates with target audiences and supports key stages of the GTM process, from awareness to conversion. Highlight any successful content campaigns or initiatives you've led that have contributed to driving sales and revenue growth. I recommend sending this information ahead of time if possible. * BE SPECIFIC! I've found success in talking through an opportunity or renewal that closed or increased ACV because of your content -- how did you come up with the topics, 3. Bridge the Gap with Sales Enablement: Your experience in sales enablement gives you insight into the needs and challenges of sales teams, which is crucial in developing effective product launches and GTM strategies. Highlight your ability to create sales enablement materials, such as sales decks, battle cards, and training programs, that align with product positioning and messaging. Emphasize how you've collaborated with sales teams to ensure they have the tools and resources they need to effectively sell new products or features. 4. Ask to Get Involved: Look for opportunities within your current role or company to gain hands-on experience with GTM initiatives. Offer to assist the product team with upcoming launches, contribute to GTM strategy discussions, or take on a lead role in developing GTM plans for specific products or features. Volunteer for cross-functional projects that involve collaboration with product, sales, and marketing teams to gain exposure to the end-to-end GTM process. And KUDOS for being proactive and persistent. I hope this can help you with being even more confident in your abilities as you pursue new opportunities!

Let's start with best practices, then get into an outline I like to use! Best Practices: * Keep the presentation concise and focused. Don't try to fit everything in at once. * Reps typically have 30 minutes or less for a first call. * I try to keep it to 5-7 slides--10 slides MAX. * Focus on the problem, not your product: Understand your audience's challenges and tailor your message to address their pain points. * Start with a bang: Grab attention with a powerful opening like a thought-provoking question, a surprising statistic, or a relatable story. * Make big, bold statements up front that clearly speak to the challenges a customer is facing (and is directly related to the key challenges you solve). * Make sure these points are timely and relevant - if something happens in the news and is relevant, INCLUDE IT and enable your reps to speak clearly to why that matters. * Often times this also helps drive urgency. This happened = you need to care about buying this NOW. * More visuals, less words (general rule of thumb). * I like displaying a slide that shows ALL use cases we can support, and asking the prospect to prioritize. I call it my "buffet menu" slide * Shows the breadth of what we can do, but also puts the conversation back onto the prospect to talk about their top priorities and WHY * This forces sales to turn the conversation over to the prospect (vs. just focusing on selling) * Prep the sales reps to handle objections and competitive questions upfront. * Make sure sales clearly knows the best information to send as a follow up. General outline I like to use: * (OPTIONAL) Company Overview: For newer/lesser known companies, briefly talk about who you are, why you were founded (if a newer company), and tease why you're different. * Problem: Clearly define the challenges and pain points your prospect faces. Use data, industry stats, or relevant metrics to quantify the problem. * Your Solution: Introduce your company and its offerings. Briefly explain how your solution addresses the problems you outlined in the previous slide. * Benefits: Dive deeper into the benefits your solution delivers. Focus on how it improves efficiency, increases revenue, or reduces costs for your prospect. * Social Proof: Showcase your expertise and credibility with testimonials, case studies, or logos of reputable clients. * Differentiation: Explain what sets you apart from competitors. Highlight unique features or competitive advantages. * End with a CLEAR Call to Action: Clearly state what you want the prospect to do next, such as scheduling a demo, starting a free trial, or visiting your website for more information. * If you can offer an additional "value add" upfront to get them to the next call, that can help as well. * For example, we offer a "website audit"

My "hot take: here: experience matters, but how you use it matters more. Let me explain. While someone new to the field might be able to learn the fundamentals of competitor analysis or messaging frameworks, a seasoned product marketer leverages that experience to develop a deeper understanding of: * Market Nuances: They've seen different market trends come and go, allowing them to anticipate shifts and adapt strategies accordingly. * Customer Psychology: They've honed their ability to truly understand customer pain points, motivations, and buying behaviors. This translates into more targeted messaging and positioning. * Industry Landscape: They have a broader perspective on the competitive landscape, allowing them to identify untapped opportunities for product differentiation. Beyond experience, there's often special skill that sets you apart. It could be anything from: * Storytelling: You can craft compelling narratives that not only explain your product but also resonate with customers on an emotional level. * Data "Whisperer": You have an uncanny ability to translate complex data sets into actionable insights that drive strategic decision-making. * Customer Empathy Master: You possess an almost preternatural ability to understand customer needs and translate them into product roadmaps and marketing campaigns. This often shows in product launches and GTM strategies. * Tech-Savvy Guru: You're a master of marketing automation platforms, analytics tools, and other technologies, allowing you to streamline processes and optimize campaigns. * Content Marketing Maestro: You can develop and execute content strategies that not only attract leads but also position your product as a thought leader in the industry. Key here: thought leader! My advice? Identify and leverage your strengths. Don't be discouraged if you feel someone new to the field can grasp the basic product marketing concepts. Focus on honing your experience and identifying your unique "superpower" skill. Some ways to do that: * Reflect on past projects and identify where you excelled. What specific skills did you leverage? * Seek feedback from colleagues or mentors. What strengths do they see in your approach to product marketing? * Look for opportunities to showcase your strengths. Volunteer for projects that allow you to leverage your storytelling skills or data analysis expertise. * KEEP EXAMPLES. Whether its a piece of content (i.e. blog post) that you wrote, a video you recorded, a product you launched, keep a record of your "Product Marketing Portfolio" - learn from your content/design counterparts on this one! For me personally, I believe my super power is two-fold: 1) I am an energizer bunny. I genuinely get excited about the products we are building, and try to get others as hyped up as I am. 2) I LOVEEE a good theme, and a good story. Pairing those together make for a strong and memorable GTM strategy. If you want help building up your "superpower story," let me know, I'd be happy to help!