Mike Berger

I've always thought that Hubspot has done a great job with product marketing. They have great product market fit and their messaging and positioning is typically on point. As their platform has grown and they've introduced new offerings like their CRM, their "powerful alone, better together" message was really smart. And despite all the new offerings, they still clearly articulate the value of each for the distinct set of buyers each maps to.  From a more general marketing perspective, they've continued to beat the drum around "inbound marketing" FOREVER. Most companies get bored of their ...

Great PMMs really understand the nuances behind messaging and are able to create simplicity out of complexity.  They are framework-driven.  They connect their work to strategic company initiatives, especially those tied to growth.  They are "drivers" with a strong bias to action.  They are phenomenal communicators and are able to hold their own in discussions and debates with senior leaders.  They use the right mix of instinct and data to make decisions.  They make others "want" to work with them on projects.  Their work is memorable. 

Short answer, yes. If it's a job you really want, go above and beyond. Now, if a company says they want you to prepare a 5 slide presentation on something, I wouldn't simply decide that 10 slides is fine, because they might want to see whether or not you can create a concise deck. So if you plan to go above and beyond, and you have questions around it, just ask the hiring manager or recruiter. When I ask candidates to prepare an excercise, some candidates proactively request time with me prior, which is really smart, and puts them at an advantage. But many don't. I also just had a candida...

I think a monthly email update, or Slack update sent to the entire company is a great way to update the rest of the organization on the activities and achievements of PMM.  Generally speaking, there is so much noise with all the channels of communication people have to deal with today that something that gets "sent" to the company in some way, shape or form is much more effective than anything that would require someone to seek out such info. So if you put all of PMMs achievements on a page in a company portal, very few will end up looking at it in my opinion.

I look for a combination of: 1. Impact - have they played a significant role in driving positive business outcomes for the company 2. Skills - have they achieved a level of mastery necessary to successfully coach others 3. Leadership - have they recognized and elevated those around them, not just focused on themselves 4. Collaboration - do I hear positive feedback from others across the compnay who have interacted with them All weighted equally to me, and all super important.

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: 1. Make it clear you believe you deserve a promotion 2. List the reasons why (focus on the impact you've made) 3. Ask your manager if he/she agrees with your assessment 4. If yes, ask about a timeline  5. If not, ask them what you would need to do in order to be considered for a promotion I think #2 above is where things tend to go awry. I put ...

I'll answer this by conveying what I look for when I hire product marketers: 1. Messaging skills - can you take complex things and make them seem simple and easily digestible 2. Writing skills - writing is an art form, and is the most important foundational skill for a PMM in my opinion 3. Storyteling - can you turn a customer use case into an interesting and memorable story 4. Influence - can you rally people around your ideas and vision 5. Collaboration skills - PMM is obviously an incredibly cross-functional discipline Notice I didn't put in "Organizational skills"...

I can tell you based on quite a bit of experience that this is the easiest question I'll ever answer on the topic of building a successful PMM career. It isn't even close. When you are early on in your career, forget about the role, title, pay, etc. Instead, jump into any seat on a rocketship.  When you are on a rocketship, if you perform well, there will be plenty of opportunities for growth as the company grows, and the experience you gain will be highly valued by other companies hoping to achieve similar growth.  I know it can be hard to see this when you are early on in your career, b...