Rosa Gonzalez Welton

I think of interviewing as a muscle that you develop and keep strong. Approach interviewing in an intentional way, and get additional help where you need it. I recommend picking up one of the popular product interview books. They cover the basics about telling your own story, and describe the range of interview styles and questions you'll face. You’ll learn about the difference between behavioral interviews and case interviews. Take the time to do real mock interviews. What do I mean by “real mo ...Read More

When I first made the transition from B2C to B2B product roles there were two areas that surprised me, and which I had to approach differently.  Customer and Buyer Personas: I had been used to thinking about different customer segments and their needs, but generally my target customer was also the buyer. My experience was different in a B2B role.  I learned that I had to discern (via research, surveys, conversations with customer and with account execs) a range of customer personas, and that usu ...Read More

I would suggest starting a with reflection about your long-term goals. Spend time to create a vision for where you want to go, identify the milestones to get you there, and the experiences that support that journey. That clarity can help guide your decision about focusing in one segment, industry, etc. The fundamental product skills will serve you well in either role. When I look at candidates I focus on the type of work they owned and what results they drove. For example if I was hiring for a r ...Read More

When I joined my company, my mandate was to improve the way that customers got to value quickly. With the support of a research team, designers, and lots of conversations with customers, I saw an opportunity to build a resource center that consolidated best practice resources and pointed new and experienced customers to the steps needed to get the most value out of their products. The resource center would help customers with self-serve onboarding. Because I was building a post-sales experience ...Read More

This is a critical question for Product Management leaders. The fundamental PM principles still apply. I urge my team to start with the customer need and make resourcing and prioritization decisions to create customer value and business impact, all while experimenting and pivoting to iterate and drive adoption. You and your teammate may ask yourselves “is it AI enough?” Ask instead if you’re addressing a problem worth solving, and if AI is indeed the solution that makes sense in the context of a ...Read More

I’m a big fan of customer advisory boards, or CABs for B2B products. These customers or potential customers can be excellent and recurring sources of input for your product roadmap, an avenue to understand deeply how your customers run their business, and can be a source of users for beta programs or prototype testing. CAB customers appreciate being part of beta testing. In a past role I worked with a marketing manager to identify and recruit customers who fit the target profile. We held quarter ...Read More

Success in this area starts with trust and data. Trust: Reducing risk starts with trust within the product triad of product management, engineering and design. This trust enables transparent conversations about levels of effort and levels of confidence in execution. Check in regularly to refine the quality of your estimations. Data: Use internal and competitive data to inform your strategic priorities and enable more efficient trade-off discussions. Early data from product experiments can build ...Read More

Embrace change as the constant, as part of the cycle of life in our product management practices. I know it can feel frustrating to shift from a well laid out plan but I would urge you to consider the “why” behind the change. It could turn out to be the best outcome for you and your product. Ask yourself: Do I have new information on customer needs and competitor actions Is there a sudden imperative to close acquisition or revenue gaps, for example if another initiative has fallen through Do I h ...Read More

Your feedback loop is an important part of the entire product development life cycle, not just post-launch. I encourage my teams to build the muscle to continually gather and weigh multiple sources of input, so that they can gain conviction on their decisions, or on the need to pivot and iterate. What has this looked like over the years? I’ll share a few examples: Creating a customer advisory board for continued input. This is a good way to get input on needs as well as feedback on proposed and ...Read More