Thanks for dropping by! I’m sharing this for those who’ve dipped their toes into the product management pool for a few years. As a software engineer turned product manager, my experiences have shaped me into a mature product person. I’m not here to brag, but I’m happy to say my learnings have helped me make strides in my career. I’m currently a Senior Product Manager at ZoomInfo, and within the first year at ZI, I’ve grown my product’s usage by 10x. Now, I manage a portfolio of products bringing in $150 million in annual ARR. The first ever product I managed was generating $2m ARR.
Before we dive in, let me share a bit about my journey. Curious about how I got into Product Management? Give this a read! I’ve got to add a safe harbor statement here: my experience may not fully mirror that of every PM out there. Yet, my encounters and numerous interviews have shaped my understanding of this role, maturing my perspective.
At most B2B companies, early in your PM career, you’re likely managing a backlog of items for an existing product. When you join, the product’s groundwork is set by your hiring manager who expects your support to continue delivering features and keeping customers happy. You’ll start by building a 3 to 6 months roadmap, or at most a year, for your product with the existing backlog. In addition to executing the roadmap, you’ll interact with some of your top customers, learning how they use the product, working with your engineering team, gathering feedback, and generally upping your execution game. This is the stage where you find yourself saying ‘Yes’ to everything you hear — it’s exciting to think about having someone use what you’ve built.
Does that sound like an entry-level PM at a B2B company to you? If you’re wondering if you can be a good PM, don’t you think you can handle the above?
The next step in your career is to think bigger. Your hiring manager now needs to figure out why they hired you in the first place and how to justify the investment. This is your cue to step in and say, “Hey, there’s work to do. We’re not done yet with a strategy. This roadmap can help us generate revenue.” You’ll begin thinking about an annual roadmap. Some of my friends who are proud of doing PM work like this might get comfortable after a few months because they’ve figured out how to keep the ball rolling. It’ll be a fun ride until *things* hit the fan, like the market we are in now where companies are evaluating areas of investments and reducing where it’s not necessary.
Trust me, it’s not that hard to shift this mental model. It gets easier once you start noticing what I’m about to share!
Before we dive deeper into product management maturity, let’s understand the B2B product org structure. People often say the “Product Manager role is lonely” yet involves interaction with hundreds of people every day or week, depending on your product. I disagree — it’s what you make out of it. As a product manager, you have a profound influence surrounding your product, and you can influence every aspect of it, leading to your product’s success. It’s not a solitary process.
Product success can be distilled into these points:
- there’s a product,
- it reaches the right audience,
- your audience derive value from the product,
- and someone pays somewhere in this process, generating revenue.
Once you grasp this, everything gets easier. If there is a problem anywhere in those 4 areas, you as a PM need to influence in fixing that.
So, what’s a product org like?
At the top, the “Chief Product Officer (CPO)” provides the strategic direction, sets long-term goals, and ensures alignment with the company’s objectives. The CPO oversees the VP of Product and collaborates with other executives to drive growth and innovation through the company’s product portfolio.
The “VP of Product” then steps in. They bridge the gap between the C-Suite’s vision and the product organization’s execution, defining the overall product strategy and direction. The VP of Product works closely with Directors & Product Managers, providing guidance and support, and aligns their work with the company’s goals.
“Directors of Product” manage specific areas or functions within the product organization. They play a crucial role in translating the VP of Product’s vision into actionable plans, managing teams of Product Managers, ensuring effective coordination, and driving successful execution of product initiatives.
You, the Product Manager, are at the heart of the product organization. Your role is far from lonely. You interact with various stakeholders, including customers, developers, designers, and marketers. You have the power to influence every aspect of your product. From gathering customer insights and defining requirements to collaborating with cross-functional teams and driving the product’s success, you’re at the center of it all.
As you grow in your PM journey, you need to expand your perspective beyond simply managing a product roadmap. You’ll find yourself asking questions like, “What’s the north star goal for this product? Are we there yet? Is the product in maintenance mode or primed for growth?” It’s no longer just about product and engineering aspects. And that’s the difficult part of being a PM, you don’t know where to start. You can start with Sales to shape product perception and customize offerings for targeted personas. Collaborating closely with marketing teams, you optimize your product’s website and craft compelling messaging. It’s not just about filling up your backlog anymore. You become a driving force for change, continuously seeking opportunities to improve processes, enhance customer experiences, and drive growth.
Here is an example of a new video we launched for our product because we felt that it was hard for someone to understand what the product does.
As you progress, embrace this holistic mindset. Look beyond the technical aspects and focus on the bigger picture. Remember, you’re not just managing a roadmap; you’re influencing your product’s success and making an impact across your organization. So, keep growing, keep influencing, and keep propelling your product towards new heights of success.
I stumbled upon this maturity model, definitely an interesting take on a product org’s maturity.
I hope this was helpful! If you have any thoughts or feedback, please leave a comment or don’t hesitate to reach me at https://twitter.com/JagannRamesh
