Here’s my time management presentation as a show: (click thumbnail to view presentation as a show)
Are sales teams your friend or foe?
Foe: The red herrings—If only we had complaints, The Time Suckers—could you meet with this prospect?, The Devaluers—Protecting our products?
Friend: The White Knights–Source of our success?, The Oracle—Source of our requirements, features, The API—Our interface to our market.
Why do we lose the sale? Why do we win the sale? Does anyone do any of that analysis in your organization? If not, they should. A win/loss analysis at the end of the sales cycle helps product managers learn.
Who does the win/loss analysis in your group when you win a new client or lose a sale? Is it sales? It shouldn’t be. An analysis by the product team can come to real solutions on product enhancements.
Get involved in the sales cycle. The product manager is a great advocate for the product and a good sales consultant. Get involved and identify your allies in the sales department.
Are product managers sales engineers, too? Maybe sales consultants…I would say.
Bond with your sales winners. Don’t fight them, but learn from them. It’s the only job in the company where the mortgage is on the line every month.
Ask: How do we incent sales to sell the right products the right way?
Ask: Where does training end? The reason that sales may slow down can’t always be lack of training.
Consequences: Restrictions on sales. “If you discount the product over x% then there is no sales commission on the sale.” I like that approach.
3pm Session: Why do we do what we do? How do product managers define problems and then work to fix them?
Performance guarantees…Yipes! Uptime guarantees….why?
How do you introduce constraints into your product and maintain competitiveness? Why do you introduce constraints? Restrictions are necessary for successful products. Remember…you can’t be everything to everybody.
