Episodes

Product management suffers from tool problems - we don't have a system of record. In this episode I describe the problem, its impact on us, and how to cobble a basic system of record together using tools and materials you probably have lying around the house.

10 tips you can start using today to become a better product manager, get your sales people to love you, win more deals, and watch your profits soar.

In this episode, a common product management metaphor that’s actually terrible, plus two GOOD metaphors you can use to help you create better products. We use lots of metaphors for understanding, justifying, and explaining the things we do as product managers. Whether it’s our analytics as “the cockpit of a plane,” or comparing design constraints Read More

Even highly cognitively capable people - including product managers - can forget to do simple things that they know they should do. In this episode I discuss the power of checklists in general, a product management-related checklist you can start using right away, and some ideas for how you can embed checklists in your products to help your customers solve their problems.

Product managers are unicorns - simply based on the numbers we are rare. But in another sense too - there's no formula for "great product manager."

In this episode I cover a fundamental skill and mindset about communication - the number one thing at which product managers must excel.

Like so many of my podcasts, this episode started from a Slack conversation last week. “What are some good products that were marketed badly?” Of course, if a good product is marketed badly, that usually means it’s going to fail, which usually means no one ever heard of it. But the fact is that there Read More

Compelling customer success stories are one of the most powerful tools in your go-to-market arsenal. In this episode I cover their structure, the questions to ask, and how to use them to help close more deals.

"How can I get my team to go faster?" The fact is, you really can't get them to go much faster. But you can make sure they're going the right direction.

In this episode I present a somewhat iconoclastic list of books related to product management that I’ve found extremely valuable, and which don’t often appear on those other "product management book" lists.

How do you describe product management? In this episode I share a framework that will help you answer this question. The framework is simple and straightforward, so it's easy to remember. It uses short words in ways everyone can understand. It doesn’t depend on technical or specialized knowledge. And yet, it's surprisingly powerful.

Your methodology, your process, is a means to an end. It’s not the end in itself. If it’s not helping you deliver on your goals, then you need to change it. And if you are looking for a high fidelity metric to use to manage your process or your people – consider the World Series. Read More

If the product organization doesn't provide the right product knowledge to Sales and Marketing, then they can't be successful. In this episode I share more Minimum Product Knowledge necessary for Sales and Marketing success.

If the product organization doesn't provide the right product knowledge to Sales and Marketing, then they can't be successful. In this podcast episode and the next one, I share the Minimum Product Knowledge for Sales and Marketing success.

Most people don’t know about this powerful technique for reducing churn and increasing retention. I call it the “What Have I Done For You Lately?” report. It’s a report or a message or an infographic that illustrates all the value that a specific customer got from your product in the last year, expressed in their Read More

I removed a feature from one of the applications I manage this week, and I used a Fermi estimate to validate that it would be safe to do so. What’s that you say, “a Fermi estimate?” And why do I think Fermi estimates are one of the most powerful analytical tools in the product manager’s Read More

Clearly prioritization continues to be one of the most important problems for product managers. In this episode I step back and take a look at feature prioritization from first principles.

Use the V.A.L.U.A.B.L.E. rubric to write requirements that result in better communication and higher quality features.

There are two critical stories every product manager should be able to tell about their product - about their poor beknighted prospect, and about their heroic, successful customer

As a product manager, one of your most precious resources is your “cognitive storage tank.” It’s like a real fuel tank – when it’s exhausted, your cognitive abilities stop working well. And when that happens, it means you can’t be as innovative, you can’t be as creative, and your decisions get worse. To improve our Read More

Two new ways of thinking about tools – and product management tools in particular.

I love tools, but I am not thrilled with the choice of tools for product managers. There are some bright spots, but you can listen to this episode to learn why I think a lot of the tools on the market miss the mark. I also have a blog post on this topic, and a Read More

If someone asks “what do you think of my idea?" have them answer these 5 questions. If they can't, then the idea is a solution in search of a problem.

The “Minimum Effective Dose” of presentation excellence. This podcast episode is about the 20% of effort you need to get 80% of the value when preparing and delivering a business presentation. If you present to your colleagues on a regular basis, but you feel you’re not getting the best results, this episode is for you. Read More