The Product Game Plan Podcast

Would your customers organically recommend your product?

I’ll dissect what you can do now to begin forming a profile of your product. Including where to gather indirect and direct information about what your users think of your product, and why both perspectives are powerful.

Why customer profiles matter

This episode is about building customer trust and knowing what information you should collect so that your customers feel that you understand them well when you meet with them for specific results.

What no one tells you about stakeholder alignment

Lack of stakeholder alignment and commitment are the 1 and 2 reasons why programs delay, break down before reaching the desired achievements, or fail altogether.

Implementing co-creation & co-design into your operating model to deliver customer value

Andy Hagerman and Heather talk about how powerful the business and user outcomes are when co-creation and co-design are implemented into an organization. You can expect to learn how important debriefs are after each customer conversation and how they can inform next-level decisions, and alignment with stakeholders.

Product experience and facilitation leadership

What does experience mean for users, employees, leaders, and companies? Some companies are beginning to think about the interconnectedness of business, users, and communities. What does that mean and how can businesses evolve to change their ecosystem and opportunities, to create a shift in how employees think about their role in an organization?

Being intentional about change

Commitment to your professional evolution by developing a powerful operating model requires intent. How you change the interactions with your internal and external stakeholders influences the consistency in your achievements.  I’ll talk about how two specific books and their authors have helped me consider what to incorporate into my systems and why I would consider changing my operating model.

Customer Interview Tips

I recommend going into each interview with a mindset of accurately knowing what your users experience. When you ask ‘why’ questions amongst the scenarios a user shares with you, you will begin to peel back the onion of reality for each user. They will take note and feel heard.

This article will help you choose feedback-gathering activities to use with your stakeholders and customer discussions and go deeper on prioritization. CLICK HERE

Build Indispensable Stakeholder Partnerships

Landing programs and messaging are super important, so you want to translate them in a way that will engage folks. Engagement is number one. With it, you will be able to move very quickly. Key to your accomplishments is driving alignment and engagement with your stakeholders, who will be the most important people in implementing those programs.

How to lead Product Insight Sprints

This conversation delves into the methodology of conducting Product Insight Sprints, emphasizing the importance of user feedback in product development. I outline the process from planning and preparing for the sprint, engaging users during the sessions, categorizing and prioritizing feedback, for assessing implementation efforts and creating an executive pitch deck. The focus is on fostering genuine relationships with users and stakeholders to drive informed business decisions and enhance product usability.

5 reflective questions to set you on a productive path

As December comes to a close, I like to revisit my year. From a fiscal year perspective, I review the goals of my mid-year in-flight programs.

1. Are your programs on track, and can you measure their trajectory?

2. What must occur from January through June to accomplish your goals?

3. Then, what strategic business outcomes can you plan for and fulfill to meet goals between July and December?

3 Essentials for your funding pitch

Before I ever book a meeting with my management to ask for funding, lay out a strategy for my product’s needs, or ask for sponsorship, I make sure what I’m asking for is grounded in reality.

Therefore, you will need an accurate and believable pitch. Precise prioritization of what should be in your pitch requires real user data, which means you need a broad enough sampling of user feedback to prove out the story for your pitch. Anything less than hard facts will only embarrass you and risk your credibility.

How to forge exceptional customer relationships

Building strong customer relationships is the cornerstone of any successful product strategy. As product managers, we often focus on features and functionality, but the real magic happens when we connect with our users on a deeper level.

I’ve discovered that forging meaningful connections with customers falls into two distinct categories: those we’re just getting to know and those we’ve built a rapport with over time. Let’s explore strategies for both scenarios.

The power of human connection in building thriving business ecosystems

In this episode of the Product Game Plan, I share insights from my recent European event that highlight the importance of maintaining strong relationships with customers and partners. We’ll explore how these connections can drive product quality, foster loyalty, and ultimately lead to business growth.

Does your team have efficient productivity touchpoint communication? 

As product managers, we often focus on the technical aspects of our role, but it’s the soft skills that can make or break our success. In this episode of Product Game Plan, I share a recent experience that highlights the critical importance of communication touchpoints for productivity in enterprise product management.