Product Chats Podcast

“Differentiation only matters to a customer in as much as they perceive that it matters,” Dan Balcauski. In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, and Dan Balcauski, Founder and Chief Pricing Officer at Product Tranquility, explore how product professionals can influence pricing. They also discuss: Why product managers should deeply understand pricing Where people go wrong when they are working on pricing strategy How to establish a clear understanding of how your customer's value that’s not based on opinion The role of competitive analysis in building a pricing strategy Why Dan doesn’t recommend freemiums (but does recommend free trials) Ready to master the art of pricing? Learn how to set the right price for your products and services, understand your customers' willingness to pay, and maximize your profits. Learn More

"Understanding precisely why your users are happy or frustrated should inform the product roadmap and your continuous improvement efforts are likely to enhance your company's reputation." - Evan Klein In this product chat, Evan Klein, Founder and President of Satrix Solutions, shares insights on understanding customer behavior and its impact on business success. The conversation revolves around the importance of data-driven decision-making, focusing on key data points businesses should monitor. Evan also emphasizes the significance of staying attuned to customer sentiment and discusses the best practices for obtaining unbiased and unfiltered feedback from customers. In this presentation, Evan discusses: Benefits of a strong user experience The purpose and how to conduct a key driver analysis Why humans (not machines or AI) should be responsible for thematic analyses Risks of data quality and reliability Who should conduct customer interviews and other best practices Unlock Your Product Management Potential Dive into Pragmatic Institute's Foundations course to master market understanding and product building. Earn a PMC certification and access invaluable tools and resources. Ideal for aspiring and seasoned product managers. Learn More

In this episode of Pragmatic Live, our very own Diane Pierson, Pragmatic Institute instructor, is joined by Joe Douress, published author and managing director for Brittish Medical Publishing for the Americas, to discuss how to better leverage subscription models at the right time to ensure customer and revenue retention. Don't forget! - Each and every Friday, we hold live AMA's that you can take part in! Visit pragmaticinstitute.com to learn more. Watch our previous sessions HERE.

“Your best messaging is often going to be the messaging that a customer gives to you.” - Aneri Shah In this episode, Rebecca Kalogeris interviews Aneri Shah, the head of B2B marketing at Ethos and a seasoned product marketing professional. They delve deep into the importance of understanding your buyers and capturing the 'voice of the customer.' Shah brings forth her experiences from working with tech giants like Microsoft, Meta and insurtech company Ethos to shed light on successful product marketing strategies. In this episode, Aneri further explains: The vital importance of deeply understanding your buyers for successful product marketing. How and where to utilize the voice of the customer The real value of in-product communication How she uses AI to help with messaging If you want to delve deeper into these topics and understand how to make your products more customer-centric, enroll in Pragmatic Institute's Market course. You’ll learn how to thoroughly understand your buyers and how they like to buy so you can build the product marketing strategies that deliver results. Learn More

“Even one conversation with one customer can be so impactful to what we can deliver.” - Daniel Alleyne In this episode of Product Chats, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of product strategy at Pragmatic Institute, interviews Daniel Alleyne, a former Deloitte consultant and current product manager at Ivy Charging Network. The discussion centers around Daniel’s non-linear journeys to product management and highlights the significant impact of curiosity and market research. They discuss: The pervasive nature of imposter syndrome in product roles, particularly among those who have followed non-traditional paths, and its role in fostering ongoing learning and personal growth. Effective strategies to underline the importance of market research and secure buy-in from stakeholders and leaders. Approaches to building trust within organizations to garner the time and resources necessary for comprehensive market research. Techniques to continually demonstrate value during the market research process, ensuring sustained support and investment. Interested in diving deeper into market research and building your product management skills? Enroll in Pragmatic’s Foundations course, where you’ll thoroughly understand your buyers and how they like to buy so you can build the product marketing strategies that deliver results. >> Learn More

“Break the communication barriers to your organization with data.” - Paul Meresanu In this episode, Georgina Donahue, director of community at Pragmatic Institute interviews Paul Meresanu, the director of product management at Jedox Cloud Platform, on incorporating data into product strategies. Paul Meresanu is an experienced product leader with knowledge in leading product management teams in software, SaaS, and B2B companies on a global scale, ranging from small startups to established enterprises. So listen in while Paul shares stories demonstrating why data is a powerful ally for product managers. Paul is also a 2023 ambassador for the Pragmatic Alumni Community. He leads the “Data Insights” group. In this episode Georgina and Paul discuss: Using data to make decisions when choosing a path for a product or starting a new product? How to encode and decode qualitative data Tools for managing qualitative data Keep Learning with Pragmatic’s Insight Course In this course, you’ll learn a grounded and actionable approach to incorporating data into product practices and decisions. You also learn how to employ a scalable and repeatable process for successful data projects, and strategies to strengthen roadmaps, go-to-market plans, presentations and more with data. Learn More

Your product roadmap serves as more than just a mere document. It acts as a powerful conduit, effectively communicating your vision and strategy to key stakeholders, partners, and customers. Neglecting to provide realistic, relevant, and up-to-date information within your roadmap can lead to missed opportunities, wasted time, and potential revenue loss. In this episode, Mina Hanna, a senior product manager in FinTech at Verizon, shares invaluable strategies and approaches for effectively implementing roadmaps. Mina emphasizes the importance of strategy alignment, understanding business objectives, stakeholder management and effective communication. During this episode, Mina: Provides practical examples and insights on creating roadmap clarity Explains setting realistic timelines Demonstrates collaborative tools Keep learning about roadmaps by enrolling in Focus. Learn how to find opportunities in your market’s problems, score them objectively and identify where your company’s strengths intersect with market values. Enroll Today

“I would love for marketers to get involved in a couple of sales demos and commit to it, not just listen in. I think that would be uncomfortable for a lot of people, and that means that you're learning.” - Ross Cranwell In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of Product for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Ross Cranwell, the CEO and co-founder of Milk Video, a video-editing platform that helps product marketers quickly repurpose their long-form video and audio content into short-form content assets to increase reach and engagement. In this episode, Rebecca and Ross discuss: How product marketers can build credibility The unique challenges B2B product marketers face (especially when trying to connect marketing efforts to revenue) Why product marketers should participate in sales calls Do you want to learn how to measure your strategies against the metrics that matter most to your organization? Enroll in Market. In Pragmatic’s Market course, you’ll learn how to align across go-to-market teams, gain expert buyer knowledge, build consensus for marketing plans, and measure effectiveness. Learn More

In this great throwback episode, pricing guru and long-time Pragmatic partner Mark Stiving covers three key methods you can use to get the most profitable products to the market as quickly as possible. Want to learn more about pricing your product for success? Take Price from Pragmatic Institute. Learn more and register today.

"Your customers are looking at your product and asking for discounts. The key is to demonstrate the value of your product so that they understand the price is justified." - Mark Stiving, Chief Pricing Officer for Impact Pricing In this episode of the Pragmatic Live, host Rebecca Kalogeris, Vice President of Product at Pragmatic Institute, interviews Mark Stiving, Ph.D., Chief Pricing Officer for Impact Pricing, who shares six ways to raise product prices effectively. They discuss pricing strategies such as focusing on products that are add-ons, using market segmentation to adjust prices, and creating a new product version by taking away some features and charging a lower price. These strategies can help companies increase revenue without causing too much disruption or risking losing customers. The conversation contains valuable insights and practical tips to help professionals elevate their products, company, and career. Tune in to this episode to learn more about effective pricing strategies and take your product management skills to the next level. Do you want to learn how to be more market-driven? Enroll in Foundations You’ll learn how to understand the market and its problems, use that knowledge to build and sell products people want to buy, and master the Pragmatic Framework to bring successful products to market. Learn More

“We're not looking for the learning itself; we're looking for that behavior. We want that application. That is where the real value is for any organization or business.” - Erica Sutula What makes Pragmatic’s courses effective and impactful? In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of Product for Pragmatic Institute, and Erica Sutula answer that question. Erica is a passionate learner and an expert in creating learning experiences that motivate and engage adults. She finds joy in exploring new subjects and acquiring knowledge and loves nothing more than sharing that knowledge with others in a way that inspires and motivates them. They discuss: What is instructional design How Pragmatic helps students implement their training after they’ve completed a course The impact collaborative learning has on outcomes What is problem-based learning Why certification exams help with the long-term transfer of knowledge and skills Ready to transform your organization into a market-driven powerhouse? Enroll your product teams in Foundations today. They’ll learn to uncover market problems, develop buyer and user personas, and create a winning positioning strategy. With 7.5 hours of lectures, group discussions, and practical exercises, they'll gain the skills and tools needed to become a market-driven product professional. Learn More

“The secret is not to pick the squeakiest wheel, but to actually find the thing that's going to add the most business value and customer value if we release it out to the market.” - Erik Johnson In this Product Chat, Ian Templin, director of product management at Pragmatic Institute, and Erik Johnson, knowledge group manager at Aha! have a collaborative discussion about specific product strategies and how to execute processes using Aha!’s software. Ian and Eric Discuss: The three common pitfalls of market research How Aha! prevents market research from getting lost in digital drawers The three-prong test to validate and prioritize problems (and a tool to help) Aha!’s product value scorecard and idea portal How to effectively bring market insights to the development and design teams How to get buy-in for a new roadmapping tool About the hosts: As the Director for Product Management at Pragmatics Product Vertical, Ian oversees a team of instructional designers responsible for creating and refining purposeful and inspiring learning experiences. Erik Johnson is a seasoned Scrum Master with extensive experience in project management and software development. He's also incredibly passionate and exceptionally knowledgeable about sharing his in-depth knowledge of Aha!’s product development tools. Improve Your Product Strategies with Training from Pragmatic Enroll in Foundations and learn how to identify market problems, uncover strategic opportunities, develop buyer and user personas, and create a positioning strategy. Learn More

“Use that user empathy superpower with your engineers. See that they are your partners, not your resources.” - Kirsten Van Detta In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of product for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Kirsten Van Detta, group product manager at LinkedIn, about improving the PM/Engineering relationship. Kirsten Van Detta is a passionate product manager with a diverse project management and business analysis background. She discovered her love for product management when she landed her first role leading a team for a flagship CRM that was sold to external customers. Since then, she has worked on products of all sizes, from large enterprise-scale products to smaller projects for universities. Currently, Kirsten is working at LinkedIn, where she is focused on sales technology. She thrives in the product management role because it allows her to do everything she loves, from developing strategies to executing and delivering projects. Her experience has given her a unique perspective on the tension between product managers and engineers. In this episode, Rebecca and Kirsten discuss: What engineers need from product managers Communication strategies to better collaborate with engineers Why advocating for the product is also advocating for your team How to repair your relationship with the engineering team if it isn’t ideal Do you want to learn more about navigating roles and responsibilities? Enroll in Foundations You’ll learn how to understand the market and its problems, use that knowledge to build and sell products people want to buy, and master the Pragmatic Framework to bring successful products to market. Learn More

This episode is from our latest Product Chat webinar >> watch the webinar “I really encourage you whenever you have a task think about whether you have to do it or whether the ChatGPT can do it for you.” - Nils Janse In this episode, Nils Janse, founder of Delibr, explains how product professionals can integrate AI to enhance products and workflows. During this episode, Nils discusses: The limitations and capabilities of GPT-3 and GPT-4 The applications for generative AI, evaluative AI and interactive AI An example of how Delibr uses AI to build PRD Prompt engineering approaches Want to Join Pragmatic’s alumni community? You’ll get your free lifetime membership when you complete your first course—Foundations. In Foundations, you’ll learn how to master the Pragmatic Framework and build products the market wants to buy. Enroll Today If you’ve already completed Foundations, our course selector tool will help you decide on which course to take next.

“I teach the pricing class, and we like to say that people don't want to feel punished when it comes to price—they want to feel rewarded." - Todd Middlebrook In this episode, Pragmatic Instructors Paul Young, Dan Corbin and Todd Middlebrook dive deep into Netflix’s latest policy updates to discuss the importance of pricing changes in a subscription-based business. During this episode, they discuss: Netflix’s latest changes and the impact The reaction in the market to the password-sharing crackdown Why businesses should avoid making customers feel like they are being punished with pricing changes The ways Netflix could approach the policy change differently How Netflix could improve its messaging and policy launch moving forward to earn goodwill with current and future customers Want to learn more from these Pragmatic Instructors? Enroll in Price You'll learn a proven approach to pricing that reflects what the market is willing to pay and supports your organization's strategies. We'll teach you how to evaluate the competitive and market environment and its impact on pricing. Plus, you'll learn how to implement, track and measure pricing strategies. Learn More

“Data in a spreadsheet is going to have a limited effect. How you tell the story and how you convey that to members of the leadership team in a way that is easily digestible and makes it clear how they can act on it is vitally important. If the feedback is only shared with the CEO or with one department, then you're leaving a lot of opportunities on the table.” - Evan Klein. In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Eddie Gordon, courseware designer at Pragmatic Institute, interviews Evan Klien about win/loss, customer feedback, and employee engagement programs. Evan is the founder and CEO of Satrix Solutions. With a passion for voice of customer programs, Evan drew on his experience as the head of client satisfaction at a digital agency to create a business focused on helping B2B companies listen and respond to their most important constituents, including customers, prospective customers, former customers, and employees. During this episode, Eddie and Evan discuss: How to implement systematic feedback processes Who should be included in customer satisfaction surveys and interviews How to share customer insights in a way the company will feel empowered to act on them Benefits of hiring a third-party voice of customer services Best practices for approaching win/loss interviews How to encourage customers to provide feedback and respond to survey or interview requests How employee feedback programs contribute to improving customer experience Enroll in Foundations In this course, you’ll learn the ins and outs of the Pragmatic Framework and how to approach win/loss analysis at your company. Learn More

"In an environment where there is not good collaboration, ultimately, you don’t leverage the expertise of everyone. You’re leaving all these superpowers on the table because people aren’t talking. The key to innovative ideas is leveraging the talents of a whole group.” - Teresa Brazen In this episode, Pragmatic Instructors Cindy Cruzado and Teresa Brazen discuss how product managers and designers can work together to create intuitive, innovative products. Cindy and Teresa will provide insights into: Why you should bring in design earlier in the development process How designers and product managers approach the development process differently Navigating the conflict between desirability, viability and feasibility Enroll in Pragmatic’s Design Course for Product Managers Learn how to create innovative, intuitive products that the market will embrace. Gain a human-centered approach to market problems, partner with designers, and deepen your understanding of target users. With the skills and knowledge gained through this course, you will be equipped to drive meaningful impact in your organization. Enroll now and unlock your full potential as a product manager. Learn More Enroll in Business Strategy & Design learn how to contribute to strategy conversations confidently, tie your design work to business outcomes, and align user-centered work to advance business objectives. With this course, you'll strengthen cross-functional partnerships and demonstrate the return on investment of your design work. Learn More

“The first market we have to sell to is our executive team” - Steve Gaylor We know Pragmatic training has the potential to revolutionize the way your organization approaches product—but does your company (more specifically, your leadership) understand the impact of being market-driven? In this episode, Pragmatic Instructors Paul Young, Cindy Cruzado, Amy Graham, Steve Gaylor, and Will Scott discuss putting Pragmatic training into practice. During this episode, they discuss: The challenges product professionals will face when trying to implement change in their role and company How to get buy-in from the executive team to build a market-driven culture Why capturing market data will help you prevent emotional or political conversations with stakeholders in the company How to manage through influence versus authority Want to learn more from these Pragmatic Instructors? Enroll in Foundations, where you’ll learn how to master the Pragmatic Framework and build products the market wants to buy. Enroll in Foundations If you’ve already completed Foundations, our course selector tool will help you decide on which course to take next.

This podcast has some strong language, so if you've got any little ones around, you might want to pop in some headphones. “I think there is just this deep, massive insecurity around hiring product managers. Companies are fearful of hiring the wrong person. So they defer to the perceived wisdom and expertise of others. In doing so, they abdicate their most important responsibility, which is to figure out what they need for that team to achieve its particular goals at that moment, at that company.” - Matt LeMay In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Matt LeMay, partner and principal product management consultant at Sudden Compass. Matt LeMay is an accomplished product leader who has helped various companies enhance their product management practices. He co-founded Sudden Compass, a consultancy that has helped several organizations such as Spotify, Google, Clorox, and Procter & Gamble with customer centricity. He is also the author of Agile for Everybody and Product Management in Practice. In this episode, Rebecca and Matt discuss: Hiring the right product manager for your team starts with understanding exactly what your company needs, not simply “what makes a good product manager.” The key quality Matt looks for during an interview with a prospective product manager Why you should switch from clarifying the role of product management to clarifying the goal of product management How to incorporate different frameworks into the hiring process Are You Looking For Your First (or Next) Product Job? Pragmatic Certifications Can Get You Hired. Pragmatic’s product practice provides a full ecosystem of impactful, results-driven training and resources for product professionals and teams. Use our course selector tool to help you find the perfect learning path for your career goals. Learn More

“The first success criteria for positioning I use is if all the key constituents within the client organization have clarity and a united point of view on what the brand and the company stand for. The second is if the salesforce feels energized. The ultimate metric is business success, such as customer acquisition or growth.” - Ulli Appelbaum In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Ulli Appelbaum, an independent brand strategist about positioning. Ulli has over 20 years of experience developing communication strategies and positioning platforms for various clients. Ulli recently authored the [Brand Positioning Workbook: A Simple How-To Guide To More Compelling Brand Positioning, Faster](A Simple How-To Guide To More Compelling Brand Positionings, Faster) They discuss: Ulli’s systematic approach to branding and positioning, including internal stakeholder interviews, competition analysis, and customer research. Types of positioning deliverables after completing initial research Why positioning can help you when things don’t go according to plan How to measure the success of positioning work Common problems that occur in positioning projects Market. This course helps you gain a thorough understanding of your buyers and how they like to buy so you can build product marketing strategies that deliver results. Learn More

This episode is from our latest Product Chat webinar >> watch the webinar When it comes to the planning, execution and effectiveness of a launch, understanding the key components and their function within teams and processes is essential. Each phase of a launch brings its own very specific challenges and being able to execute and navigate while remaining on track can be challenging. So how can you best identify the key elements of a launch and utilize evaluation to ensure you’re building upon each launch successfully. Join us as we welcome Trishna Sharma, Product Manager of Meta for a conversation on how to look at the key components of a successful product launch and evaluation techniques you can utilize to ensure you are driving powerful outcomes. In this conversation Trishna will share: The key components of what drives a successful launch according to a PM How to plan and execute launch strategies that remain streamlined and on track Metrics and Data Insights you can look to, to measure success and efficiency How to conduct evaluation techniques post-launch to ensure you are consistently improving

“There are several things that can challenge a launch, but forgetting about some of the teams that are necessary for a launch can have a massive impact.” - Diane Pierson In this episode of Product Chats, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Diane Pearson, founder and chief market strategist for Innovate on Purpose and Pragmatic instructor, about launches. Rebecca and Diane discuss: The people and teams that should be involved in a launch—but often aren’t Why you should use a launch readiness assessment rather than a launch checklist How to not lose control of a launch Why are product marketing managers often overlooked in the launch process Want to learn more about effective launches from Pragmatic Instructors like Diane? Launch is a course that helps you create a more strategic approach to exceed your business objectives. Learn to execute successful launches that align your entire organization around the same strategies and goals. Enroll Today

“Just because you may be a bigger company or the acquiring company doesn't mean you do everything right. Learn from the people that you're buying from.” - Frank Tait In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Frank Tait about how the Pragmatic Framework can help companies navigate the choppy waters of mergers and acquisitions. Frank worked in educational technology software for more than 40 years and brought the Pragmatic Framework into approximately 17 different businesses (most of those were acquisitions). Now, he works as a strategic advisor. Despite the difficulties of M&A, it offers a rare chance to quickly and directly impact an organization's economics. By mastering the Pragmatic Framework, you can boost your career and make a substantial difference to your organization. During this episode, Rebecca and Frank discuss: When to build, buy or partner in the context of a merger or acquisition The three stages of determining whether or not to buy a company The value of a gap analysis during an acquisition or merger How to apply the Pragmatic Framework to M&A build a shared mission and understanding The role of positioning and segmentation during an M&A process Frank Tait is an active member of Pragmatic’s alumni community. How do you become a member of this growing and thriving product community? All you have to do is take your first Pragmatic course, and you’ll gain a free lifetime membership. Enroll in Foundations In this course, you’ll learn the ins and outs of the Pragmatic Framework that Frank references during this episode.

Are your market research efforts providing meaningful insights? Have you accurately identified the needs of your market? Do your cross-functional team members understand your market well enough to win their trust – and get the sale? Join us as Pragmatic Institute and Diane Pierson, visiting instructor and founder of Innovate on Purpose welcome Scott Lien, CEO and co-founder of GrandPad. Scott will share how to leverage market research to build powerful positioning and ways to utilize Pragmatic principles in the real world to gain a strategic advantage. In this conversation Scott will also discuss: What kinds of market research will help you build better positioning Practical ways to conduct research with limited budgets and time How to drive market knowledge into every product and marketing decision to drive better results How to align with leadership to successfully jumpstart your positioning workflow

“I am pleading for everybody, working in any job, at the start of every one of your projects to say, ‘are we date-driven or are we scope-driven?’ Then, when something unforeseen comes our way, we will gleefully and joyfully make the adjustments and celebrate and move forward. And we will take the human nature desire to have a punitive discussion at that moment in time off the table because it ultimately inhibits the workflow and the culture.” -Kirsten Butzow In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Kirsten Butzow, senior VP at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, discussing the often overlooked and hidden cause of tension and bad culture in organizations—workflows.Kirsten Butzow is a product management enthusiast, passionate mentor, leader, and former Pragmatic Instructor. During this episode, Kirsten and Rebecca Discuss: How to determine if a perceived cultural issue is actually rooted in a problem with workflow Why unexpected rework is a sign of a workflow problem Why starting with customer data will bring clarity to workflows The importance of agreeing to adjust either scope or date deadlines to better manage resource and time constraints Additional Resources: Enroll Foundations to take the first step in truly understanding the market and the problems it faces. In this course, you’ll also master the Pragmatic Framework and the activities needed to bring a successful product to market. Learn More

“The whole point of doing a positioning document is to clearly and concisely say, ‘who are we solving problems for? What are those particular problems, and why do those people care so much that we solve those problems for them?’” In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Pragmatic instructor Dan Corbin about positioning. Dan explains that positioning helps to align the organization by clearly communicating the target audience, their problems, and the solutions to those problems. This is particularly important for product management teams, often at the organization's center and playing a pivotal role in driving alignment. During this episode, Dan and Rebecca Discuss: Why position documents are essential for the entire organization and why it makes the product team’s job easier What to include in a positioning document and why the order of the sections is so important How many positioning documents should you create per product Who should own the positioning document Additional Resources: Enroll Foundations to learn more about positioning from expert instructors like Dan Corbin. Take the first step in truly understanding the market and the problems it faces. In this course, you’ll also master the Pragmatic Framework and the activities needed to bring a successful product to market. Learn More

“I think every company should be thinking about is create a product-led growth strategy. You don't have to implement it. You don't have to say, "this is how we're going to run our company." But I think if you step back to think about what it would look like if we use product-led growth in our company, you would probably build much better products.” - Mark Stiving What trends will shape the future of pricing? In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews pricing guru Mark Stiving about pricing trends and predictions for 2023. They discuss: Companies moving toward usage-based pricing What is product-led growth Why net-dollar retention is the single most important KPI The importance of compensation for the sales team that grows customers Pricing and AI Additional Resources: Enroll in the Pragmatic Price course today to learn how to evaluate the competitive and market environment, create effective price segmentation strategies, and implement and measure pricing strategies that support your organization's goals. Is your subscription business stuck in neutral? Shift into high gear with the on-demand course, Accelerate Your Subscription Business. Led by pricing expert Mark Stiving, this course will help you streamline your business for success and give you the clarity and certainty you need to drive growth. Keep Learning About Pricing From Mark Stiving Pricing Case Study: Why Disney Should Charge MORE for Their $6,000 Hotel Room Pricing Case Study: The Housing Market Teaches Why Cost Plus Pricing is a Bad Idea Pricing Case Study: When Will You Unsubscribe to Netflix? Pricing Case Study: Shrinkflation and Why You’re Getting Less but Paying More

In this episode, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, hosts Sandy Orlando, the senior VP of product management at CDK Global, an automotive retailing software company. Sandy explains that her objective with NIHITO visits is to listen to the customer rather than to talk to the customer, and to test a hypothesis without trying to inform it. She said that while building personas people try to prescribe a conclusion and then prove it rather than exploring. When done well, personas can lead a product team to create solutions that lead customers to desired outcomes. At times, she said she's received feedback from customers that she didn't deliver one single thing the customer asked for but instead delivered exactly what they needed.

This episode is from our latest Product Chat webinar >> watch the webinar With 2022 coming to an end and rumbles of the macro environment creating some potentially tough hurdles for businesses in 2023, companies must be laser-focused on what is most important for success in the coming year. This is why product managers and leaders must hone in on areas that create resilience and deliver the highest value and greatest impact for their organizations, employees and, most importantly, their users and customers. Join us as we welcome Kirsten Van Detta, senior product manager at LinkedIn, for a conversation on what key concepts product professionals should be focusing on to fuel their 2023 and how being ruthless in your prioritization can serve as your biggest ally.

“What I also have noticed is without clarity, people are literally moving in very different directions, in the wrong direction. They're moving fast, but it's not really making an impact on where they want to go.” - Yasmeen Turayhi In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Yasmeen Turayhi, founder of the consultancy firm Modern Product and author of Product Marketing Debunked. They Discuss The importance of the product marketing role How to manage pressure and the importance of mental health Strategies to build clarity and prioritize tasks Why the best product marketers are curious and diversify their knowledge Follow Yasmeen Turayhi on Medium Additional Resources Market. This course helps you gain a thorough understanding of your buyers and how they like to buy so you can build the product marketing strategies that deliver results. Learn More

This episode is from our latest Product Chat webinar >> watch the webinar Join us as we welcome Sandi Olson, Senior Marketing Content Manager at Microsoft for a conversation on how utilizing the right asset assessment techniques can help you to analyze, prioritize and make forward-thinking pivots before your competitors. In this conversation Sandi will share: How to approach asset assessment through a lens that allows you to revive, streamline and support any business strategy Ways you can utilize assessment to better integrate positioning and messaging How healthy asset hygiene enhances strategy development Archive, archive, archive Tools and processes you can leverage to ensure you are finding meaningful opportunities within your assets

Validating market problems isn’t about listening only to the noisy 20 percent of the market. Instead, it’s about understanding the needs of the quiet 80 percent too. Without validation, product teams can invest valuable time and resources into an idea that is destined to fall flat. In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Pragmatic instructor Terry Sadowski who candidly shares his experience with a launch failure. They discuss: How pressure and novelty can cause you to ignore established processes that protect against launch failures The ways hindsight reveals all the missteps overlooked in a moment of excitement and energy How to move forward after a big failed launch Key advice to avoid a failed launch Want to learn more about effective launches? Launch is a course that helps you create a more strategic approach to exceed your business objectives. Learn to execute successful launches that align your entire organization around the same strategies and goals. Enroll Today

“Go-to-Market work is delayed compounding work, meaning there's delayed gratification, and it compounds over time. So if you're changing up your execution, it’s because there's no strategy. So if you create the strategy and then you do consistent execution, and you do the marketing math to understand what's working and what's not, then you start to get that delayed compounding effect.” -TK Kadar In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews TK Kadar, founder of TK Unstoppable where he advises SaaS Founders on how to build scalable Go-To-Market strategies. TK has an extensive background in strategy, marketing, and he specializes in building, scaling and exiting SaaS businesses They discuss: Three pillars of a successful business Why the market can make or break any product What makes a great market How to drive alignment in a company How to get out of the “one more feature” trap The difference between strategy and execution To hear more from TK, subscribe to his YouTube channel. He published a new episode every Sunday. You can also check out his programs at getunstoppable.com. Keep Learning with Pragmatic Training: Market. This course helps you gain a thorough understanding of your buyers and how they like to buy so you can build the product marketing strategies that deliver results. Learn More

“Just because you hit the metrics for a couple of months doesn’t mean you will be instantly promoted. You need to hit those standards and maintain those standards for a period of time. For the more advanced roles, we want them to maintain those standards for a year. Others maintain those higher standards for six months, etc.” - Corban Wells In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing and product strategy for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Pragmatic Corban Wells, director of product management at Primary Residential Mortgage about the most important thing a product manager can do for their team today. Corban has been involved in product management for 30 years. His current team consists of 13 product managers responsible for managing four product verticals. Each vertical has a different tech stack, and the team’s job is to make those systems better and more efficient for the 2,500 employees at Primary Residential Mortgage. In this episode Corban and Rebecca discuss How to define product manager and product owner Building development and career paths for product professionals based on KPIs How clear expectations for each role improve one-on-ones and make the feedback more objective Pragmatic Provides Training Opportunities for Your Team: Foundations on Demand Foundations is the first step to understanding the market and its problems. With that knowledge, you can build and sell products that people actually want to buy. You’ll also learn to master the Pragmatic Framework and the activities needed to bring a successful product to market. Learn More

“Product teams should stay out of the how and focus on the what, who and why. If we can bring all that context to the table and then we can give our development teams the space to think creatively. To start with a blank canvas. It is a best practice to have a separation of duties between the how and the what.” - Amy Graham Product managers need to be good partners and create good teams to create great products. We all want to be a part of a high-performing team, we want to build them, and it’s not something that happens accidentally. So, in this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Pragmatic instructor Amy Graham about some best practices for building high-performance teams. They discuss: The importance of having clarity around roles and responsibilities and understanding what type of team you have (e.g., high market knowledge vs dependent) How to build trust and collaboration between product and development Some of the key areas where teamwork starts to break down in companies. Foundations on Demand In this course, students learn how to become market-driven by exploring concepts such as how to uncover strategic opportunities, define product team roles and responsibilities, prioritize actual vs. desired business goals, and how to talk to and observe the market in action. Learn More and Enroll

This episode is from our latest Product Chat webinar >> watch the webinar Join us as we welcome Anand Arivukkarasu, Product Leader (formerly of FB) for a conversation on how you can use measurement to ensure success throughout every stage of the product lifecycle. In this conversation, Anand will share: Key KPIs and metrics you should be paying attention to through the development, GTM, growth and product end-of-life phases Ways to apply measurement to employ strategies and align stakeholders How to utilize metrics to gain buy-in for current and future initiatives How to decipher insights between the metrics to ensure you are staying ahead of the curve

“It's useful to look at metrics, but metrics are a lot more useful and meaningful if we frame them around why we're measuring that thing to begin with. You want to measure a thing because it's meaningful. And OKRs are how teams put meaning behind the measurement.” - Paul Young What is your product team measuring to determine progress? What should they be measuring? And what makes a good OKR? In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Pragmatic instructor Paul Young about OKRs because you can’t manage what you can’t measure. They discuss: The qualities of a good objective Why you might have multiple key results for each objective Why you should set a confidence score (on a scale of 1-10) and why every objective should be difficult but not impossible The difference between OKR and KPI How many OKRs should you have on your team Additional Resources Foundations | The first step to become truly market-driven This course emphasizes how to develop an understanding of your market and effectively share that information throughout the organization. Learn More

What’s the hallmark of a strong product team? Anna Turner, VP of Products at Paycor said there are two: being market-driven and stewardship of time and resources. In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing and product strategy for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Anna about empowering and supporting effective product teams They discuss: What to look for when hiring a product manager How product teams can leverage data to improve collaboration and decision-making in the organization Strategies for nurturing emerging leaders Training For Your Team | Enroll in Foundations This course will teach your team how to identify and listen to the entire market and uncover strategic opportunity. They’ll also learn how to implement the Pragmatic Framework. After completing the course, students are invited to join the robust and active Pragmatic Alumni Community where they will have access free learning opportunities and a library of Pragmatic tools and resources. Learn More

“Win/Loss is a garbage-in, garbage-out exercise. There needs to be careful curation and vetting of the information in the program. Otherwise, information is going to be unreliable at best and misleading it worst.” Not every win-loss program is the same. So how do you build the right one for your company? In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews two win/loss experts from Anova Consulting: Zach Golden, director of client management, and Will Young, senior research analyst. Anova Consulting is a market-leading win/loss analysis firm. They build win/loss programs by combining technology with high-tough professional services and consulting. They discuss: The importance of getting strategic alignment before starting a win/loss program When is it appropriate to use open-ended or leading questions How to leverage data and then go beyond the data by bringing together cross-functional teams Determining how many win/loss interviews are sufficient for gathering insights Here are Anova's latest articles: Win/Loss: A Tool Used to Identify Your Company’s Distinctive Competencies Going Beyond Win/Loss Data Additional Resources There is a new course update to Market. This course helps you gain a thorough understanding of your buyers and how they like to buy so, you can build the product marketing strategies that deliver results. Learn More

This episode is from our latest Product Chat webinar >> watch the webinar Going to market is an exciting yet often anxiety-provoking moment in product development. And there is an onslaught of questions like, will users adopt? Are we articulating our messaging appropriately, and how can we best measure the success of our endeavors? So how can you utilize phased marketing initiatives to motivate your market to buy a newly launched product or service without breaking the bank or depleting resources? Arnaud Berube, Senior PMM at Zillow discusses how to approach go-to-market in a way that aligns objectives across your organization and reduces risk. In this conversation, Arnaud shares: A framework for connecting business objectives to marketing executions Ways to use research to size, position and name your products/features A four-phased GTM approach to prove marketing value and reduce risk Ways to apply the same methodologies to create a product marketing function to utilize moving forward Keep Refining Your Go-To-Market Strategies You can learn more about go-to-market approaches at Pragmatic Institute by enrolling in the Market course. Market helps you gain a thorough understanding of your buyers and how they like to buy so you can build the product marketing strategies that deliver results. Learn how to align across go-to-market teams by effectively sharing and leveraging your buyer knowledge to prioritize the right product marketing strategies. Learn More

“In the past, it's been a little bit of a nebulous process and people trying to grab from Lean Startup and all these different things that are not cohesive as a journey.” - Daniel Elizalde Innovation work can feel ambiguous and daunting, but Daniel Elizalde is working to bring clarity with a well-defined innovation journey. In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Daniel Elizalde, product executive, advisor and author of the B2B Innovators Map. During this conversation, Rebecca and Daniel explore in-depth the six stages of the B2B innovator map, which are: Strategic alignment Market discovery User discovery Solution planning prototyping Early adopter They also emphasize a market-first approach where conversations about feasibility happen toward the end of the innovation process, not at the beginning. “If you can build it, and if you can make money, it doesn't matter if nobody wants it.” —Daniel You can learn more about Daniel’s work and purchase his book on his website https://danielelizalde.com/ Additional Resources Market. This course helps you gain a thorough understanding of your buyers and how they like to buy so, you can build the product marketing strategies that deliver results. Learn More Want to learn more about effective launches? Launch is a course that helps you create a more strategic approach to exceed your business objectives. Learn to execute successful launches that align your entire organization around the same strategies and goals. Enroll Today

This episode is an excellent conversation originally recorded in 2015. “Sales is a big part of distribution strategy, but we talk about distribution strategy differently at Pragmatic. Distribution strategy is how customers prefer to receive, use and buy your product” - Paul Young This episode features Pragmatic instructor Paul Young, who shares examples of distribution strategy and the different models around them. He discusses: Why distribution strategy can be innovative Indirect or direct distribution strategy examples Integration as a distribution strategy Am outside-in approach to distribution strategy

"Distribution strategy is where you make it easy. You can build the greatest product in the world, but if people can’t find it and don’t know how to buy it, then it doesn’t matter what you built.” - Rich Nutinsky Distribution strategy is often under-appreciated in product management, but it plays a critical role in the product's success and overall customer experience. In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Pragmatic instructor Rich Nutinsky about distribution strategy. They discuss: Examples when distribution strategy was an innovative disrupter in the market Distribution strategy for software companies The relationship between customer experience and distribution strategy Learn more about distribution strategy in the Focus course at Pragmatic institute.Focus also shows you how to find opportunities in your market’s problems, score them objectively and identify where your company’s strengths intersect with market values. Enroll today

“Distinctive Competencies are rarely a product feature because a distinctive competency isn't easily copied and product features. If you come out with a new product feature today, your competitor could copy that within a few months.” In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, and Pragmatic instructor Mark Stiving will lead the audience through an exercise to identify and apply distinctive competencies using some of the biggest brands in the world. Not only will you learn about the power of distinctive competencies, but also how to start thinking about and leveraging them within your own organization. They also discuss: What are distinctive competencies and why do they matter Examples of distinctive competencies at big brands (Disney, Amazon, LinkedIn, Zappos and Walmart) How to get more differentiation for your products Enroll in Foundations on Demand Today to learn more about finding your company’s distinctive competencies >> https://www.pragmaticinstitute.com/product/foundations-on-demand/

Win-loss analysis is a practice every company should be doing but not every company is doing it—at least not as effectively as they can be. Win-loss analysis can help your business in almost every facet—product strategy, marketing messaging, sales enablement, and more. Andrew Peterson, Co-Founder of Clozd, the leader in win-loss analysis, explains how to optimize your win-loss analysis program. Andrew has expert advice on the win-loss best practices to increase your win rate, whether it be getting started or leveling up your current program. In this conversation Andrew will share: How to get started with a win-loss analysis program Tips to optimize your current program How to take the data you receive from your program and use it to implement necessary change

“I have taken the classes before and have used so many of the concepts from the Framework at the various companies I've worked at, but to be able to get in there, teach it to so many different groups, companies and people with diverse backgrounds—It just shows the power in The Framework and the Foundations class,” —Dan Corbin, Pragmatic Instructor In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Pragmatic instructor Dan Corbin about what students will learn in Foundations. Specifically, how Foundations can help the newest product managers understand their role better. And how long-time product managers can use what they learn to better explain their work and expectations to their team and other departments. They also discuss: The five key sections in the Foundations course What makes the Pragmatic Framework powerful and effective The common challenges product professionals encounter How can students get the most out of the training when they enroll Enroll in Foundations on Demand Today >> https://www.pragmaticinstitute.com/product/foundations-on-demand/

“It is essential to adopt a structured approach to collecting buyer insights. Now, if companies decide just to do an ad-hoc buyer interview or win-loss interview, and it's not a more structured process, then companies will end up relying on anecdotal information and never truly understanding the buyer” — Diana Igua In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews two experts from DoubleCheck Research —Diana Igua, director of marketing & operations and Jen Doyle, research director, about why win/loss is an essential activity for any company. They discuss: What win/loss programs provide to product managers, product marketers and sales teams Why a collection of conversations is more meaningful than one story How to establish a standardized and focused process for structuring win/loss research Why surveys aren’t an adequate replacement for win/loss interviews Two approaches to get target groups to engage with a win/loss interview Additional Resources Foundations This course is the first step to becoming truly market-driven You’ll learn how to understand the market, how to use market knowledge and how to master the Pragmatic Framework. Learn More https://www.pragmaticinstitute.com/course/product/foundations

“Interestingly, there doesn't seem to be a market to hire consultants, to tell executives that their idea is stupid.” - Paul Young What if you check all the pre-launch boxes and your product still flops? That’s what the CNN+ story feels like. But if we look a little closer, maybe the data was saying exactly what would happen, the team just didn’t listen. In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Pragmatic instructor Paul Young about the lessons CNN+ can teach product managers. They discuss: What early warning signs did CNN+ ignore that might have indicated the product wouldn’t succeed The conversion rate you should expect going from a freemium model to a premium model Why you need both data and stories to effectively communicate market research Keep Learning Launch is a course that helps you create a more strategic approach to exceed your business objectives. Learn to execute successful launches that align your entire organization around the same strategies and goals. Enroll Today

One of the largest struggles within product is articulating your organization’s unique abilities to deliver value to its market. But guess what, it’s also one of the most important! So how do you develop a successful path that combines innovation, proven methodology and sure-fire approaches to hone-in on the attributes and differentiators that set you apart from your competitors? We got you covered. Leon Stigter, Senior Technical PM at Amazon Web Services, covers topics on distinctive competencies and when and how innovation can become your biggest ally. In this discussion Leon will share: How you can find distinctive competencies and turn them into assets Why does “distinctive” matter in distinctive competencies? How to use marketing as a top asset when telling your story Why data is a key factor in your process

“Here’s how we define distinctive competencies: they are the unique attributes your organization has developed that allow you to deliver value into your market.” — Paul Young In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Pragmatic instructor Paul Young about distinctive competencies and how to avoid some of the biggest pitfalls when identifying them. They discuss: Distinctive competency as it relates to core competencies Examples of distinctive competencies: innovation, culture, customer intimacy, patent portfolio Why you can’t innovate like Apple >> Read More The consequence of assuming distinctive competencies without external validation Why technology isn’t a good distinctive competency How many (or few) distinctive competencies you should have in your organization The strategies for shifting distinctive competencies (the slow way and the fast way) Enroll in Foundations and get a lifetime free membership to the Pragmatic Alumni Community Students learn how to: Become market-driven by exploring concepts such as how to uncover strategic opportunities Define product team roles and responsibilities Prioritize actual vs. desired business goals Talk to and observe the market in action. Enroll Today