Product managers have an important role. It’s their job to make sure that the company’s products are good enough for the market and will represent the brand in a favorable light.
But it’s a tough gig. Today’s consumers are demanding and the market is ridiculously competitive.
So what can you do to nail it as a product manager and advance your career? Let’s find out.
Develop A Marketing Strategy
The first thing you’ll want to do is to develop a marketing strategy for your product.
If you don’t have a good plan in place from the outset, then your product will fail to have the desired impact.
For instance, if your target customer is somebody under the age of 30, take a look at how your competitors are approaching the issue of branding. Uncover all the tricks they’re using to entice customers and convince them that they have the best product.
Build Setbacks Into Your Plan
Next, be realistic about progress. Getting a product off the test bench and into stores is a remarkably difficult process that requires all the pieces falling together in alignment. And, as any business leader will tell you, that rarely happens in practice. Almost always, there are stumbling blocks and hazards that get in the way.
For that reason, you’ll need to build contingencies for setbacks into your plan, even if they delay your schedule. Setbacks are inevitable. So if you plan for them, you can avoid people remaining idle and dedicate time to other tasks.
Educate Yourself About The Process
As a product manager, you shouldn’t assume that you already know it all. Chances are, you don’t. It’s a good idea, therefore, to attend a product development workshop. These will teach you the basics of how to develop a product, plus provide you with some best practice you can deploy in your enterprise.
Bounce Ideas Off Friends And Colleagues
Product managers can sometimes get into the habit of believing that they are the only people in a position to say anything about product development. But, of course, products are consumer-facing things, and so potentially anybody can have a valid opinion about them. Try canvassing people in your company to see what they really think about what you’ve come up with. Make sure that they give you their honest opinions and don’t just grin and nod at you to get you to go away. After all, it’s in their interest to do so.
Find Your Competitors’ Best Products And Improve On Them
A lot of companies use the so-called “skyscraper” technique. This involves looking for their competitors’ best products and then working out ways to improve on them.
As a product manager, this can be a great strategy for really building your confidence and portfolio. The more you can one-up the competition, the more sales you’ll deliver to the brand that employs you.
In summary, doing well as a product manager is all about being open to new possibilities. Don’t assume that any idea is impossible. Keep pursuing crazy dreams until one of them pays off.
