If you can delay your actions for just a few minutes, hold off your come back until the next break, take a couple of deep breaths, put the computer aside late in the afternoon and sleep on the issue. Then you will find yourself focusing on the content rather than the emotion. And when you … Continue reading Outbursts
Squeezed or integrated
There are two ways to do product marketing. Reactive product marketing is when product marketing is squeezed between departments. Product marketing managers react to the needs of the other parts of the organization. When product releases a feature, product marketing has to find a way to communicate that feature. When sales targets a new type … Continue reading Squeezed or integrated
My door is always open
If your door is always open, you should go out in the world and see what's going on. Way to often the open door is a lazy excuse. Sure, come to me with your questions, doubts, concerns, just don't expect me to ask first. Because, well, you do not care. We keep reading of how … Continue reading My door is always open
Words
When you write copy for a website, a landing page, a brochure, a banner, an email, or any other marketing or sales material, this is a great piece of advice. Except, you should actually ask that question at word level: what is this word supposed to do? Words take up precious space on screens, and … Continue reading Words
Fan
If you want people around you to be motivated, be their fan. Cheer for them, clap for them, believe in them. Tell them they will be successful. Find what they are good at and nudge them. Promote them, advocate for their cause, put their work forward, write them references, and be their marketing department. Particularly … Continue reading Fan
What question
What are the next steps? Do I get to be involved? These are two questions, or is it actually one? We could ask what is our real intention. If we are genuinely curious about the next steps, then we should just stop at the first question.If we want to know if we need to allocate … Continue reading What question
The golden mean
I bought this yesterday, what do you think? Do you like my new haircut? I heard you were at my presentation, did you enjoy it? Honesty is a wonderful thing, but if you have ever had to answer the questions above (or any of their variations) you know that honesty has its dark side. Actually, … Continue reading The golden mean
Pick one
Since you have just started here / you have time / you have done it until now / I don't want to do it, why don't you take responsibility for this project? Or alternatively. I have noticed you working on a past project, and I appreciate how you could keep things on track while still … Continue reading Pick one
The big reveal
Our next project, the future of the team, the current state of affairs, the launch of the new product, the brand revamp, the newly appointed executive, the team member who is leaving. If we treat everything as a big reveal, sharing information with a restricted number of confidants while others are left reading tea leaves, … Continue reading The big reveal
Leave behind
A truth of life is that, at any point in time, we leave behind a wealth of opportunities, almost infinite chances. And a second truth of life is that we often care much more about what we are leaving behind rather than what we have with us. I guess the point is, why are you … Continue reading Leave behind
