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Recent Articles
05010 Well Equipped: Giving Sales a Complete Toolkit
May 24, 2005
In small and large software companies alike, Product Management is usually the critical factor in creating an effective sales toolkit. That’s because Product Management marries the strategic goals coming from the management team with the level of detail needed to support the sales team. Product Management takes its understanding of everything from the business model to the targeted customer profile to the company and product positioning, and brings it to bear on the distinct benefits and associated features of the software. It’s the ability to translate the generalities of the marketing message down to the specific and practical details of what the software does, so that sales reps have a long list of capabilities that they can relate to bigger needs and benefits.
So one key result of thorough Product Management is the existence of a complete toolkit for sales. But providing the right toolkit requires more than just providing the tools. It’s just as important to provide guidance on how to use the tools. Without guidance and training to the sales force on how to use the fine-tuned sales mechanism you have provided, you may find it used as a blunt instrument, to little effect.
Read on below for a description of the important tools to include in a sales toolkit, and a discussion on how to help sales reps use the right tool to do a precision job each time.
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05009 The Real Ideal: Strategy to Tactics and Back
May 10, 2005
Product Managers, because of the nature of their responsibilities, carry out the unique function of making strategies real and turning realities into strategy. Since they are often called upon not only to view the product from the perspective of management and competitive strategy but also to apply the software tactically, and with great mastery, Product Managers find themselves straddling the often gaping chasm between the great ideas and goals of the company, and the everyday tasks that the troops are working on in front of customers.
By gaining experience with both sides of the company coin, Product Managers have the ability to become an important catalyst that takes the strategies chosen by the management team and helps turn them into tactics through the use of the product. And their tactical abilities serve as a foundation upon which they can build more sturdy and enduring strategies because the ideals they advocate have been tested in real life situations.
Read on below for a discussion of the invaluable contribution Product Managers can make to helping the company apply its strategies tactically, and draw from tactics to make solid strategies.
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