Comments on: Where do your customers get information? http://productmanagementtips.com/2008/04/21/where-do-your-customers-get-information/ Sat, 22 Nov 2008 23:50:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU hourly 1 By: David Locke http://productmanagementtips.com/2008/04/21/where-do-your-customers-get-information/#comment-406 David Locke Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:55:12 +0000 http://gopalshenoy.wordpress.com/?p=96#comment-406 Where customers get information is an issue on the requirements capture side of the equation and on the marketing and selling side of the business. If you cannot rely on marketing to know where the customers live, how can you rely on marketing to market to those customers once the product is built. I understand your orientation towards your career, but your career is tied to your organization. Unless you are going to do the marketing and sales yourself, you have to rely on marketing. As the CEO of the product you cannot succeed unless the entire organization succeeds. You should be able to ask marketing, because they have been there longer, long before the organization thought to hire product managers. There have been places where I worked where marketing and the product manager where wrong about their market. You can still be talking to the wrong people even if you are talking to them in person. Where customers get information is an issue on the requirements capture side of the equation and on the marketing and selling side of the business. If you cannot rely on marketing to know where the customers live, how can you rely on marketing to market to those customers once the product is built. I understand your orientation towards your career, but your career is tied to your organization. Unless you are going to do the marketing and sales yourself, you have to rely on marketing. As the CEO of the product you cannot succeed unless the entire organization succeeds.

You should be able to ask marketing, because they have been there longer, long before the organization thought to hire product managers.

There have been places where I worked where marketing and the product manager where wrong about their market. You can still be talking to the wrong people even if you are talking to them in person.

]]> By: gopalshenoy http://productmanagementtips.com/2008/04/21/where-do-your-customers-get-information/#comment-405 gopalshenoy Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:25:17 +0000 http://gopalshenoy.wordpress.com/?p=96#comment-405 David, I am very hesitant to depend on internal folks such as marcom to tell me where customers get information, unless they can show me the data (otherwise it could just be a SWAG on their part). In my career, I have been approached by these same people asking for customer profiles, because they knew I was talking to real customers. I agree surveys is the easiest way to get this answer. Gopal David,

I am very hesitant to depend on internal folks such as marcom to tell me where customers get information, unless they can show me the data (otherwise it could just be a SWAG on their part). In my career, I have been approached by these same people asking for customer profiles, because they knew I was talking to real customers.

I agree surveys is the easiest way to get this answer.

Gopal

]]> By: Raj http://productmanagementtips.com/2008/04/21/where-do-your-customers-get-information/#comment-404 Raj Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:48:58 +0000 http://gopalshenoy.wordpress.com/?p=96#comment-404 Excellent points, Gopal. We ask our customers a survey question along these lines, and it has helped us learn a lot about where *NOT* to advertise! :) Your post gives me a couple of ideas to improve our question further. Thanks. Raj <a href="http://www.accompa.com" rel="nofollow">Accompa - Affordable requirements management software for PMs</a> Excellent points, Gopal.

We ask our customers a survey question along these lines, and it has helped us learn a lot about where *NOT* to advertise! :)

Your post gives me a couple of ideas to improve our question further. Thanks.

Raj
Accompa - Affordable requirements management software for PMs

]]> By: David Locke http://productmanagementtips.com/2008/04/21/where-do-your-customers-get-information/#comment-402 David Locke Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:01:48 +0000 http://gopalshenoy.wordpress.com/?p=96#comment-402 Where they get their information will depend on the market you find them in. Technical enthusiasts (geeks) will get their information in places where an economic buyer wouldn't go. Consumers find their information in their own places as well. Let the technology adoption lifecycle guide you, as you look for their channels, and information ecologies. Your marcom people should be able to tell you where your target customer reads. Ask them. And, once you have customers, as your customers. Ask them as a regular component of the surveys you send them via your permission e-mail newsletter campaign. Where they get their information will depend on the market you find them in. Technical enthusiasts (geeks) will get their information in places where an economic buyer wouldn’t go. Consumers find their information in their own places as well. Let the technology adoption lifecycle guide you, as you look for their channels, and information ecologies. Your marcom people should be able to tell you where your target customer reads. Ask them. And, once you have customers, as your customers. Ask them as a regular component of the surveys you send them via your permission e-mail newsletter campaign.

]]> By: Michael Ray Hopkin http://productmanagementtips.com/2008/04/21/where-do-your-customers-get-information/#comment-399 Michael Ray Hopkin Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:00:53 +0000 http://gopalshenoy.wordpress.com/?p=96#comment-399 Great suggestion to ask customers where they get their information. I've met with many customer but have never tried your approach. I will put this into my toolbox for the next round. Great suggestion to ask customers where they get their information. I’ve met with many customer but have never tried your approach. I will put this into my toolbox for the next round.

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