Pumped / Bumped / Slumped, Beyond the Challenger Sale and Lean Onboarding
Pumped / Slumped / Bumped
Running a good weekly 1:1 is important to keep your team ticking but very often they become just a status update. Don't get me wrong, there's room for status updates, but you also need to make sure that team members are thriving, unblocked and that you're looking after their broader needs.
I started using the below template a little while ago which seems to have gotten some good reactions. Try it out if you're lacking inspiration!
New podcast episodes: The Challenger Sale double header
For all the arguments about product-led vs sales-led, if you've worked in B2B product management, you've worked with Sales teams. It's common for product managers to complain about sales-led feature requests and short-term thinking, but how many product managers know anything about how sales teams work? How many know how sales teams sell?
I got introduced to The Challenger Sale a few years ago. It turned the sales community on its head with its evidence-backed, data-driven take on what makes the best salespeople great. The findings were surprising, but the authors' positions have evolved since then. I was delighted to have the chance to speak to both of them.
First up, we have Matt Dixon, who recently released a new book, The JOLT Effect. We spoke about both books, how not making a decision is the cause of the majority of lost B2B sales and what to do about that. Check that episode out here.
Second up, we have Brent Adamson, who is now looking at how to unlock customer value through his new company Ecosystems. We spoke more about the first book's sequel, The Challenger Customer, and how we need to go beyond making our products easy to sell; we need to make them easy to buy! Check that episode out here.
Lean Onboarding - Beyond the First 90 Days
I was reflecting recently on a past job interview, where I got feedback that following The First 90 Days playbook was fine, but maybe a little slow. That could well be a problem with the company, not the book, but it did get me thinking. I've never had a particularly ordered, slow start to any job. I've always thrown myself into it and I started pondering the concept of Lean Onboarding.
Maybe treating your onboarding as a series of short experiments, iterating towards your final form is the way to go? Your mileage may vary depending on the company you're joining and the expectations they have, but I think it's worth framing it this way when interviewing with a startup. 3 months is a long time for startups!
And that's a wrap
By the way, I left my full-time job recently and am now thinking about how I can best serve the wonderful world of product management, startups, and beyond. I'm offering free Office Hours sessions to early-stage startup founders as I investigate what their biggest problems are and how I might help. In any case, if you love (or even like!) what I do then support is always welcome.
Obviously, I'd also love your feedback on the issue, and my content in general. Feel free to drop me a line, or use the feedback buttons on this issue.