ProductLed Podcast

To find out how product teams drive growth using data, Mixpanel surveyed close to 500 leading product managers. From the survey, they uncovered the latest trends, focuses, and struggles of product teams across the world. To give us some more insight, we talked to Jeff Beckham, the head of product and content marketing at Mixpanel. In this episode, Jeff shared how their report came together, the key metrics product managers are focusing on these days, and his advice for product teams and managers. Show Notes [01:32] What Mixpanel is and what his role is [02:16] Key metrics product managers are focusing on these days [04:22] How the report came together [05:25] Things that have gotten in the way of product innovation [09:02] Tools that are used to increase KPIs and how Mixpanel stacks up [10:36] His advice for product teams [12:00] His advice to product managers in terms of the skills they need to learn [13:35] How product managers can find the balance [14:05] Where people can find him and the report once it comes out About Jeff Beckham Jeff Beckham is the head of product and content marketing at Mixpanel. Mixpanel is the most powerful self-serve product analytics designed to help businesses understand their users better and to convert, engage, and retain them. Trusted by forward-thinking companies like Microsoft, BMW, Shutterfly, and Microsoft, Mixpanel has provided the support companies need to succeed in their user analytics, from implementation to ongoing support, down to technical consultation, they have it all covered. Profile Mixpanel websiteReport (The State of Product Analytics) 

Why is product adoption vital to the success of any SaaS product? For starters, when product adoption increases, churn also plummets. Preventing churn is one of the primary aims of Gainsight PX. Gainsight PX is the brainchild of Michael Alon, a driven consultant and entrepreneur. In this episode, Michael shares what product-led for B2B means, how to build a powerful product-led growth strategy, and what companies are doing to increase product adoption. Show Notes [00:59] How he became the founder of Gainsight PX [03:51] Difference between sales-led, marketing-led, and product-led growth [07:32] What he thinks is the difference between marketing versus product-led [10:44] When the best time to talk to users is [13:07] How he defines product qualified leads (PQLs) [19:00] What product-led growth for B2B means [26:10] How one should go about building a successful product-led growth strategy [32:43] Things companies are doing to increase product adoption [42:53] Where people can learn more about him and what he’s up to About Michael Alon Michael Alon is a serial entrepreneur who’s passionate about designing, building, and launching innovative products designed to drive business outcomes. Michael is the CEO and founder of Aptrinsic. He is also the CTO and founder of Gainsight PX, a leading customer success platform provider that helps businesses secure and surpass the outcomes desired by their customers. Their evidence-based practices as well as their powerful software platform gives clients the insight they need from customer data so they can take the best action at the right time and maximise customer relationships. Links Insightera(Marketo)HubSpotSlack Profile Michael on SlideshareMichael on LinkedInGainsight

If most conventional CRMs are focused primarily on deal flow, what’s a CRM created for product-led organisations like? That’s one of the questions today’s guest addressed in this episode. Chris Lucas is an entrepreneur, consultant, and startup advisor. He is also the founder of Telemetry and the co-founder of Boardable. In this episode, he shares how he started solving CRM-related concerns for product-led companies, how businesses can deliver the value they promised as quickly as possible, and how one can make the transition to a product-led company happen. Show Notes [01:06] How he started solving CRM-related problems [03:36] How people are solving problems right now using the CRM for product-led companies [07:20] Why he thinks product-led growth is eating the world in SaaS [09:25] Why product-led growth has taken over [10:55] What product-led themes should look like [13:15] How he makes things actionable for people [15:42] What product qualified leads (PQLs) are [17:56] How he determines what the product qualified leads should be [21:27] What companies should do next after they have identified product qualified leads [23:23] How teams can hone in on delivering the value they promised as quickly as possible [26:58] How to make the transition to a product-led organisation happen [29:19] What’s next for him and Telemetry [29:57] Where people can learn about him and Telemetry About Chris Lucas Chris Lucas is a startup advisor, consultant, and entrepreneur focused on product-led growth. He is also the founder of Telemetry, an insights driven CRM created for product-led companies. Telemetry is also designed to qualify leads and take action so businesses can engage their users in one platform. Chris is passionate about growing teams and scaling businesses and has scaled startups from zero to $10mm ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue). Links FormstackHubSpotWebsite GradarWordStream Profile TelemetryProduct-led Growth UniversityChris on LinkedInChris on Twitter

For today’s guest, the phrase “jobs to be done” carries with it a lot of meaning. And for people to understand the concept better, he breaks the cycle down in this episode. Alan Klement is a partner at Revealed and author of the book “When Coffee and Kale Compete: Become Great at Making Products People Will Buy.” In this episode, he shares what jobs to be done is all about, how he helps people figure out their jobs to be done, and what they’ve achieved using the process. Show Notes [00:52] How he became the author of a book on jobs to be done [02:43] What jobs to be done is all about [06:53] Two processes that happens that can cause someone to adopt a product [10:54] How he helps people figure out their jobs to be done [14:13] The first step in the process for those who want to nail jobs to be done [16:19] How he gets granular in terms of understanding the needs of the users [19:07] Best way to describe a job to be done [21:40] An example of what they’ve achieved using his process [26:40] What their process is like [30:15] When his next book is coming out [32:50] Where people can check him out to know more About Alan Klement Alan Klement is a partner at Revealed, a company that helps clients understand and respond to what’s going in the market and helps teams move faster, reduce risk, and increase success. Apart from writing the book “When Coffee and Kale Compete: Become Great at Making Products People Will Buy,” Alan has also dedicated himself to understanding and predicting product adoption. This led him to create DGA (Demand-Generation Analysis), a systematic means of studying and predicting demand. Links HubSpotPipedrive Profile Alan on TwitterWhen Coffee and Kale Compete: Become Great at Making Products People Will Buy by Alan Klement

For today’s guest, product is the new marketing and in this episode, she shares why she believes it is so. In today’s show, Sandhya Hegde, VP of Growth and Marketing at Amplitude talks about how they approach product-led growth at Amplitude, what the good North Star metrics are for product-led companies, and how she builds customer empathy within their team. Show Notes [00:47] How she became the VP of Growth and Marketing at Amplitude [04:53] Why she thinks product is the new marketing [08:20] How her team’s thoughts around the product has changed [10:50] Good North Star metrics for product-led companies [14:49] Why their strategy is collaboration [17:13] How she monitors the success of the users for their campaigns [19:40] How they approach product-led growth at Amplitude [24:26] Her thoughts on dummy data [27:25] When should sales step in during the initial touchpoint [30:00] How they use the product to hit their marketing and growth goals [31:21] Skills needed in a product-led company [35:27] How she builds customer empathy within their team [39:18] Where people can find out more about her and her work About Sandhya Hegde Sandhya Hegde is the VP of Growth and Marketing at Amplitude, a computer software that provides product intelligence tools designed to help teams run and grow their digital businesses. To date, over 26, 000 companies use Amplitude for product analytics including Twitter, Intuit, Under Armour, Bonobos, Peloton, and Microsoft. Profile AmplitudeAmplitude Blog

To say product is the new SDR is a bold statement. Our brilliant guest today will share why he believes it is so. In this episode, Moritz Dausinger, founder of Refiner discusses why he thinks product is the new SDR, what the new SDR is in his opinion, and how the hand off is different for product-led businesses. Show Notes [00:56] How he became the founder of Refiner [02:14] Their company mission and the problem they want to solve [03:55] Why he thinks product is the new SDR [06:19] How selling changes in a product-led business [07:35] When should human interaction come into the whole process [10:00] Where they start on the journey of using their products to qualify users [13:10] What he recommends when it comes to qualifying results [14:53] When should companies introduce the traditional MQO with inside sales [16:19] What the new SDR is in his opinion [17:48] Trends he sees in the companies he has helped [20:30] How the hand off is different for a product-led business [22:15] His advice to companies who want to become more product-led [24:38] Where people who would like to reach out can find him About Moritz Dausinger Moritz Dausinger is the founder of Refiner, a user profiling software that’s built specifically for eCommerce, SaaS, and membership sites. The software is also designed to easily integrate into any sales and marketing stacks seamlessly. If you are looking to increase both conversion and retention rates through better customer data, Refiner might be just what you need. Profile RefinerMoritz on LinkedInMoritz on Twitter

For DevOps platforms like GitLab, transparency is crucial as it can provide feedback instantaneously. In this episode, Kenny Johnston, senior director of product at GitLab talks about product engagement, why transparency is important, and how people can build a successful product-led business. Show Notes [00:33] How he became the senior director of product at GitLab Inc. [02:38] How he transitioned from being a web developer to someone who leads product [04:03] What GitLab is [05:20] His process in terms of product engagement [08:56] Where to start when improving product engagement [11:02] How they handle trolls [12:53] How they find ideas and potential products from the feedbacks [15:09] What they look for when analyzing product engagement [17:03] Common mistakes he’s seen people make when improving product engagement [18:37] Signals they look out for when pulling the plug [20:04] Frameworks or methodologies he uses to improve product engagement [22:49] Why transparency is important and how to make it a reality in the business [25:37] How people can build a successful product led business [27:24] Where people can find out more about him and what he does About Kenny Johnston Kenny Johnston is the senior director of product at GitLab, a DevOps platform that changes the way security, development, and Ops teams collaborate and build software. The fast-growing, all-remote company has team members located in over 50 countries. Profile GitLabKenny on TwitterKenny on LinkedIn

A few years ago, many noted a dramatic change in the world of buying and selling: companies that have adapted the “product first” strategy were outpacing those that rely primarily on high friction sales models. One of the companies that really went all in on product-led growth is Vendasta. In this episode, Jacqueline Cook, Vendasta’s chief strategy officer shares what made them decide to do it and how they were able to transition successfully. Show Notes [01:15] How she became the chief strategy officer at Vendasta [02:30] What a chief strategy officer does [03:29] What Vendasta does [05:24] Trends she saw in their business [07:36] What made her decide it’s time to take Vendasta to the next level [09:37] How they transitioned from a sales-led company to a more product-led business [11:37] How she got the buy-in from the team [14:54] How their organisation is structured [18:29] Some of the early experiments she ran [22:43] Things that need to be in place to maximise the learning curve [24:29] Things other companies should avoid [26:49] Some of her biggest worries about going product-led [29:03] Where people can find out more about Vendasta About Jacqueline Cook Jacqueline Cook is the chief strategy officer at Vendasta. Vendasta is a Canadian-based business that provides an end-to-end commerce platform to firms who sell digital services and products to small and medium businesses. The company is also known for their innovation, thought leadership, and rapid growth. Links HubSpotNetflix Profile VendastaJacqueline on LinkedIn

Understandably, different business models will require diverse strategies. In this episode, Jeff Hardison, head of product marketing at Clearbit discusses how he approaches product marketing in different kinds of companies and the things he takes into account when in each of those businesses. Show Notes [00:53] How he became the head of product marketing at Clearbit [03:24] What Clearbit is [04:52] His experience owning the self-service revenue number [07:15] How companies can decide between a self-service model or have sales lead the whole sales process [09:25] Three important things about product led growth [10:55] What he wants to caution people against in terms of product led growth [12:10] What to do when the self-serve revenue plateaus [13:54] The best time to introduce sales into the organisation [17:35] How to help people understand what they’re getting themselves into [20:17] How to make products easier to implement [25:37] How to determine when to reach out to specific people [27:59] One thing he wished he knew in terms of building the self-service model and learning how to turn users into paying customers [29:21] His advice to sales-driven companies that would like to try self-serve [33:04] How his testing process has evolved over the years [34:50] Why every company should try to start with product led growth About Jeff Hardison Jeff Hardison is the head of product marketing at Clearbit. Clearbit is a business-data and marketing software company relied upon by leading SaaS clients like Asana, Segment, and Stripe. Profitable since their fourth month, Clearbit is considered a great example of an exceptionally managed company. Links InVisionReflect Technologies, Inc. (Acquired by Puppet) HPShopifyGoogle Tag ManagerHubSpot Profile ClearbitJeff on LinkedIn

Contrary to popular belief, user onboarding is not designed to make people become better at using a product. Rather, its primary goal is to help them become better at what the product enables them to do. With that said, it’s no surprise today’s guest spends a significant amount of time and resources to ensure people have an aha moment the first 7 minutes of their onboarding experience. In this episode, Francois Bondiguel, head of growth at Deputy shares what they do the first 7 minutes of the onboarding experience, how they’re doing it, and why. Show Notes [01:11] How he became the head of growth at Deputy[03:29] What Deputy is in a nutshell[04:27] How he figured out the magic number (7 minutes)[07:57] How he found out about drop off rate and how he started improving the metric[09:35] How they collect information to tailor the user’s experience[11:22] How they got people involved and focused on improving the experience[15:21] What he’ll recommend to those who would like to improve their on boarding[17:02] Experiments they’ve done that didn’t work out well[19:35] The impact of introducing the human element in onboarding[22:59] When it makes sense to add a human element in the onboarding process[26:16] How they approach segmentation[28:45] How he built a lead scoring model[31:58] How he helped people to an aha moment the first 7 minutes[37:35] Where people can find him to know more about the work he’s doing About Francois Bondiguel Francois Bondiguel is the head of growth at Deputy, a product-led employee management tool that uses innovative cloud-based technology as well as machine learning and AI to help businesses transform operations and empower employees to work the way they want. Link: OpenView Profiles: DeputyFrancois on LinkedIn