Today's post is an excerpt from The MFS B2B Product Marketing Guide.
The modern B2B Product Marketer or PMM is a unique individual with a diverse set of skills. In this section, we will outline those hard and soft skills that are essential to the role, and, as you will see, there are a considerable number of them. No two days are the same in product marketing. It is a challenging, fast-paced area that will throw up new situations every day. PMMs, in order to succeed, will need to call on a wide range of skills to overcome the daily challenges they face. In no particular order, the modern B2B PMM should possess some or, ideally, all of the skills listed below.
B2B Product Marketing Hard Skills
Hard skills and how it relates to product marketing are those specific, technical, and demonstrable abilities usually tied to education, training, or practical experience. In our experience, the following hard skills are fundamental for the modern PMM.
- Research - Research is an activity but it is also a skill that can be honed. PMMs need to be able to effectively research markets, competitors, customers, and industry trends. Research involves a mix of information gathering, analysis, evaluation, organization, and finally communication back to the greater team. For PMMs research skills are non-negotiable.
- Writing - PMMs need effective copy writing skills to put together the messaging that all sales and marketing launch materials will be based on. Writing skills will be needed to communicate product value to all the various stakeholders involved in the buying process.
- Data Analysis - The PMM must be technically proficient in the realm of data analysis. In this role, there are large swathes of data to be collected, analyzed, interpreted, and communicated. As a starting point, industries and competitors need to be analyzed. Customer data must be analyzed and, in the case of a B2B software platform, there are any number of metrics to dive into which can give the PMM some insight into which features are providing the most or least value to customers. Being data proficient is just the first part, for the PMM it is vital that they figure out which metrics to focus on and which metrics to ignore. Finally, the PMM must be capable of interpreting the data in an insightful way. These insights must then be communicated effectively back to the broader team.
- Planning - The ability to effectively plan out and execute product marketing roadmaps is another important skill. Planning skill is the ability to organize tasks, allocate resources, and lay out the set of activities needed to successfully launch the product.
- Budgeting - Depending on the budget available for a given product or whose budget the PMM has to tap into, budgeting skills will still be important. This skill is the ability to allocate resources towards the areas that produce the greatest returns. The PMM will need to continuously analyze and iterate budget spend ensuring it is being allocated in the right way.
- Project Management - Project management skills will include a mixture of many of the skills mentioned already including budgeting, communication, prioritization, and scheduling. For the modern day PMM, project management skills can be developed over the course of a career as various projects are carried out. Budding PMMs can also hone their project management skills by upskilling and completing a project management certification.
- Technical Expertise - Similar to the cross-functional knowledge we mentioned earlier, the PMM must possess a degree of technical expertise and, in particular, how it relates to the product. A lack of technical understanding here will quickly alienate key figures on the product development team and that is the last thing a PMM needs.
- Cross-Functional Knowledge - This attribute arguably comes into the category of knowledge rather than skill, but it is vital nonetheless. The PMM does not need to possess the skills to perform the roles of sales, marketing, product, or technical teams, what they do need however is the knowledge to understand deeply the roles and the activities performed by each team. This knowledge will help the PMM understand exactly how to communicate with each function and how to leverage the resources available to drive the product to success.
B2B Product Marketing Soft Skills
Soft skills then, on the other hand, are the more personal and interpersonal attributes of the product marketing manager that shapes the way they work and interact with those around them. Soft skills are more behavioral and emotional and are often developed through experience and intuition. The following soft skills, we feel, are integral to the modern B2B PMM.
- Critical Thinking - The modern PMM will lean heavily on their critical thinking skills - which is the ability to analyze information effectively and in a way that allows them to make well-reasoned decisions.
- Communication - This skill has some crossover with the writing skills just mentioned - but, for the modern PMM, communication skills are one of if not the most important skills to have. PMMs will oversee all customer-facing product materials, so it is vital that they are able to communicate product value in a way that resonates with customers. Similarly, these communication skills will be vital internally as PMs liaise with the various teams involved in a product launch such as sales, marketing, product, and customer success. Communicating with different teams within the organization may mean tweaking the use of language for each internal audience.
- Creativity - Again, the PMM will face new and unique challenges each day that will require creative solutions. There is no product marketing textbook that will give you the answer to everything. It is up to the PMM to figure out ways to meet the internal and external challenges that arise.
- Teamwork - Some highly talented people are better-suited to individual contributor roles where they can let their skills shine. The PMM role is not for them. For PMMs, teamwork skills are simply non-negotiable as they navigate their way around the organization - strategically linking and aligning various teams around the common goal of product success.
- Networking - While more associated with outbound sales activities, networking has an important role in B2B product marketing and, more specifically, within the company itself. Leading PMMs use their networking skills to identify and build relationships with the key product stakeholders around the company.
- Problem Solving - As we have already touched on, the PMM will face new and unique challenges each day. Problem-solving skills are the abilities to identify, analyze, and solve issues in an effective manner.
- Strategic Thinking - While there are so many and varying skills that go into the day-to-day life of the PMM, it is vital that they maintain a strategic mindset throughout. The ability to think strategically and not lose sight of the big picture - which is ultimately driving a successful product launch and growing revenue.
- Leadership - Again, such is the multifaceted nature of the role, the PMM, in addition to teamwork and many other skills already mentioned, must also possess strong leadership skills. While the PMM will report to either the head of marketing or product, they must still lead many different people towards the goal of a successful product launch. Leadership, in this instance, might not be in the traditional sense of having a team that is answerable to the PMM, instead it is more that the PMM needs to be able to influence and lead their peers within the organization in an effective manner. If, for example, the PMM learns an invaluable piece of product feedback from the sales team, then the PMM needs to be able to bring this feedback to the various internal stakeholders and build out and oversee any subsequent actions. If the PMM is lacking in leadership qualities, these actions could fall on deaf ears in the product or marketing team.
- Adaptability - PMMs should stay agile and flexible in their approach to work. Every day will present unique challenges but also opportunities. PMMs need to keep an open mind and seize on opportunities and be willing to make whatever tweaks are necessary to the launch strategy in order to generate better product outcomes.
- Public speaking - For the PMM, public speaking will mainly come in the form of internal meetings. There may be occasions such as webinars or trade shows where the PMM will have to speak publicly about the product to a wider audience. Again, public speaking is a skill that most PMMs will have developed over the course of their career and is something that will improve with practice.
This post is an excerpt from our recently released MFS B2B Product Marketing Guide. If you would like to read more you can access the guide in full here. If you have a marketing challenge you are looking for support with, you are welcome to set up a no obligation initial strategy consultation with our team.