Organization:  SVPMA - Silicon Valley Product Management Association
Topic:  Selling SaaS in a Product World: Challenges for a product
manager when selling services
Speaker:  Mike Schmitt, Director of Product Management, Brocade
Communications
Date:               Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
Time:              6:30pm - 9pm
Location:         Network Meeting Center at the TechMart - 5201 Great
America Parkway, Santa Clara
Cost:                Free for Members. $25 for pre-registered
Non-Members. $35 at the door.
More info:       http://www.svpma.org/meetings.html
<https://www.123signup.com/calendar?Org=SVPMA>

Presentation:
As product managers we are always being asked to (figuratively) think
outside of the box. But what does that mean in a literal sense? How do
you take a product based company to a service based – Software as a
Service (SaaS)/ Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) model? This
discussion will look at the challenges hardware technology companies
face when trying to monetize offerings other than their core goods.

This session will talk about overcoming objections throughout the
company: from Sales who are focused on selling products and insist
customers will not pay; Back office operations not designed to deliver
intangibles, to Finance who wrestles with Revenue Recognition and
compliance challenges.

Speaker:
Mike Schmitt has worked at Brocade for 8 years where he has been
responsible for building and delivering most of the company's market
expansion products and services. He is also responsible for out of the
box marketing with his creation of DCX Man and comic book style of
marketing collateral focused on the company's key consumer.

Before taking on the challenge to build and market support and service
offerings at Brocade, Mike worked as a product manager developing
high-end hardware products. Prior to Brocade, Mike consulted to hardware
companies on Reliability, Accessibility Serviceability (RAS) and
compliance engineering for consumer, telecommunications and medical
equipment. During the early part of his tech career he was responsible
for business development in a venture funded company that brought DVD
technology to the home computer.




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Profitable Late Stage Start up in San Francisco seeks Product Manager

Consumer Focused
Scalable Web 2.0 Experience
Technically Savvy -> wire-frames, prototypes and/or mock ups
Full Product Life-cycle Experience
Individual Contributor who works well cross teams
User Centric Mind-Set

If interested, or if you know someone that fits, do let me know as I would like
to be able to pay you a referral bonus.

Position is based in SF and looking for SF Based Candidates at this time.

Resume to jim @ verticalmove . com for details

In this edition...


- Three Rules of Powerful Positioning


- Market Requirements Documents - Great in Theory, Not So Great in Practice


- Your 2010 Strategic Planning Process - Avoid the Silos


- The Best Story Always Wins the Sale. Sometimes, the Best Product Wins


- Resources for Becoming a Market-Driven Product Company

  _______________________________________________________________


Three Rules of Powerful Positioning - Kurt Ballard


The only way to differentiate in today's hyper-competitive economy is your
positioning and messaging. With no differentiation, the lowest price will rule
the day. Once this happens your value proposition may as well be "me too."
Adhere to these three rules and avoid the "me too" syndrome.  Read the complete
article<http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/three-rules-of-powerful-positioning.html>\
.  No registration required.

_______________________________________________________________


Market Requirements Documents (MRD's) - Great in Theory, Not So Great in
Practice - John Mansour

No one would argue the value of connecting product features to market needs, the
primary objective of Market Requirements Documents. But the reality of how MRD's
are created and used may actually defeat their purpose. There's a more practical
approach that yields better results. Read the complete
article<http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/market-requirements-document.html>.   No
registration required.

  _______________________________________________________________


Your 2010 Strategic Planning Process - Avoid the Silos

If your 2010 strategy is nothing more than a roll up of the sales strategy, the
marketing strategy, the strategy for each product and so on, conflict will haunt
you from January 1st through December 31st.

Try a more holistic approach:
1. Define measurable company goals for 2010

2. Define/prioritize your target markets (by segment not product category)

3. Prioritize marketing and product investments by segment

4. Get a list of tactical initiatives and quantifiable goals from each
department head to support items 1-2

5. Combine the above and you've got a strategy the entire company is aligned
with

You'll make more money and have more fun doing it. You have the knowledge. We
have the framework. Contact
us<mailto:information@...?subject=Strategic%20Planning> to help
make your 2010 strategic planning process simple and painless.




The Best Story Always Wins the Sale.  Sometimes, the Best Product Wins.

If you've ever lost a sale to an inferior product, you know that sinking
feeling. While the buyer will tell you the competitor's product is a better fit,
the truth is the competitor's story is a better fit. The only time the best
product wins is when it's attached to the best story.

The art of storytelling is simple. So simple (almost) anyone can learn to
position and sell your solutions. If each of your sales people closed one
additional deal every quarter, imagine the impact on your top line.

You have the knowledge. We have the framework. Contact
us<mailto:information@...?subject=Positioning%20Framework> to
learn how simple it is to out-market and out-sell your competition with a better
story.

_______________________________________________________________



Resources to Help You Be More Market-Driven

- Tips for analyzing markets and creating strategy
<http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/markets-strategy/>
- Tips for product planning and requirements definition
<http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/product-planning-requirements/>
- Tips for improving product
development<http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/product-development/>
- Tips for better positioning, marketing, sales and product
demos<http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/positioning-marketing-sales-demos/>
- Tips for accelerating your
career<http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/career-personal-development/>
- Webinars covering many the above
topics<http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/product-management-resources/product-manag\
ement-free-webinars/>


Learn How to Become a Market-Driven Product Company

- Training for Product Managers & Product Marketing
Managers<http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/product-management-training-for-product-\
managers-and-marketers/>
- Training for Sales and
Marketing<http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/product-management-training-for-solutio\
n-consultants-and-sales-reps/>
- Training for Executives & Senior Managers
<http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/product-management-training-for-executives-and-s\
enior-managers/>

No one makes it easier than ZIGZAG Marketing

Join our LinkedIn
Group<http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=45904&trk=anet_ug_hm>


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Recorded webinar is available at http://bit.ly/kk8g8.

Slides are at www.280group.com/cert.pdf.

Complete comparison of 280 Group certifications can be found at:
http://bit.ly/1WoYO1

Comparison table of all 280 Group certs at:
http://www.280group.com/cpm/280certs.pdf.

NOTE: The $300 special offers for the AIPMM CPM/CPMM and Agile CPM as well as
the $500 specials for the 280 Group Blackblot training course and cert are still
good, but expire shortly.

Organization: SVPMA - Silicon Valley Product Management Association
Topic: Marketing Operations for Success
Speaker: Gary Katz, CEO & Founder, Marketing Operations Partners
Date: Saturday, November 7th, 2009
Time: 8:30am - 12noon
Location: Network Meeting Center at the TechMart - 5201 Great America
Parkway, Santa Clara
Cost: If registering by Thursday, Nov. 5th, $25 for SVPMA Members, $40
for Non-SVPMA Members. Add $10 more if registering after Thursday, Nov.
5th.
More info: http://www.svpma.org/meetings.html
<https://www.123signup.com/calendar?Org=SVPMA>

Presentation:
Marketing Operations is an emerging discipline that brings together an
operational clarity and a change management framework to drive the
success of your business. Marketing operations transforms how we view
ourselves and how Product Management and Marketing are viewed at our
companies. A Marketing Operations focus leverages process, technology
and metrics to run the Marketing department as a fully accountable
profit center.

This workshop will teach you Marketing Operations fundamentals. Product
Managers and Product Marketing Managers will be able to leverage the
tools and concepts provided to execute on the Product Lifecycle more
effectively. By embracing Marketing Operations, you can increase your
value and stature within your organization, enhance your job
satisfaction and increase career opportunities.

Attendees can expect to learn:
• Fundamentals of Marketing Operations
• Marketing Operations Best Practices Framework
• Marketing Operations in support of Product Lifecycle Management

Participants will be provided the following:
• Executive Summary of 2007 Marketing Operations Benchmark Study
• Marketing Operations Self Assessment & Marketing Operations
Glossary
• Diagnostic Tools to assess and increase Marketing Operations
effectiveness in their organizations

Participants can bring a work related case or draw from case studies
provided by instructors and panel discussion participants.

Speaker:
Gary Katz, CEO & Founder, Marketing Operations Partners – Gary is a
visionary and thought leader in the emerging Marketing Operations field.
He is a veteran with more than twenty years of marketing and change
management experience in the technology industry. He holds a master's
degree in organization development from the University of San Francisco
and a bachelor's degree in public relations from San Jose State
University. Gary is past president of the Public Relations Society of
America (PRSA) and a certified strategic planning process facilitator.
Gary currently teaches a course in Marketing Operations at UCSC
Extension in Sunnyvale. In 2006 Gary started Marketing Operations
Evangelists to advance awareness of the Marketing Operations discipline,
and in 2009 he founded 300+ member Marketing Operations Future Forum.




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Organization: SVPMA - Silicon Valley Product Management Association
Topic: Making Agile Work Across Oceans
Speaker: James Morehead, Vice President, Product Management and Consumer
Experience, support.com
Date: Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
Time: 6:30pm - 9pm
Location: Network Meeting Center at the TechMart - 5201 Great America
Parkway, Santa Clara
Cost: Free for Members. $25 for pre-registered Non-Members. $35 at the
door.
More info: http://www.svpma.org/meetings.html
<https://www.123signup.com/calendar?Org=SVPMA>

Presentation:
Implementing an Agile development process across a large development
team, and getting buy-in from the top-down is challenging enough.
Introduce a distributed team and the challenge increases tenfold.
support.com not only made it work but with unqualified success. James
will share what they learned, and what worked in implementing Scrum with
a team distributed between the US and India. He'll talk about how
they made it a highly predictable process and very rarely miss a release
date, how they budget with high confidence, how they got buy-in from the
CEO down, and how they structured their teams and how they interact and
collaborate.

Speaker:
James Morehead joined support.com in October 2003 and is currently Vice
President – Product Management and Consumer Experience. James leads
a global product management and user experience design team responsible
for the vision, research and requirements behind support.com's
premium technology services offering. support.com services are offered
directly to consumers under the support.com brand and as a white label
service via retailers, ISVs and ISPs.

Prior to joining support.com, James spent nearly four years leading
Portal Software's Solutions Marketing team for key markets including
broadband, wireless, wireline, digital media and online content. James
also spent eight years with Nortel Networks primarily in Nortel's
Wireless Networks business unit with roles in strategic marketing, sales
and network engineering as well as in Nortel's Information
Technology team, which focused on finance systems.

As a Computer Engineering graduate from the University of Waterloo
(Canada), James started his career as a real-time software engineer.
James then went on to complete his MBA at the University of Toronto,
Canada. Additionally, he has participated in Consumer Marketing Strategy
courses at the Kellogg Business School at Northwestern University.

His speaking experience spans numerous industry chairperson and speaking
events in North America and internationally including Software Marketing
Perspectives 2007 (Boston), Broadband Services Forum 2006 (San
Francisco), Broadband World Forum Europe (BBWF) 2006 (Paris), BBWF
Americas 2006 (Vancouver), BBWF Asia 2006 (Hong Kong), TelecomNEXT 2006
(Las Vegas), BBWF Europe 2005 (Madrid), C-Cor Global IP Summit 2005
(Barcelona), BBWF Asia 2005 (Yokohama), DSL Forum 2004 (Toronto), SSPA
2004 (San Diego), Mobile Billing 2003 (Cannes), Wireless Location and
Positioning 2003 (San Francisco), UMTS 2002 (Paris) jointly with
Polkomtel, Billing World 2002 (Baltimore) jointly with TELUS Mobility,
NWEC 2002, Billing World 2001 (Orlando), Supercomm 2001 (Atlanta),
Mobile Commerce Conference 2001 (San Jose), Mobile Internet 2000
(Paris), Wireless Billing and Mediation 2000 (Atlanta), Presence and
Instant Messaging 2000 (San Jose), GSM in North America 1999 (San
Francisco) and CDG Congress 1999 (San Francisco).

James has been interviewed for and/or placed articles in numerous
publications including Converge Network Digest, European Communications,
Telecommunications Magazine, Wireless Business and Technology, RCR
Wireless, America's Network, Wireless Week, Telephony, Billing
World, Billing Magazine, Billing Plus, Wireless Review, IPTV News and
Business Standard (India). James has had articles published in
prestigious industry journals including ECTA Review 2001, IEC Review
2002, IEC Review 2005 and IEC Review 2006, and IEC's Delivering the
Promise of IPTV (2006).




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Hi Project Managers,

We have an exciting speaker this month who I'm sure many of you will recognize:
Rich Mironov from Enthiosys and the author of the Product Bytes newsletter.
Please join us in Mountain View on Wednesday October 21 for his presentation on
how to Keep your Project Management Job.  There will also be a giveaway of his
book, "The Art of Product Management".

===============================================================

Keeping your Product Management Job:
Understanding what your internal counterparts really want from you

Presented by Rich Mironov

Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
Hilton Garden Inn 840 E. El Camino Real Mountain View, CA 94040

Special early registration rates: free for members / $10 non-members

More Information at http://www.pdma.org/chapter_events_detail.cfm?pk_event=428

Sponsored by Enthiosys (http://enthiosys.com)

===============================================================


Session Summary:

Product management is a complex role which varies widely from company to
company.  It's hard enough to figure out what your priorities and boundaries
are, and then to educate your executives on how to recognize good product
management. Even harder is to get recognition for your contributions from your
peers/constituents in Sales, Marketing, Engineering and Operations. Each sees
only a portion of what product management does, yet can block your career
advancement.  This discussion will cover the expectations and typical friction
points between PM and other key groups, and how to create product management
champions in other organizations.

About the Speaker:
Rich Mironov, CMO of Enthiosys,  is a software product strategist and veteran of
four high-tech startups. He is considered one of the pre-eminent experts on
software product management and marketing.  Rich had consulted to more
than 25 large and small technology companies on business strategy, product
strategy and market analysis. Author of "The Art of Product Management
(http://tinyurl.com/5ce65h)" and the popular "Product Bytes
(http://mironov.com/)" newsletter on technology product strategy.

Register Now (http://pdma.org/chapter_events_detail.cfm?pk_event=428)

Join NorCal PDMA on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=39200948346

Follow NorCal PDMA on Twitter at http://twitter.com/norcalpdma

We are very excited to announce the release of our newest product: The
Competitive Analysis Toolkit(tm) http://bit.ly/3oXJG4. The competitive analysis
toolkit is a comprehensive set of templates and a narrated training course that
will help you to quickly and thoroughly tear apart your competition in record
time.

We are also releasing version 2.0 of our award-winning Product Management
Office™ Professional. Version 2.0 adds the competitive analysis toolkit to give
you all seven of our toolkits (Product Manager's, Roadmaps, Launches, Product
Reviews, Beta Programs, Competitive Analysis and Developer Programs - a total of
183 templates and six narrated training presentations).

Using the knowledge you gain and the contents of the competitive toolkit you
will be able to:

- Brief your team and executives thoroughly to show you are a market expert

- Build a reality-based strategy for your product to win

- Do more effective product, roadmap and marketing planning

- Arm your sales force with excellent competitive selling tools

What's included in the competitive toolkit:

1.) 50 slide narrated training presentation "How to tear apart your competition"

2.) 17 templates:

Company backgrounder (for each competitor)
Win Loss Summary Chart (for each competitor)
Industry Life Cycle Model
BCG Matrix
Porter's Competitive Five Forces Model
Performance Grid
Positioning Statement & Matrices
Competitive Scope and Differentiation
Competitive Feature Matrix Comparison Chart
SWOT Analysis
Market & Strategy Roadmaps
Internal Company Presentation of Findings
Executive Summary
Product Benefits Comparison Template
Added Value Matrix
External Presentation
Competitive Comparison Sales Tool


3.) Samples:

Porter's Competitive Five Forces Model
Positioning Statement & Matrices
Win/Loss Summary Chart
Competitive Comparison Sales Tool
Competitive Scope and Differentiation
Industry Life Cycle Model
Market & Strategy Roadmaps
SWOT Analysis


For full details on the toolkit or to purchase it for only $99 go to:
http://bit.ly/3oXJG4

I had taken a Negotiations class in another reputed business school but it did
not prepare me for negotiations in the real-world. This course provides very
practical tips and the group exercises emulate the toughest real-world
scenarios. I highly recommend it!"
Vidya Raman, Global Product Planning Manager, Medtronic

Dear PMs

The UC Berkeley Center for Executive Education Negotiations Workshop will change
your career and your life.  This course was designed for Product Managers and
Executives who negotiate on a daily basis in order to get things done.  You need
to continually influence your peers, your team, and your managers in order to
accomplish your goals.  This can be especially challenging when you do not have
direct authority over your product team.  This course will give you the tools to
achieve your goals while building long-lasting relationships with your
colleagues.

You will learn practical negotiation skills and put them to use through in-class
exercises.  You will receive feedback on your negotiated outcomes in debrief
sessions—enabling you to improve your skills throughout the three-day course. 
Additionally, you will be provided with two self-assessment tools that will give
you insight into your innate negotiation style and how to work well with others
who have different styles.  The course is led by Holly Schroth, a well-known
negotiations expert, who is an award winning lecturer at UC Berkeley and
consultant to numerous Silicon Valley companies as well as companies and
governments worldwide.  She is one of the leading authors of negotiation
exercise materials which are used worldwide by educators and trainers and one of
the few negotiations experts to focus her training on the needs of Product
Management professionals.

Course Details and Registration:
http://executive.berkeley.edu/programs/negotiations/
Program Dates:  Dec 9-11, 2009 (in San Francisco)
Program Price: $2,895, $2,395 if you register by October 15th!  Another 15% for
SVPMA members-- enter code kf_svpma15.
Corporate Offer: Fourth attendee is free of charge (call us to register a group)
Holly Schroth's Negotiations Blog: http://galimagroup.com/wordpress/

For questions: Contact Anita Anderson, anita_anderson@...,
+1.415.309.0939 or Kristina Susac, susac@..., +1.510.717.480.


Best,

Kim Fisher, co-Director, UC Berkeley Negotiations Program

Register at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/598348547

Are you thinking about becoming a certified product manager or an agile
certified product manager? Not sure which certification to choose or what the
value of certification is? Certification can be one of the best ways to move
your career forward and differentiate yourself from the crowd. Yet there are
many choices and a variety of material is covered. Join Brian Lawley in as he
discusses the certification options available for Product Managers and answers
your questions about which might be most appropriate for you and your career.

About the speaker
Brian Lawley is the CEO and Founder of the 280 Group and former President of the
Silicon Valley Product Management Association (www.svpma.org). During his twenty
five year career in Product Management he has defined, launched and marketed
over fifty successful products. He is the Author of the books "Expert Product
Management: Advanced Techniques, Tips & Strategies for Product Management &
Product Marketing"  and "The Phenomenal Product Manager." In 2008 he won the
Product Management Excellence Award for Thought Leadership by the Association of
International Product Marketing & Management. Mr. Lawley is a Certified Product
Manager (CPM) and Certified Product Marketing Manager (CPMM). He earned an MBA
with honors from San Jose State University and Bachelors Degree in Management
Science from the University of California at San Diego.

Register at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/598348547

Your company makes its money from the products it  sells. Not from
products in development, but its existing products. The money  made on
these products provides the organization with resources to invest in new
products, enhancements, new market development.  The challenge is that
it's difficult to harness the resources needed to focus on current
products because we're often dealing with innovation and new product
development activities.  Add to this dilemma is that most training
focuses on getting the product out the door.. the next release.   That's
only a part of product management.
     Sequent  Learning Networks <http://www.sequentlearning.com/>   is
delivering the Product Life Cycle  Management Workshop in New York City
on Nov 11-12. This  workshop will help product managers  and the teams
they lead to focus their efforts  on optimization of the portfolio of
existing products. In this intensive interactive  workshop, participants
will learn how to carry out performance check-ups during  each  phase of
the product's "in-market" life cycle. Participants will also  focus on
creating market driven changes to product strategies and  tactics.
The link to the course description is shown below, as is  registration
information. I hope you'll join us,  or send this notice to an
interested product management professional in your  organization.
Workshop title: Product Life Cycle  Management  Location of delivery:
New York City  Dates: November  11-12  Tuition:   $895
Go to  workshop description:  http://bit.ly/5zu7N <http://bit.ly/5zu7N>
Register: http://www.sequentlearning.com/schedule.php
<http://www.sequentlearning.com/schedule.php>
Questions? Call 212-647-9100     Best  wishes:     Steven  Haines
Author: The Product Manager's Desk  Reference
<http://www.pmdeskreference.com/>   (don't have a copy,  send me email
and I'll send you the intro chapter)      Join Our Linked-In Product
Management  Community go to:  http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/57189
<http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/57189>    View  Video: What is
Best-in-Class  Product Management?
http://www.sequentlearning.com/vodaphone-video.php
<../../../../AustinPMMForum/blocked::http://www.sequentlearning.com/voda\
phone-video.php>


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Product Management 2.0 Newsletter Sept 5, 2009

Read this issue at:
www.280group.com/insider/9.5.09.htm

CONTENTS
* STUNNINGLY AWFUL DEMO EVOLUTION - HAVE YOU EVER SEEN DEMOS GET SHORTER?
By Peter Cohan


* BOOK SIGNING: THE PHENOMENAL PRODUCT MANAGER
Join author Brian Lawley for a book signing at the Silicon Valley Product
Management Association meeting this Wednesday, where he will be giving a
presentation on PM Productivity - How to get twice as much done in half the
time. Sign up at www.svpma.org. There will also be a drawing for a copy of the
Product Management Office Professional ($399 value).


* BECOME A CERTIFIED AGILE PRODUCT MANAGER!
New self-study course to get certified and show your mastery of agile
development methodology and product management.


  * WONDERING IF YOU HAVE A LITTLE TOO MUCH MARKETING SPEAK IN YOUR WRITING? TRY
THIS!
Gobbledygook grader can analyze your writing and tell you just how good (or bad)
it is.

with Adele Revella, Instructor at Pragmatic Marketing

The Pragmatic Marketing Framework has guided product managers for more than 15
years. Periodically -- and very carefully – Pragmatic Marketing updates it to
align with current best practice.

This webinar is an update to the Got a Great Product? Get Over It! session
presented last year.

Four trends are converging to change the way technology companies market their
products, driving the need for new skills and processes; products and markets
are maturing, buying criteria and personas are changing, the buying process is
changing, salespeople are dealing with change too. Learn how product management
and marketing are evolving to drive more profitable, successful products and
services.

**Even if you can't attend the live event go ahead and register. We'll make sure
you get a link to access the archive.

Register here: http://bit.ly/ggpgoi

Join the Twitter conversation during the event at #prodmgmt

Follow us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/pragmaticmkting

"Happy Webinar-ing!"

We have TWO announcements to share with you.

FIRST, we are excited to announce that we are supporting a new AIPMM worldwide
industry standard agile product management certification. Six companies in all
are supporting the standard (with several more announcing support shortly) and
will be delivering training and certification exams. Joining with the 280 Group
to support the new standard are AIPMM, of Reno, Nevada, Technobrands of Canada,
Lucrum Marketing of Austin, TX, Brainmates of Australia and PLM Associates of
Los Angeles, CA. All partners have licensed the materials and will be delivering
the courses in-person and online throughout the world. Training materials are
being licensed to interested product management training and consulting firms
for a low fee to encourage adoption and support of the international standard.
Further announcements of support from other highly regarded firms are expected
shortly.

The exam, offered by AIPMM, tests for a thorough understanding of basic and
advanced strategic and tactical concepts in agile product management. It ensures
that those who pass the exam fully understand agile product management and are
able to apply the concepts immediately to be more effective in their jobs.
Topics covered in the exam range from basic to advanced and include multiple
types of agile development (Scrum, XP, Lean), release management & planning,
documentation, organizing around agile, launches, roadmapping,
distributed/larger teams and integrating agile within a traditional product
process. The exam may be taken remotely from anywhere in the world, so product
managers who previously did not have access to certifications may now become
certified.

Full details about the announcement and certification are at:
http://bit.ly/41QA4

SECOND, today we released our new Agile Certified Product Manager Self-Study
Course. The new agile product management certification self-study course enables
product managers throughout the world to prepare for and take the prestigious
industry-standard AIPMM (Association of International Product Marketing &
Management) ACPM (Agile Certified Product Marketing Manager) exam.

The ACPM Self-Study course includes a nine section narrated training seminar,
over 130 slides, a study guide, a sample exam and  two attempts to pass the
AIPMM ACPM exam. It is available as a downloadable product that can be used from
anywhere in the world, allowing participants to study at their own pace and
review the material as many times as they would like. The course includes
information on multiple types of agile development (Scrum, XP, Lean) as well as
a wide range of topics including release management & planning, documentation,
organizing around agile, launches, roadmapping, distributed and larger teams and
integrating agile within a traditional product process.

The AIPMM agile certification demonstrates a thorough understanding of basic and
advanced strategic and tactical concepts in agile product management. It ensures
that those who pass the exam fully understand agile product management and are
able to apply the concepts immediately to be more effective in their jobs.

The self-study course is $1,295 (including the exam). Full details of the
self-study course are availale at http://bit.ly/53mOQ.

For a full comparison of all certifications available from the 280 Group see our
comparison chart at http://bit.ly/maF7d.

title: Director, Product Management, Y! Communities Products
location:  Sunnyvale, CA

About Yahoo!

Think about impacting 1 out of every 2 people online--in innovative and
imaginative ways that are uniquely Yahoo!. We do just that each and every day,
and you could too. After all, it's big thinkers like you who will create the
next generation of Internet experiences for consumers and advertisers across the
globe. Now's the time to show the world what you've got. Put your ideas to work
for over half a billion people.

Yahoo is looking for a Director of Product Management for our Yahoo! Communities
products.  In this role, you will:
·      Develop the global product strategy, informed by customer and market
insights, competitive pressures, and internal initiatives/assets – and use it to
align and energize key stakeholders and team members responsible for the product
lifecycle.
·      Define a detailed global product roadmap based on the product strategy
and drive the alignment of key product releases to deliver on the roadmap;
adjust the roadmap as needed based on key metrics and market forces.
·      Lead the full product lifecycle – from requirements definition, to
delivery, to end of life – collaborating with global teams across the company,
including UED, Engineering, QA, Ops, CS, and Regional Marketing and Sales
counterparts. Communicate a clear set of business priorities and customer
imperatives at all times to drive key trade-offs.
·      Establish business metrics and key market research questions and work
with the market research and insights team to gather key customer insights to
inform optimization or new product development. Maintain an active view of key
competitors and their anticipated next moves. Capture and articulate product
requirements in concise MRDs and PRDs.
·      Meticulously think through every aspect of the user experience, putting
users' needs first in the definition of requirements. Continuously seek
improvements to the user experience to better drive the business and/or key
metrics.
·      Recruit, lead, manage, and grow a team of Product Managers. Lead by
example outside your team to demonstrate and promote best practices in product
management.
·      Serve as key spokesperson for the business, delivering clear, compelling
communications up and across Yahoo! and outside Yahoo! to position your product
for success and garner any support required to successfully execute the
business.


Position requirements and key attributes:
·   BA/BS, 8+ years of product management/marketing experience; MBA a plus.
·   3+ years of recent exp. as a Prod Mgr of large scale, relevant community
products.
·   3+ years exp. as a Prod Mgr of a product with advertising as primary revenue
source.
·   2+ years experience managing a team of at least 3 people
·   Strong product acumen with a balance of strategy and attention to detail
across team deliverables, user experience, and organizational engagement.
·   Strong global customer focus, with a track record of using customer insights
to shape product strategy and drive detailed trade-offs over the product
lifecycle.
·   Adept at analyzing competitive and adjacent products and using those
insights to improve the product and anticipate competitive threats before they
happen.
·   Ability to prioritize competing opportunities, balance market needs with
business priorities, manage conflict, and articulate the rationale behind
decisions.
·   Successful at leading complex projects across a matrixed organization and
demonstrated ability as a thought leader for key issues in that environment.

To apply, please visit:
http://careers.yahoo.com/jdescription.php?frm=jsres&oid=23480

Yahoo! Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. For more information or to search
all of our openings please visit http://careers.yahoo.com.

About Yahoo!

Think about impacting 1 out of every 2 people online--in innovative and
imaginative ways that are uniquely Yahoo!. We do just that each and every day,
and you could too. After all, it's big thinkers like you who will create the
next generation of Internet experiences for consumers and advertisers across the
globe. Now's the time to show the world what you've got. Put your ideas to work
for over half a billion people.


The Yahoo! Global Applications Group – consisting of Yahoo! Mail, Messenger,
Answers, Groups, and Flickr – is looking for a seasoned Director of Product
Marketing responsible for defining and delivering a holistic product marketing
strategy that combines a deep understanding the consumer, competitive, and
market landscape for a set of global products. This individual must possess a
strong product sensibility as well as a mastery of marketing fundamentals, in
order to successfully champion the cause of the consumer and Yahoo! to define a
sustainable product position and strategies to own and deliver against that
position on a global basis. Your responsibilities will include market and user
segmentation, business case development for new product and market
opportunities, product positioning, competitive intelligence, & defining and
tracking product and business success metrics. This position requires an
individual that can work closely and collaboratively with a cross-functional
team that includes product management, research, public relations, user
experience and design, business development, central marketing, sales, analytics
and finance.

Direct Responsibilities:

·         Directly manage a team of product marketing managers and coordinate
with international product marketing and product management colleagues that are
part of the Global Applications Group.
·         Business case development for new product opportunities
(build/buy/partner) or market entry strategies.
·         Establish sustainable, differentiated, ownable product positioning for
global products, that ladder up to corporate brand positioning.
·         Define global and regional product and segment specific research to
understand the competitive landscape, customer segmentation, and customer
satisfaction drivers.
·         Develop global and market-specific problem statements, use scenarios,
business cases, & MRDs, sharing results and recommendations with senior
leadership to facilitate definition of a product roadmap that delivers against a
unique and differentiated market position.
·         Define product-level and feature-level messaging platforms to be used
by Consumer Marketing, B2B Marketing and PR to inform outbound communications
programs
·         Define in-product marketing strategy and messaging including:
out-of-box experience / on-boarding, user education / tips, feature
nomenclature, in-product help / tutorial requirements, feature tours, etc.
Partner closely with Product Management, UED and Consumer Marketing to deliver
against the in-product marketing strategy.
·         Define global, holistic product marketing strategies for new products
and major new feature launches, partnering with Consumer / B2B / Brand
Marketing, PR and other internal/external facing teams execute against those
strategies.
·         Define product launch readiness and success metrics in coordination
with Product, Regional and Marketing stakeholders.
·         Track consumer feedback, customer care, customer satisfaction,
dashboards and metrics to measure success and engagement of new and existing
features and functionalities.


Experience, Qualifications & Skills:

·         8-10 years of business experience, with 5-7 years of product marketing
experience with consumer Internet products or services.
·         Track record of influencing the product development process through
customer insights, and the ability to translate user needs into product
requirements and marketing strategies.
·         Proven success in a fast-paced, matrixed work environment. Ability to
thrive in a dynamic, rapidly changing and highly competitive industry.
·         Leadership / people management - ability to grow and develop senior
managers, quickly build and enrich relationships with peers across the
organization.
·         Direct experience launching consumer web-based products or services
and managing product marketing strategy for those products.
·         Strong analytical skills and passion for interpreting and translating
quantitative and qualitative data into consumer insights.
·         Ability to understand and interpret a complex competitive landscape
and effectively prioritize the projects that will deliver the greatest impact on
objectives.
·         Excellent organizational, presentation and writing skills and ability
to successfully interact across functions and at all levels of an organization.
·         Good sense of humor.
·         BA/BS required, MBA strongly preferred.

To apply, please visit:
http://careers.yahoo.com/jdescription.php?frm=jsres&oid=23763

Yahoo! Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. For more information or to search
all of our openings, please visit http://careers.yahoo.com

We are VERY excited to announce that The Phenomenal Product Manager™: The
Product Manager's Guide to Success, Job Satisfaction and Career Acceleration is
now available!

(Please forward this email to all of your product management colleagues)

Full details of the book are below (and at http://bit.ly/VrOGX), but we also
wanted to let you know that we have put together a PHENOMENAL DEAL for you that
you won't want to pass up.

If you purchase a copy through Amazon.com by October 1st all you have to do is
email your order number, name and email address to ppmoffer@... and you
will also receive:

- A $125 value complimentary membership to the AIPMM (Association of
International Product Marketing Management) with the following benefits:
  * Eligible for Certified Product Manager™ application and examination
  * Personalized Membership Certificate
  * Eligibility for AIPMM Education Scholarship
  * Discounts from AIPMM partners
  * Listing in resource directory
  * Access to private AIPMM LinkedIn® group
  * Discount on Annual Conferences

- A $99 value complimentary copy of the product review toolkit to help you get
great reviews for your products
  * Narrated training module teaches you how to run an effective review program
  * 10 templates for your review program (reviewer's guide, press release,
competitive comparison, etc.)
  * Samples and examples
  * Guidelines and tips
  * Top 10 Review Program Mistakes white paper

That is $224 worth of complimentary incentives if you purchase the book on
Amazon now for only $19.95.

For more details read on or to purchase right now go to: http://bit.ly/VrOGX

The Phenomenal Product Manager
The Product Manager's Guide to Success, Job Satisfaction and Career
Acceleration.

Overview:
Product management is one of the most dynamic and exciting careers around. Yet
many product managers find themselves frustrated because of the unique
challenges it presents. There are many books on the mechanics and core
principles of product management, such as how to gather and write requirements,
build roadmaps and perform other tasks. Now there is a book that tells you the
rest of the story -- the strategies, tactics and techniques that will turn you
into a great product manager.

The Phenomenal Product Manager goes beyond the basics and teaches you how to
work more effectively with your teams, how to influence when you have no formal
authority, how to get the most important work done in less time and how to
manage and accelerate your career. Based on the author's twenty years of product
management experience as well as perspectives from the world's leading product
management experts, 'The Phenomenal Product Manager' is a must-read for every
product manager who wants to be more successful and enjoy their job more.

Techniques and strategies used in this book are based on the author's twenty
five year career in Product Management. Learn what has made the best product
managers more successful and more satisfied with their careers. Also learn how
to accelerate your career and put together a plan for moving up rapidly.

At the end of each chapter there are worksheets decide how best to use the
material to be more effective. Also included is a copy of the product management
manifesto as well as links to a library of free white papers and templates.

Table of contents:
• Introduction
• Product marketing vs product management
• What is a phenomenal product manager?
• Influencing engineers
• Leveraging your sales team
• Getting management on your side
• Leading your team
• Doubling productivity
• Career acceleration
• Having fun
• Conclusion
• Appendix A: The Product Management Manifesto
• Appendix B: Product Management Resources
• Appendix C: Product Management Templates
• About the Author

Excerpt From The Book
Introduction
There are many books, white papers and reference materials that teach product
management and product marketing techniques and best practices. If you want to
learn to write excellent market requirements, build a business case, position a
product or do a full-scale launch you can learn how to do so in a variety of
ways.
However, learning these skills is not nearly enough. During my twenty-five year
career in product management and product marketing I have seen hundreds of
smart, capable people who had the skills described above yet either failed or
were mediocre at what they did. Many of these people could not understand why
they couldn't rise up to the next level and be highly effective.

This book is about learning the other fifty percent that makes a product manager
or product marketer incredibly successful. It is based on my observations of
excellence in others as well as strategies and tactics I have personally used to
succeed. It is also about getting more enjoyment out of the profession of
product management and about how to move your career forward in a systematic and
planned way.

My hope is that this book will help the hundreds of thousands of Product
Managers and Product Marketers throughout the world to be more successful in
their careers, more satisfied in their jobs and to create products that truly
delight their customers and are highly profitable to their companies.

What The Experts Are Saying
Where should product managers, or any business professional, invest their time
to improve their productivity, effectiveness, and career growth? "The Phenomenal
Product Manager" answers this question by presenting proven tips and techniques
for anyone who must lead without authority or finds themselves in "reaction
mode" far more than desired. Use the thought-provoking worksheets and exercises
included in this book to stimulate action for overcoming challenges, delivering
excellence, and sparking the passion and enthusiasm required for career
fulfillment and market success.
Michael J. Salerno
Co-founder, Boston Product Management Association

The Phenomenal Product Manager could be also called, The Way of The Product
Manager because of the gentle reminders this book offers to working product
managers. This is a book on how product managers can successfully conduct
themselves with teams, customers and most importantly upper management. There
are now several good (even great) tactical guides to the role of product
management, and now Brian Lawley gives a straightforward reference for those
all-important soft skills not taught in school. The book leads the reader
through the phases of managing themselves; managing the technical details; and
managing people. I absolutely recommend this book for anyone new to product
management or seeking tips on being more effective with the people in their
organizations.
Therese Padilla
Co-Founder, AIPMM (Association for International Product Marketing & Management)

The phenomenal product manager is a must-read for every product manager who
wants to be more successful. Full of tips and strategies from a 25 year career
in product management, it covers the real-world part of product
management that no other book out there addresses.
Mike Freier
President, Silicon Valley Product Management Association

There are those that teach and those that do - Brian Lawley is one of the few
that knows how to do both.
John Cook
Vice President, WW Desktop Marketing. Hewlett-Packard Corporation

After teaching, writing for, interviewing and interacting with thousands of
product managers, I couldn't agree more with Brian that successful ones have a
set of key interpersonal skills. As a Product Manager, you can write great
requirements and market analyses but unless you garner support from all the
various stakeholders your work will at best be academic. The Phenomenal Product
Manager helps you be more than just a sufficient PM, but an irreplaceable one.
Alyssa Dver
CPM (Certifed Product Manager, CPMM (Certified Product Marketing Manager)
Author, "Software Product Management Essentials" & "No Time Marketing"
Consultant/Trainer/Freelance Writer/Speaker/CEO Mint Green Marketing

About the Author
Brian Lawley is the CEO and Founder of the 280 Group, which provides Product
Management and Product Marketing consulting, contractors, training and
templates. During the last twenty-five years of his career he has shipped more
than fifty successful products. He is the former President of the Silicon Valley
Product Management Association, won the 2008 AIPMM award for Excellence in
Thought Leadership for Product Management and is the author of the best-selling
book, Expert Product Management. Mr. Lawley has been featured on CNBC's World
Business Review and the Silicon Valley Business Report and writes articles for a
variety of publications including the Product Management 2.0 newsletter and
Product Management 2.0 Blog.

Mr. Lawley is a Certified Product Manager (CPM) and Certified Product Marketing
Manager (CPMM). He earned an MBA with honors from San Jose State University and
a Bachelors Degree in Management Science from the University of California at
San Diego with a Minor in Music Technology.

How to Order "The Phenomenal Product Manager" and receive the complimentary
AIPMM Membership and Product Review Toolkit

Simply go to http://bit.ly/VrOGX and buy the book using the Amazon.com link.

When you receive a confirmation email from Amazon find your order number

Send the following information to ppmoffer@...:
  * Name
  * Email Address
  * Order Number

You will then receive information about your new AIPMM membership and how to
download the toolkit.

This offer expires midnight, October 1st so don't wait.

Please forward this to all of your product management colleagues so that they
can take advantage of the offer too.

Sincerely,
Brian Lawley & the 280 Group Team

Looking to hire in Seattle, WA, Arlington,VA and Ottawa Canada.

Smart Grid Technology is the next wave of innovation to come along and our
client is looking for Product Managers that will bring new and innovative ideas
to market.  They have 200 Million in VC Funding to bring this to reality and are
looking for Product Managers to bring this new form of energy reality to
fruition.

We are looking for Product Managers that have both inbound and outbound
experience.   The Ideal candidates will be  Product Managers with CRM, ERP and
Enterprise Software  experience and coming from stellar enterprise companies
such as SAP, Oracle, Vendavo and others.    You will work to define and deliver
the product.   You will have responsibility for pricing and content and be able
to make key trade-offs for future releases.  You will have experience
positioning a product in the marketplace.

Must have ERP, CRM, Enterprise Software Product Management Experience for this
role!

Looking to hire in Seattle, WA, Arlington,VA and Ottawa Canada.
Must be willing to reside in or travel to these locations
Management Team is located in Seattle, remote opportunity for Seattle area
candidate

In this edition...

- Business Cases - Taking the Pie Out of the Sky


- Dead Air - Five Sales Scenarios When it's Good


- Power Selling - Like a Power Lunch or a Power Nap


- Strategy & Positioning - Closer Relatives Than You Think


- Solution Style Product Management to Grow Revenue


- Agile vs. Traditional Development - The Best of Both Worlds


_______________________________________________________________

Business Cases - Taking the Pie Out of the Sky - John Mansour

Have you ever seen a business case that didn't look like a blockbuster? Not
likely. And how often do those revenue projections match reality? Ditto! The
single biggest reason for the huge gap is... Read the complete
article<http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/business-cases.html>.   No registration
required.


_______________________________________________________________

Five Sales Scenarios When Dead Air is Good - Kurt Ballard

Dead air is a broadcaster's worst nightmare because it ultimately results in
lost revenue. In sales however, dead air can be the key to winning more sales.
Here are five sales scenarios when a little dead air can accelerate the close.
Read the complete
article<http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/sales-and-dead-air.html>. No registration
required.

_______________________________________________________________

Power Selling - Like a Power Lunch or a Power Nap

Power Selling is the same concept as a power lunch where you accomplish a great
deal over a short lunch meeting, or a power nap where you're energized after a
short snooze. Give ZIGZAG Marketing a half day with your sales team and they'll
learn the #1 attribute of all top-performing sales people - CREDIBILITY. No
complex sales methodologies or text book theories. It's ZIGZAG Marketing simple,
practical and to the point!  View the
details<http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/power-sales-training.html>.


Strategy & Positioning - Closer Relatives Than You Think

Your strategy reflects where you're going, how you'll get there and why you'll
be successful. Your positioning reflects where you've been, how you got there
and why you've been successful. Therefore, your positioning tomorrow reflects
the execution of today's strategy. Let ZIGZAG Marketing help you simplify both
by connecting the common denominators. Sign up for Market Assessment & Strategic
Planning<http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/product-management-training-for-executiv\
es-and-senior-managers/market-assessment-strategic-planning/> and Product
Positioning &
Messaging<http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/20080807237/product-positioning-messagi\
ng.html> workshops. $795 per person for each workshop or $1495 for both.


Solution Style Product Management to Grow Revenue

Break down traditional product silos and create teams that mirror work processes
of your customers to form higher impact solutions that ultimately command a
higher price point.  One agenda, one #1 priority and a lot less conflict. Learn
it all at Product Management
University<http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/product-management-training-for-produc\
t-managers-and-marketers/product-management-university/> and walk away with the
knowledge, best practices and tools to make it happen. $995 per person (normally
$1495) through 12/31/09.


_______________________________________________________________

Webinar: Agile vs. Traditional Development - The Best of Both Worlds

There's a misconception that software development has to be either agile or
traditional. The extremes of either approach may not be right for your
organization. This webinar will compare facets of both and offer a middle ground
that may be more conducive to your success. After all, the end game hasn't
changed - marketable products that are easy to use.

Friday September 18th, 12:00 - 1:00 Eastern Time: 
REGISTER<https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/472425808>

___________________________________




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The journal of technology product management and marketing professionals
http://bit.ly/gbi9E

In This Issue:

The Freemium Business Model and Viral Product Management
Ever scratch your head and wonder why you  can use your favorite application for
free?  How can a business actually make money  (and stay in business) when they 
offer their product for free? When  does it make sense for a company to offer a
free version of a product  that competes with their  own for-a-fee version of 
the same product?

Ask the Expert
How can we reflect our products' evolution in their names? Here are some
explanations of product naming conventions.


Expand Your Comfort Zone: A Product Management Quiz  to Point You in the Right
Direction
This quiz can help you assess your effectiveness in working with Sales,
Engineering, and executives. It's a bit like the Myers-Briggs test, but just for
product managers. If you are a product manager torn in many directions, give it
a go, and see how your score matches up against the product management
archetypes.


Marketing Up (and Down and Across) in a Down Economy
Does a changing economy really call for a change in how we do business? Well,
not exactly. Assuming that  we're already following best-practice marketing
approaches, we're already part of a lean, ROI-oriented, targeted awareness, and
demand-generation marketing machine.


http://bit.ly/gbi9E

The results of our 2009 Product Management Benchmark Survey are in. We had 675
people complete the survey (thanks to everyone who took the time and also to
Quantum Whisper, our partners on the project).

Find out how many products the average product manager is in charge of, what
percent of you work more than 40 hours per week, what percentage are using Agile
versus Waterfall, how experienced the average product manager is and what
development platforms and technologies are being used.

Download the survey at www.280group.com/signup.htm and please forward to all
other PMs that you know.

Don't forget to check out our Product Management & Marketing Training Courses.

San Jose, Ottowa, Boston
http://bit.ly/18bVpi

- PM Fast Track™.

- Interactivity & Communication™.

- Effective Customer and Market Research™.

- Market Value Pricing™.

- Personal Strategic Plans for Product Managers & Marketers™.

- Time Management/Productivity for Product Managers & Marketers™.

- Delivering GREAT Demos!™.

- Optimized Decision Making for Teams & Product Management™.

- Marketing Mastery™.

- Do it Yourself Public Relations™.


Brian Lawley & The 280 Group Team

******************************************
PM 2.0
The Product Marketing & Product Management Newsletter
August 17, 2009

This issue mixes some humor with articles about how
to develop a Unique Selling Proposition and info
about a VERY cool new product.

To read this issue go to:
www.280group.com/insider/8.17.09.htm

CONTENTS

* BILL GATES & THE DEMO
A little product management humor

* PRODUCT MANAGEMENT & MARKETING TRAINING
San Jose, Ottowa, Boston
http://bit.ly/18bVpi

- PM Fast Track™.
- Interactivity & Communication™.
- Effective Customer and Market Research™.
- Market Value Pricing™.
- Personal Strategic Plans for Product Managers
   & Marketers™.
- Time Management/Productivity for Product Managers
   & Marketers™.
- Delivering GREAT Demos!™.
- Optimized Decision Making for Teams & Product
   Management™.
- Marketing Mastery™.
- Do it Yourself Public Relations™.


* UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITIONS
Developing a hard-hitting, concise reason why
customers should choose your product or service

* COOL NEW PRODUCT: DROPBOX

* CERTIFIED PRODUCT MANAGER (CPM) SELF-STUDY COURSE
Increase your income, get a great new job and beef
up your resume by earning the AIPMM CPM certification.

www.280group.com/insider/8.17.09.htm

Hi SVPMA members!  The NorCal PDMA is having a great speaker this month that
will be of interest to anyone currently working as a Product Manager or anyone
hoping to someday be a Product Manager.  Also remember that current SVPMA
members are always eligible for the PDMA member pricing, so there's really no
reason not to attend!

===============================================================

Five Ways Product Managers Can Exert More Influence While Growing Their Careers

Wednesday, August 26, 2009
6:30 - 8:30 PM

Hilton Garden Inn 840 E. El Camino Real Mountain View, CA 94040
(warm appetizers served)

Special early registration rates $10 member / $20 non-member
(http://pdma.org/events_detail.cfm?pk_event=357)

Presented by:
ZIGZAG Marketing, Inc. (http://zigzagmarketing.com)

Session Summary:
The quantitative side of product management focuses on processes and
deliverables to drive the product lifecycle, but those efforts may not have the
impact they should unless complemented with other skills that can make product
managers a stronger driving force in every product company. The presentation and
discussion will help you sell the value of product management as well as
yourself to all constituencies, learn communication skills and conversation
topics that are compelling to executives and how your actions are instrumental
in defining the role you've been hired for. Learn five things you can start
doing tomorrow to exert more influence and grow your career.

About the Speaker:
John Mansour is a 20-year veteran in product marketing, product management,
marketing and sales.  As Managing Partner for ZIGZAG Marketing, John has worked
with clients of all sizes in high technology, telecom, financial services,
industrial manufacturing, business services and consumer products.

Prior to ZIGZAG Marketing, John served in Director and Vice President roles
responsible for worldwide marketing and product management for enterprise
software companies including Symix Systems and Dun & Bradstreet Software as well
as startup technology companies with names never to be mentioned.  John has
managed legacy products and launched a multitude of new products over the course
of his career in large, medium and small companies.

Register at http://pdma.org/events_detail.cfm?pk_event=357

Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/norcalpdma
Join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=39200948346

Thanks to Accept Software for their continued sponsorship
(http://www.acceptsoftware.com/)

(Before reading this article, I strongly suggest downloading and reading the
complete July 31st, 2008 issue of Softletter that describes in detail the
developments at SaaS ERP provider Plex (the company was called Plexus in 2008)
that sparked this series of articles. After transitioning from a client/server
to a SaaS business model, Plex discarded its entire product manager/product
marketing manager framework. The article is available as a free PDF from the
Downloads section of the site; access to this section does require you subscribe
to the site. You can do so here:

http://www.saasuniversity.com/MANAGEACCOUNT/RegisterWithSaaSUniversitycom/tabid/\
1395/Default.aspx

You can discuss and comment on this article in the SaaS University forums here:

http://www.saasuniversity.com/COMMUNITY/Forum/tabid/1230/forumid/1/postid/38/vie\
w/topic/Default.aspx

As mentioned in the previuos articles and in some of the back and forth between
me and those who commented on this series of articles, product management in the
software industry has always had an uneasy relationship with the rest of the
company (and upper management) because of the lack of an "organic" connection to
the bottom line. Product managers aren't responsible for sales in any truly
measurable sense and developing measurable benchmarks for the position has
always been a challenge.

As proof of this, I bring you some quotes fresh from the online pages of
Pragmatic Marketing's website wherein the question of how to measure the
activities of product managers was answered thusly:

* "Number/frequency of face-to-face visits with the market"
* "Creation of Buyer and User Personas"
* "Drafts of Problem Statements"

This compelling list ends with:

* "Statistically valid market evidence that describes those Problem Statements
by their pervasiveness and urgency"

None of which are the sort of metrics that warms the cockles of the typical
CEO's flinty heart.

The rest of the article is up at:

http://www.saasuniversity.com/COMMUNITY/RicksBlogonSaaS/tabid/3024/PostID/9/SaaS\
-Company-Thinking-of-Sending-Your-Product-Managers-for-Formal-Product-Management\
-Training-and-Certification-Dont-Waste-Your-Money-Part-3-of--4.aspx

(In part four of this article I'll respond to comments/criticisms of this piece)

In this edition:


- Agile Product Owner vs. Product Manager - Resolving the Confusion


- Integrated Marketing and the Roles of Product Management & Product Marketing


- Your Products Are a Commodity! The Short Term Answer


- Same Old Product Management, Same Old Results - Try a New Approach


- Webinar: Agile vs. Traditional Development - The Best of Both Worlds


- Consulting Services to Get You Through the Economic Storm


_______________________________________________________________

Agile Product Owner vs. Product Manager - John Mansour

In the world of agile software development, the confusion over product owner
versus product manager is hardly new. This problem has existed as long as
software and product managers have been around. It merely has a new name - a big
reason for much of the confusion.  Read the complete article.  No registration
required.
http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/20090811238/agile-product-owner-vs.-product-manag\
er.html


_______________________________________________________________

Integrated Marketing and the Roles of Product Management & Product Marketing -
Kurt Ballard

Integrated marketing initiatives are becoming more attractive as organizations
look to gain mindshare and maximize revenue at minimal marketing cost. But a big
issue inhibiting current marketing efforts is a lack of integration between
product teams, marketing communications and sales. Read the complete article.  
No registration required.
http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/20090811239/integrated-marketing-and-the-roles-of\
-product-management-product-marketing.html


_______________________________________________________________

Your Products Are a Commodity! The Short Term Answer

Your products and services are a commodity in the eyes of your buyers.
Positioning is the only immediate way to set yourself apart. Craft your
positioning to make products a must-have by leading with buyer issues instead of
product features. It's the easiest way to sell more of the products you have.
Positioning & Messaging Workshops - $795 per person.
http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/20080807237/product-positioning-messaging.html


Same Old Product Management, Same Old Results

Break down traditional product silos and create teams that mirror work processes
of your customers to form higher impact solutions that ultimately command a
higher price point. One agenda, one #1 priority and a lot less conflict. Learn
it all at Product Management University and walk away with the knowledge, best
practices and tools to make it happen. $995 per person (normally $1495) through
12/31/09.
http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/product-management-training-for-product-managers-\
and-marketers/product-management-university/

Get your CPM/CPMM certification
Exam schedule
http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/Training-Certification/Course-Calendar-PMU.html


_______________________________________________________________

Webinar: Agile vs. Traditional Development - The Best of Both Worlds

There's a misconception that software development has to be either agile or
traditional. The extremes of either approach may not be right for your
organization. This webinar will compare facets of both and offer a middle ground
that may be more conducive to your success. After all, the end game hasn't
changed - marketable products that are easy to use.

September 18th, 12:30 - 1:30 Eastern Time

REGISTER https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/472425808



Consulting Services to Get You Through the Storm

1. If your board wants a more market-focused strategy, we'll help you craft a
strategic plan that aligns products, marketing and sales to your most lucrative
markets with data to support it.

2. If you've re-organized, we'll help you clarify roles and responsibilities to
improve productivity across your product delivery continuum.

3. If your value proposition is off center for the current market conditions,
we'll help you create a new one in plain simple English that everyone will
understand so you can find more low hanging fruit.

4. If your product demos are too technical and fail to excite buyers (or put
them to sleep), we'll help you build solution demo scripts that tell a business
story and use products features as proof points.

5. If your sales people can't uncover the real buying drivers beyond the obvious
tactical issues, we'll coach them on techniques to uncover the real need so they
can shorten sales cycles and win more deals.



John Mansour, Managing Partner
ZIGZAG Marketing, Inc.
Learn.  Execute.  Grow.
3475 Lenox Road NE
Suite 400
Atlanta, GA 30326
Direct: (404) 601-2866
Corporate: 866-797-3647 Ext. 2
Web: www.zigzagmarketing.com<http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/>



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Come join Intuit as part of the QuickBooks Web Financial Management team as a
Senior Product Manager. We are looking for creative problem solvers with a
passion for innovation to join our team and revolutionize the way the world does
business.

You'll need to be a strong influential leader to be successful in this role.
We're looking for someone with loads of energy and curiosity to come up with
ideas, identify opportunities and craft visions to drive the offering & business
forward. We're looking for an ambitious self-starter; someone who has a passion,
and a proven track record, for delivering experiences that delight customers.
Finally, we're looking for someone who knows the web, and loves the web, someone
with demonstrated experience of making significant contributions to a successful
online product.

Primary Responsibilities of this Role:
* Translate deep customer & market understanding into an offering vision &
roadmap
* Lead the x-functional team to develop the next generation of QuickBooks Online
* Work closely with Engineering and Design to deliver amazing product
experiences
* Work closely with other functions - marketing, support - to deliver end-to-end
delight
* Actively analyze data (business, usage, market) to make informed product
decisions
* Become an internal/external evangelist and expert for QuickBooks Online

Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:
* BA, MBA is nice to have
* 5+ years Product Management experience
* Experience taking a web offering from concept to launch & iterating in-market
* Experience owning successful web products end-to-end
* Demonstrated ability of working with team to rapidly generate prototypes &
iterate
* Experience using A/B test results and usage data to inform product decisions
* Experience using online social channels to engage with customers
* Strong business acumen and experience of actively defining & consuming key
business metrics to drive decisions and strategy
* Strong grasp of user design
* Strong analytical and problem solving skills
* Excellent communication skills
* Ability to influence senior leaders & executives

To apply on-line please visit:
http://www.intuit.apply2jobs.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=mExternal.showJob&RID=6787\
4

We are looking for a product manager in our growing team.  Experience in
financial services, trading systems and/or investment products (particularly
fixed income) is a big plus.  If this sounds interesting to you, please contact
me at the email address above.

Position Summary:  We are looking for a highly motivate individual with
financial services knowledge.  Successful candidate will possess strong
communications, influencing, and problem-solving skills. Desired candidate is
someone who thrives in a team-oriented, results-oriented, and customer-focused
environment, welcomes challenge, embraces change, is creative, can learn fast,
and works well under tight deadlines.

This individual will be responsible for supporting our investing products
initiatives.

Duties & Responsibilities:  Candidate must be highly motivated, extremely
organized, detail-oriented and analytical.   In addition the candidate will
possess outstanding presentation, communication and customer service skills.

Key responsibilities for this job are:
- Write functional requirements necessary to develop new programs or enhance
existing programs to improve customer engagement and retention, and business
reporting, and tracking.
- Work closely with technology to design the solutions needed, and to manage
rollout of products and services in a planned and timely manner.
- Work closely with web development groups to determine design and user
interface of new or enhanced products and services.
- Identify and produce necessary reports, metrics, and analysis to measure the
effectiveness and validate the success of projects completed.
- Provide project management of all aspects of product launch including
web-site, trading, operations, service and sales.

Qualifications:
• Hands-on/ team-player attitude toward tackling tactical as well as strategic
work.
• Proven teamwork skills to help deliver on-time product and project results.
• Experience writing functional requirements.
• Knowledge of application design and development.
• Strong analytics, strategic thinking and consumer empathy a must.
• Excellent written, oral, and presentation skills.
• Experience in financial services preferred.
• Prior project management experience a plus.
• Experience in web design or user interface specification a plus.

In this edition:

- Incremental Product Enhancements vs. Game Changers

- 5 Things You Can Do To Grow In Today's Economy

- Webinar July 24th: Overcoming the Challenges of Selling New Products

- Positioning & Messaging 1-day Workshops - $795, San Jose & Los Angeles

- Product Management University 2-day Workshops - $995, San Jose & Los Angeles

- Consulting Services to Get You Through the Economic Storm

_______________________________________________________________

Incremental Product Enhancements vs. Game Changers -  John Mansour

Rewind the clock 18 months and many product companies were motoring along just
fine with a product investment strategy of continuous incremental enhancements
across all products.  But when the market suddenly collapsed, a long festering
problem was suddenly exposed...Read the complete article. No registration
required.
http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/20090715227/product-enhancements-vs-game-changers\
.html

  _______________________________________________________________

5 Things You Can Do To Grow In Today's Economy - Kurt Ballard

Demand for your products is down and the sales pipeline is thinner.  Marketing
budgets and headcount have been cut, and cut again. Stress is at an all time
high as fewer people carry a heavier workload.  Revenue "stretch" goals seem out
of reach.  Are the problems that challenge your business mounting while you have
fewer resources and energy to address them? Don't surrender just yet.  Read the
complete article...No registration required.
http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/20090714226/5-ways-to-grow-in-todays-economy.html

  _______________________________________________________________

Positioning & Messaging 1-day Workshops - $795

*         San Jose - September 3rd

*         Los Angeles - September 24th
Sell more of the products you have by simply aligning your value propositions
around your buyers instead of your products. $795 per person.
Course Calendar -
http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/Training-Certification/Course-Calendar-PROBDISC.h\
tml


Product Management University 2-day Workshops - $995 through 12/31/09

*         San Jose - August 4-5, October 7-8

*         Los Angeles - September 15-16

Three Most Common Reasons For Attending
1. Product decisions are too reactive and made in silos

2. You've been through a recent reorganization and everyone is confused

3. Product managers and product marketers are inexperienced

Attend a 2-day Product Management University public workshop in any city between
July 1 and December 31, 2009 for $995 (normally $1495). If you don't find
Product Management University practical and useful we'll refund your
registration fee.

Course Details -
http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/product-management-training-for-product-managers-\
and-marketers/product-management-university/

Course Calendar -
http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/Training-Certification/Course-Calendar-PMU.html

Get your CPM/CPMM certification  - Exam schedule
http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/Training-Certification/Course-Calendar-PMU.html

_______________________________________________________________


Complimentary Webinar

Overcoming the Challenges of Selling New Products

- July 24, 2009 12:30 - 1:30 Eastern Time

- Selling a new product is perhaps one of the most daunting challenges sales
people will face.  Sales        people don't really like to sell new products,
and your customers are risk averse. This combination of apprehension and
reluctance can stop a new product launch before it even gets started.  This
webinar will discuss five ways to succeed with a new product.

Register https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/934118040

_______________________________________________________________

Consulting Services to Get You Through the Economic Storm

1.  If your board is less than impressed with your strategy, we'll help you
craft a strategic plan that's aligned to your most lucrative opportunities with
market data to support it.

2.  If you've re-organized, we'll help you clarify roles and responsibilities to
improve productivity across your product delivery continuum.

3.  If your value proposition is off center for the current market conditions,
we'll help you create a new one in plain simple English that everyone will
understand so you can find more low hanging fruit.

4.  If your product demos are too technical and fail to excite buyers (or put
them to sleep), we'll help you build solution demo scripts that tell a business
story and use products features as proof points.

5.  If your sales people can't uncover the real buying drivers beyond the
obvious tactical issues, we'll coach them on tactics to uncover the real need so
they can shorten sales cycles and win more deals.

View a complete offering of our consulting services -
http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/product-management-consulting-services.html

John Mansour, Managing Partner
ZIGZAG Marketing, Inc.
Learn.  Execute.  Grow.
3475 Lenox Road NE
Suite 400
Atlanta, GA 30326
Direct: (404) 601-2866
Corporate: 866-797-3647 Ext. 2
Web: www.zigzagmarketing.com<http://www.zigzagmarketing.com/>



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

We are launching a search for an internally focused Product Management. The
Product Manager (PM) has the responsibility for establishing a product vision
and executing product strategy. The role requires an individual with strong
leadership and analytical skills who can take a product in an aggressive
competitive market and create a vision for the product based on market inputs,
the corporate vision and customer requirements. Reporting to the VP Product
Management, it is a highly strategic role with strong visibility to the
executive management team. The company is a solid leader in the security space
and as a pre-IPO is quickly moving into profitability

Responsibilities include:
The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following mandatory requirements:
• At least 5 years of experience in product management in the enterprise
software industry in high technology, ideally an understanding of enterprise
security and information protection products.
• Technical skills in encryption environment, ideally an understanding of
cryptographic systems including PKI, key management, application and database
encryption and related enterprise systems such as Authentication and Identity
• An understanding of critical aspects of Enterprise software:  IT, Service
management, High availability systems, Security Information Management, IT Audit
and Compliance.
• Understanding of software products usability, ei: user experience optimization
and user self training concepts.
• Passion for competition and the ability to maintain personable relationships
with all internal and external customers.
• Solid customer service skills and the ability to work within a large team
environment.
• The ability to work in a fast-paced environment where organizational skills
are essential and have strong problem solving, interpersonal and ownership
skills.
• Initiative and a *self-starter* attitude, with sufficient flexibility to adapt
to changing priorities.
• Strong written, verbal and interpersonal skills along with strong presentation
skills.

Successful Candidates will possess the following highly desirable skills
• Have worked in an Agile/Scrum environment before.
• Excellent collaboration skills with a wide variety of internal team members.
• Sense of humor

Intuit is seeking a Payments Product Manager in Mountain View, CA, or Woodland
Hills, CA

Intuit's Payments Solutions Division is looking for a driven, results-oriented
Product Manager to help create and deliver eCheck solutions, specifically ACH
and RDC. This role goes beyond typical software PM deliverables to include
broader end-to-end responsibilities required to deliver an online financial
payments solution. The ideal candidate will be a self-starter, detail-oriented
and passionate about the overall customer experience. Must be able to lead a
cross-functional, distributed project team and provide project leadership.


To view this complete job description and others please visit:
http://www.intuit.apply2jobs.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=mExternal.showJob&RID=6773\
6