Why ELT needs a PMM
Org charts without a Product Marketing Manager leave leadership teams without a key unifying resource for both strategy and execution. Here’s why.
Is the sun rising or setting? Perspective matters.
By now you’re familiar with my Product Marketing belief system. If you’re not, quickly check out the titles of the other blog posts here on 16volts.com. You don’t have to read them all (but I do think you’ll find at least one of them worthwhile) to recognize that I see Product Marketing as a critical cog in your machinery.
It’s not an effort in self-justification. Having been a product marketer for more than 15 years, I have gained first-hand knowledge of the power and value of this role when it’s present — and keenly aware of the gaps when it’s not. So let’s get to it.
Why ELTs need a PMM, Reason One: Internal Access
If ever there was going to be a singular role connected to all key parts of your business — Sales, Marketing, Finance, Engineering — this is it. That’s because the product marketing manager is the only person who lives at the intersection of these teams. It doesn’t matter where on the org chart your PMM sits, the very nature of their work means they’re going to be enmeshed on a daily basis with all these other teams. That creates a composite perspective on your business that few others have, aside from your founder and/or CEO.
‘A single throat to choke’: one person with access to all the information you need at a glance. I’m not suggesting your PMM knows everything and can answer every question. For that you’ll need to go straight to the source. But for those times when you need a thin slice, a snapshot, or a quick multi-dimensional conversation, talk to your PMM first. Isn’t that a better use of your time?
Why ELTs need a PMM, Reason 2: External Visibility
One of the most important things a leadership team needs to keep a steady eye on is the market it’s serving. This includes both customers and competitors. As mentioned above, there is no one better positioned to give you a snapshot of the market than your PMM. That’s because it’s their job to have an intimate and direct understanding of your Users, Buyers, and Influencers, how they think, where they hang out, and what keeps them awake at night. It’s also their job to track what your competitors do and say. So if you want to know what your audience is thinking, talk to your PMM. If you don’t have a PMM you’ll have to talk to several people to piece together the story, and it will likely be outdated and incomplete.
At a moment’s notice, your (well-trained and experienced) PMM can give you a competitive update, tell you about your current in-market messaging and tactics, update you on the roadmap, and give you a snapshot of your pipeline and what comprises it. Having recently briefed an analyst, they’re also primed for a presentation to your board or a potential investor. And they know your company story as well - if not better - than you.
Without a PMM, it would take conversations with at least four different people to paint a similar picture. You’d have to talk to the head of Sales for the pipeline update, someone in Marketing for a campaign review, your CPO or head of product for a peek into the roadmap, etc. Who has time for that? Your PMM, that’s who. Not you.
Why ELTs need a PMM, Reason 3: The Echo Chamber
I debated using this as reason 1 because of how strongly I feel about it, but in the end I kept it here on the assumption that it may not apply to all ELTs.
Hopefully you - as a member of your company’s ELT - aren’t interested in the easy answer to every question. Hopefully you thrive on differences of perspective and opinion. Which is to say: hopefully you can’t stomach the echo chamber, that place where everyone says the same thing and there seems to be no dissent or debate on things that matter.
Assuming your company culture values transparency, original thought, and healthy debate (don’t get me started on ‘yes, and’ models 🙄), there are few people in your company better positioned than your PMM to use as a sounding board. If you’ve read Reasons 1 & 2 above then you understand why. I’ve never met a PMM who would prefer to ‘toe the line’ over sharing his or her informed opinion. Even junior PMMs, by right of their role, come to possess valuable information and perspectives that can make the larger team smarter and better. As long as you make it safe for them to share, they’ll share everything they know and think.
So if you’re vacillating on whether or not to approve that product marketing manager headcount, hopefully you know see the light. Do it. It’ll grease all your key wheels in ways you may not fully appreciate yet.
