5. Preserve customer relationships

Many Product Managers make the mistake of speaking tech-first instead of focusing on the most important task at hand – solving user problems. The Product Manager’s number one assignment is to do what’s best to serve their users wherever they might be.

By asking reflective questions, users are more likely to give you a values based answer which the Product Manager can use to create a comprehensive and coherent strategy to tackle the user problem.

6. Say no to customers

The irony of encouraging Product Managers to say ‘no’ to customers right after advising them to preserve customer relationships is not lost on us. However, learning to say no is a necessary skill that can preserve the integrity of your business. If you know that you’re not in a good position to create a product for a customer, or the customer’s demands do not fall within the scope of what you consider necessary to work on at that time, explain this to the customer in clear, direct terms.

By being honest, you take away the uncertainty from the customer and provide room for them to consider other options available to them. True, you might lose them as customers but it’s infinitely better to tell them, “I don’t think we’re a good fit for you” than to let them buy your product and figure out it’s not a good fit. Customer relationships broken down by a lack of trust are notoriously hard to repair.

7. Be an effective storyteller

This storytelling often begins with your resume. If you’re looking to break into the industry without much Product Management experience, acknowledge this fact, at the top of your resume if possible. “I am a person with X background, seeking to get into product.”  

Highlight the things you’re doing to make yourself ready for that job whether that’s attending Product Management School or performing Product Management duties in your current job. It gives you more credibility than someone seeking to break into the industry without any mention of product on their resume or any indication that they’re willing to learn.

If you were in a B2B company that sold stuff to other companies, talk about the companies you worked with, the products you sold and the challenges, how you prioritized trade-offs, the solution you settled on, how you delivered it, and how you improved.

The actual subject matter is less important than the fact that they’re showing excitement about the things that are important such as the storytelling, users and their problems.

8. Build in Public

As much as you can, endeavor to do things out in the open as it allows for discovery and it makes it possible for others to add on to your work and give you more perspectives. It is easier to overcome challenges when the burden is shared, so involve your team. Bring in developers and designers if you need their help too and share your work internally so that others can point it out if you missed anything.

9. Use the product

Quite frankly, it’s always pretty obvious when employees of a company use the company’s product. There’s a certain customer empathy that can only be developed if you’re a user yourself and that’s why Product Managers should be the best users of their company’s product.  

Don’t be afraid of the product and don’t be afraid to do the kind of things users would do with the product so that in the end you can arrive at the best possible version of the product.  

10. As a manager, create teachable moments

Interrogate the choices of those on your team to make sure they get the principles behind the steps they’re taking and they’re not simply carrying out instructions mindlessly. Teach them the most important things to go after, what to prioritize and what not to.

Spend time with mentees, coach them, make them better at the craft and build new Product Management talent, there’s room for everyone!

To learn even more best practices for building technical products, register here to join the next Co.Lab Product Management Bootcamp. If you’d like to watch the full chat with Justin, visit our YouTube channel.‍