2009 Product Management Benchmark Survey (280 Group)

Please help us advance the Product Management profession by participating in the 280 Group 2009 Product Management Benchmark Survey. (note: this is different that the "Doing More With Less as a Product Manager" survey we ran last month. Those results will be published shortly.)

The 2009 survey (http://tinyurl.com/mcrbgz) is VERY BRIEF and will help us all learn more about ACTUAL product management practices in the field. Your answers will provide meaningful insight into today's high-tech product management environment. We are also looking to evaluate market maturity and establish comparative benchmarks. All responses are confidential.

The survey should take you LESS THAN 10 MINUTES to complete. What's in it for you? Following the survey, the 280 Group will publish a report complete with analysis. The result will allow you to compare your product management practices with those of the broader market. The survey will close July 3rd and the report will be released before July 31st.

Additionally, participants will be eligible to win one of several prizes:

- Grand Prize: 280 Group's PM Office Pro ($400 value). Includes over 150 templates and five self-paced training modules for product management and product marketing tasks. Details at http://tinyurl.com/2r5yyf.

- Three copies of the ebook version of Expert Product Management. Details at http://tinyurl.com/n4e665.

- Four Amazon.com gift certificates ($50/each).
Thank you in advance for making this survey a success. We appreciate your participation!

Take the survey at:
http://tinyurl.com/mcrbgz

Brian Lawley
CEO & Founder, 280 Group
Author, Expert Product Management

The Original Computer

Memory was something you lost with age
An application was for employment
A program was a TV show
A cursor used profanity

A keyboard was a piano
A web was a spider's home
A virus was the flu
A CD was a bank account

A hard drive was a long trip on the road
A mouse pad was where a mouse lived

PM 2.0 Newsletter June 10th

PM 2.0
The Product Marketing & Product Management Newsletter
June 10th, 2009

The Boston PM Fast Track course (June 22) is almost
full. Sign up today if you want a seat! The course covers
the entire product lifecycle, includes certification exams
and a copy of the award-winning Product Manager's
Toolkit. In just four days you will become an expert
product manager or product marketer.

This issues includes a guest article by Kristi Royse
on "How to Play to Your Strengths," an article by Peter
Cohan on "Why a Demo Should Be Like a News Article,"
and an article on "Team Autonomy vs. Common Process
- Solving the Conflict" by Douglas B. Boebinger.
Also, you can become a fan of the book Expert Product
Management on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/lklnzr.
Have a great June and let us know if you have questions
about our training, toolkits or consulting...
Brian Lawley & The 280 Group Team

To read this issue click here.


CONTENTS
* BECOME A FAN OF EXPERT PRODUCT MANAGEMENT ON FACEBOOK
AT http://tinyurl.com/lklnzr.

* PM FAST TRACK(tm) TRAINING BOSTON, MA JUNE 22
Reserve a spot now - become a certified expert in
just four days!

* HOW TO PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS
By Kristi Royse

* 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.

* WHY A DEMO SHOULD BE LIKE A NEWS ARTICLE
By Peter Cohan

* TEAM AUTONOMY VERSUS COMMON PROCESS
By Douglas B. Boebinger

Product Management Survey: Doing More With Less

We are conducting a survey regarding how Product Managers are doing more with less during the economic downturn. Please take 10 minutes to fill out the survey - results will be posted on this blog and in the Product Management 2.0 newsletter.

Fill out the survey at:
www.tinyurl.com/prpzhk

Small Marketing Changes Can make a BIG difference

I read a clever marketing line on a half gallon of milk this morning and it reminded me of a story.

In the shampoo industry a smart product marketing manager was able to double sales in a very short period of time. It turns out that you really don't need to wash your hair twice each time, as most people do. People used to only wash it once. The marketing manager decided to change the instructions and simply added one word. The old instrutions said lather and rinse. The new instructions said lather, rinse and repeat.

The result? Sales nearly doubled.

By the way, the marketing line on the milk was "Shake well. Buy often."

Are you reminding your customers to use your products?

Facebook for marketing survey!

Quick survey: Is it okay to use Facebook for marketing or promoting your business?

http://tinyurl.com/c3zf2h

Product Management 2.0 Newsletter April 2009

PM 2.0: The Product Marketing & Product Management Newsletter
April 9th, 2009

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT MANIFESTO
A stake in the ground about what product management is and why it is critical to a company's success.

PRODUCT NAMING GUIDELINES
Naming a product is difficult. These guidelines will help you choose a compelling name that makes your product more successful.

WHAT MAKES A DEMO TRULY REMARKABLE
By Peter Cohan

Read the newsletter here.


Brian Lawley
CEO, www.280group.com
Author, Expert Product Management

Product Management Manifesto Final Version

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the creation of the Product Management Manifesto! If you have ever felt the need to explain the role of product management and why it is SO critical to a company, the manifesto should be a great help.

Product Management Manifesto

Please pass this along the other product managers!

Product Management Webinars

Our entire series of Product Management Webinars is available on-demand here: PRODUCT MANAGEMENT WEBINARS

Topics include the following:

How To Run A Successful Beta Program
How To Get Phenomenal Product Reviews
How to Recession-Proof Your Product Management Career
How to Work More Effectively With Your Sales Team
How to Work More Effectively With Your Engineering Team
How to Build a Compelling Product Roadmap
How to Accelerate Your Product Management Caree
PM Productivity: How To Get Twice as Much Done in
How to Run a High-Impact Product Launch

Please let other product managers know about these.

Mastering Twitter in 10 Minutes or less

I found this booklet to be very helpful in quickly learning all about Twitter.

Download a copy compliments of the 280 Group here.



And follow me if you want to hear what I think is interesting and new:

http://twitter.com/brianlawley