Getting Started in Product Management

Product Management is suddenly a very HOT career!

But, what is a product manager? How can I get started? What makes a product manager, successful?

These slides speak to my personal experience in the job over the past...um...20-some years. Also, I'm building products for developers and users who are comfortable with Data and SQL - so some of my advice may differ based on your industry/vertical.

Transcript

1. Product Management
   An obsession with customer satisfaction and figuring stuff out as I go
   Jeff Smith
   Distinguished Product Manager
   Oracle
   August 9th, 2022
   

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2. whoami
   Jeff Smith
   Distinguished Product Manager-
   Oracle Database Tools
   Tweets @thatjeffsmith
   Blog: https://www.thatjeffmith.com
   2 Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
   

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3. Agenda
   ➢ About me
   ➢ Product Manager: What?
   ➢ My Secrets to Success
   ➢ Users: Research & Personas
   ➢ Bonus Tips: Social Media & Blogging
   3
   Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
   

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4. Disclaimer: This is MY story
   1. Oracle Logo & Branding, but this is MY personal story and advice
   2. There are MANY paths to becoming a product manager
   3. There are many types of product managers
   4. Oracle has more than 150 product managers on our Database product
   What I am, what I do – may or may not reflect others’ experience.
   4
   Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
   

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5. 5
   Disclaimer #2: These slides aren’t like my usual presentations
   • I use slides with as few words as possible
   • I let my voice do the main communication
   • Too many words on screen are a DISTRACTION
   • But this deck is optimized for online viewing, so you’re going to see my
   dialog, on-screen (no notes)
   Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
   

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6. 6
   Disclaimer #3: If you don’t like building slides/presentations…
   Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
   

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7. How I came to be a product manager
   ➢ 2 years support/SYS Admin
   ➢ 4 years 2nd level support
   ➢ 1 year product specialist
   ➢ 1 year PM
   ➢ 4 years PreSales
   ➢ 11 years back in PM
   ➢ 18 mos, managing PMs
   This entire time, working with Oracle DB and Oracle Tools!
   7
   Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
   

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8. Wait, why the move from PM to PreSales and Back?
   • Moved into PreSales to get paid
   • An excellent ‘accident’ – I learned SO much in PreSales
   • More listening
   • Personalizing pitch for each customer based on their needs
   • 500+ reps a year of doing demos/presentations
   • But got tired of Sales, and then Kris Rice rescued me back into PM ☺
   8
   Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
   

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9. 9 Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
   

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10. 10
    Why is this suddenly a hot job title?
    Appeal #1: make an impact on the technology that empowers our daily lives.
    Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
    Appeal #2: doesn’t require an affinity for programming.
    

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11. 11
    What is a Product Manager?
    • NOT a product owner (SCRUM)
    • You are the GLUE that brings marketing, support,
    sales, and R&D together to build and deliver
    product
    • You’re not in charge, but you are critical to the
    product’s success
    Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
    

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12. 12
    The Reality
    • Product managers aren’t god
    • Lots of responsibility but little control
    Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
    

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13. 13
    The Cats
    • Development
    Specs, UI/UX review, roadmaps
    • Support
    Hot cases, training, knowing what customers want/need
    I do a weekly call with my Support teams
    • QA
    Training, are they testing the right things
    • Sales
    Training, collateral, setting up customer calls
    • Marketing
    Marketing knows marketing – not your product, guide them!
    • Customers
    Always talking, making sure they’re successful. Relating their
    journey and experience with everyone above.
    Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
    

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14. 14
    Types of Product Managers
    First, it’s telling where a company PLACES product
    managers…marketing? R&D? A separate department?
    • INTERNAL – behind the scenes, extremely close to
    R&D, legal, contracts, support, etc.
    • EXTERNAL – Always talking to customers. You may
    be the ‘Face’ of the product.
    Me? I do both, but I have amazing INTERNAL partner
    that allows me to concentrate on the External
    (Thanks, Ashley!)
    Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
    

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15. 15
    We’re the glue, but we have no power? WTH?
    Our powers are steeped in:
    • Influence
    EARNED over time, gained by trust
    • Experience
    Critical to earn that influence
    • Customer
    The more interactions, the greater experience
    Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
    

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16. 16
    Secret #1 to My Success
    Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
    I’ve been hard-wired to chase down questions/problems
    and answer/solve them.
    

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17. 17
    Secret #2: 6 Years spent in Customer Support
    • Listening
    figuring out what a customer is trying to say
    • Troubleshooting
    breaking down a problem
    • Communication
    the art of delivering bad news – EMPATHY!
    • Sharing
    keep marketing, sales, and PMs updated on what
    customers are doing
    • Helping the 1 & the Many
    publish solutions for MANY customers
    Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
    

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18. 18 Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
    I subscribe to this mentality
    

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19. 19
    • Walk what you talk
    • Live in your tool
    • Read the docs, fix them, write them
    • Trick: Write a tutorial/Record a Video
    I find so many bugs and UX issues this way
    !
    Secret #3: If you can, BE THE USER
    Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
    

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20. 20
    Personas, why?
    Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
    • MOST developers ARE NOT USERS
    • We don’t know as much as we think we know
    • Keep ourselves honest
    A persona can be just a few
    paragraphs!
    Writing these can put us into
    a different headspace – leads
    to insight/discovery!
    

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21. 21
    Our Mantra on the Database Tools Team
    Build for the 80% use cases
    Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
    

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22. 22
    Live where your users spend time
    StackOverflow see what devs are asking/using/doing
    Twitter talk, relationship building, share
    LinkedIn: sharing
    YouTube: where people go to LEARN
    Reddit: a public sewer, but I keep an eye on it
    Discord: give your users a place to hang out
    Facebook: I gave up on it b/c requires $$ for access to your fans
    Forums: see StackOverflow
    Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
    

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23. 23
    Bonus / Overtime – Getting into a PM Career!
    • Become an asset
    • Become known
    • Go from ‘winning a deal’ or ‘closing a case’ to – building solutions
    to help people avoid the problem in the first place
    • Get a job in support!
    Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
    

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24. 24
    Bonus: Social Tips!
    Blogging
    • Just write
    • Write some more
    • Keep writing
    • Write for YOU
    • You need more pictures
    YouTube
    • Shorter Videos!
    • If necessary, use chapters
    • Embed in blogs, share on Twitter
    and LinkedIn
    • I aim for content > production
    Social Media
    • People don’t click links
    • Tell your story & catch eyes –
    Animated Gifs
    • Be you, see Personal Branding
    Personal Branding
    • Only you can do you
    • Be brave
    • All work, no play…yuck
    • Share, share, share
    Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
    

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25. 25
    Recommended Follows & Resources
    • Mark W. Schaeffer
    Marketing and personal branding god
    • Pragmatic Institute
    PM training/certs ($$)
    • How to Win Friends and Influence People
    MUST read from Dale Carnegie
    • Oracle Peeps
    My Twitter List
    Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
    

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26. Thank you
    Email: jeff.d.smith@oracle.com
    Blog: https://www.thatjeffsmith.com
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thatjeffsmith/
    26 [Date]
    Copyright © 2022, Jeff Smith (that)
    

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