{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1", "title": "Chris Handy", "icon": "https://micro.blog/handy/avatar.jpg", "home_page_url": "https://chrishandy.blog/", "feed_url": "https://chrishandy.blog/feed.json", "items": [ { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2024/02/26/product-marketing-and.html", "content_html": "
Product Marketing and Sales Enablement at their finest.
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-02-26T18:48:44-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2024/02/26/product-marketing-and.html", "tags": ["Photos"] }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2024/02/20/the-help-method.html", "title": "The HELP Method for creating product marketing content.", "content_html": "I used to struggle every time I sat down to create a product marketing asset. I needed HELP. Now I use The HELP Method for creating product marketing content.
\n\nHELP = Hook, Emotion, Logic, Proof
\n“Not just anybody.”
\nGet their attention. Speak to a specific audience here. You have just one shot to get this right, but this is where you can experiment the most.
\n“Help me if you can, I’m feeling down.”
\nShow you understand their problems and why they should care. If you’ve been in sales or marketing for any length of time, you know that people choose emotionally and justify their decisions with logic.
\n“Help me get my feet back on the ground.”
\nShow how it can solve their problem. Show them how it works in practice with their workflow, systems, and daily habits. Is it easy to use? Automatic? How much work is it?
\n“I feel so insecure.”
\nHas this worked for anyone before? People fear a road less travelled. Their jobs are on the line after all. Show that others have seen results.
\nUse this lens to evaluate and enhance all your product marketing assets.
\nSee something a colleague should read? Tag them in the comments.
\n#productmarketing
\n", "date_published": "2024-02-20T11:30:28-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2024/02/20/the-help-method.html", "tags": ["Photos"] }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/11/29/im-no-expert.html", "content_html": "I’m no expert, but I do have some product marketing experience and I’ve never seen the “shame customers into buying a product they don’t want” strategy work out so well.
\n", "date_published": "2023-11-29T21:52:58-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/11/29/im-no-expert.html" }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/11/08/onboarding-segmentation-as.html", "title": "Onboarding Segmentation as Product Marketing and Customer Education", "content_html": "“Hey, look, I actually might want to use this for my team.”
\nNotion provides a customized onboarding experience, but also uses the moment to highlight certain features. So let’s say you’ve heard about Notion for personal productivity and are just looking for a place to get some work done. But… if you have a team, then it might be valuable to know that you can work with them in this tool.
\nThis is a great education moment to have people understand: “Hey, I can actually use this with other people on my team and maybe get some value out of it that way.”
\nSo I like this for a couple of reasons.
\nHave you seen any other best in class onboarding steps?
\n#productmarketing
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-11-08T07:31:03-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/11/08/onboarding-segmentation-as.html", "tags": ["Photos"] }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/10/24/every-product-maketing.html", "content_html": "Every Product Maketing hire should go through onboarding as a sales rep before (or concurrently with) anything else. ⬇️
\nYou need to understand their world as it exists today before you can level it up.
\nWhat else should be on every PMM’s 30/60/90?
\n#productmarketing
\n", "date_published": "2023-10-24T14:25:24-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/10/24/every-product-maketing.html" }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/10/12/amazons-packages-arent.html", "content_html": "Amazon’s packages aren’t “easy-open”.
\nThey are “frustration-free”.
\nLead with the problem, not the benefit.
\n#productmarketing
\n", "date_published": "2023-10-12T20:28:34-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/10/12/amazons-packages-arent.html" }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/10/06/launching-any-product.html", "content_html": "Launching any product without social proof is ill advised.
\nGiving early adopters a “backstage pass” to how the product is made, and giving them a voice in the product’s direction in exchange for a customer testimonial is a pretty big win for everyone.
\n", "date_published": "2023-10-06T10:28:02-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/10/06/launching-any-product.html" }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/10/04/the-best-product.html", "content_html": "The best product marketing teams need to drive three things:
\nJust saw a product reposition themselves as:
\n“The all-in-one platform for businesses, Now with AI”
\nIt may sound good in the echo chamber of your zoom meetings but this is literally meaningless to the potential customer.
\nIt could also dismay your current customers, who might perceive that the app they love has now lost focus.
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-10-04T12:11:59-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/10/04/product-marketing-fail.html", "tags": ["Photos"] }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/10/02/how-to-stop.html", "title": "How to stop the hoarding of knowledge", "content_html": "Knowledge hoarding is the biggest problem in the workplace today. And it’s not always intentional on the employees part.
\nBuilding a culture of creating great documentation in the team wiki, Notion Confluence , or Tettra ( knowledge sharing ) starts at the top. If the CEO isn’t contributing and/or engaging with the knowledge the team is creating, the incentive for the leadership team to do the same is lessened. And that trickles down to the mid-level managers and individual co tributes too.
\nIf you want to encourage a more collaborative workspace as a leader within your company, you have to lead by example and communicate that you expect your behavior to be an example.
\nLead from the front. Not from behind the curtain.
\n", "date_published": "2023-10-02T08:28:59-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/10/02/how-to-stop.html" }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/08/30/nostalgia-is-a.html", "content_html": "Nostalgia is a powerful weapon.
\nIt can stir emotions that change minds, sway opinions, even win elections…
\nUse it for good. Not evil.
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-08-30T11:37:27-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/08/30/nostalgia-is-a.html", "tags": ["Photos"] }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/08/30/active-listening.html", "title": "Active listening", "content_html": "Active listening is such an important topic. I have tried to work on it and get better over time. I’m convinced it’s a skill everyone needs to get better at.
\nEspecially in product management, where I’ve seen a lot of folks doing user research by leading the witness and looking for confirmation of what they believe.
\nRead this article by my friend, Pete Caputa to learn more. The article is aimed at sales folks, but applicable to everyone.
\n", "date_published": "2023-08-30T07:50:11-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/08/30/active-listening.html" }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/08/29/the-breakup-email.html", "content_html": "The “break-up email” in this SDR sequence is sure to at least get some replies. But I’m not sure it works as they intended.
\nIt would be much better as the first message to get the back and forth going.
\nRelationships FIRST, business second.
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-08-29T15:01:44-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/08/29/the-breakup-email.html", "tags": ["Photos"] }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/08/25/productled-vs-salesled.html", "content_html": "Product-led vs. Sales-led isn’t a mutually exclusive choice. See this example from Toggl, who understands that different buyers have different needs. They signal that if you want to engage sales, you need to be considering the teams version (with 10+ seats). This page is very well executed.
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-08-25T15:17:37-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/08/25/productled-vs-salesled.html", "tags": ["Photos"] }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/08/23/problem-marketing-product.html", "content_html": "Problem Marketing > Product Marketing
\nPeople don’t wake up in the morning excited to buy tools. They wake up in the morning excited to solve problems.
\n", "date_published": "2023-08-23T15:47:49-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/08/23/problem-marketing-product.html" }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/07/31/salesled-or-productled.html", "content_html": "Sales-Led or Product-Led? Why not both?
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-07-31T16:39:48-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/07/31/salesled-or-productled.html", "tags": ["Photos"] }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/07/31/looking-to-start.html", "content_html": "Looking to start a @shopify eCommerce store after being out of the game for several years.
\nMy thought is that it should serve a specific audience with curated products for multi-faceted lives, not a just be category of products.
\nPros, where do you look for inventory? Do you drop ship or keep stock?
\n", "date_published": "2023-07-31T14:16:55-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/07/31/looking-to-start.html" }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/07/26/do-as-i.html", "title": "Do as I say, not as I do. ", "content_html": "Do as I say, not as I do. 🚴 🪖 👨👩👧👦
\nEvery day I ride my bike along the Trinity River in Fort Worth, TX.
\nEvery day I see inevitably see a family out riding together where the child has a helmet on, but the parent(s) are riding without helmets.
\nWhat kind of message does this send for the children?
\nHow does this example show up in the workplace? Have you worked with people or managers that have the exact same mentality?
\nTrue leaders are out there setting the example by picking up random trash, showing up on time, being considerate of others, exhibiting the behaviors they want to see in their team.
\nThey are wearing the helmets so their team knows what is important. They are showing true #leadership.
\nThis is especially true in #productmarketing. There needs to be a shared vision, mission, values to keep everyone aligned, agile, and focused on building and selling the right product.
\nP.S. Helmets are cool.
\n", "date_published": "2023-07-26T11:05:21-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/07/26/do-as-i.html" }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/07/25/the-best-reps.html", "content_html": "The best reps KNOW THEIR CUSTOMERS. Those reps? Restaurant servers who bring the kid’s meals out ASAP and drop the check with the meal. How can we learn from these geniuses?
\n", "date_published": "2023-07-25T07:57:03-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/07/25/the-best-reps.html" }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/07/24/product-marketing-is.html", "content_html": "Product marketing is about giving your customers a clear story and the words to use to describe your product. How are we feeling about this clarity?
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-07-24T07:24:52-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/07/24/product-marketing-is.html", "tags": ["Photos"] }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/07/23/mm.html", "content_html": "70mm
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-07-23T16:05:54-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/07/23/mm.html", "tags": ["Photos"] }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/07/22/prediction-the-frontier.html", "content_html": "Prediction: the frontier of the web is “Identity”.
\nTwitter used to be a de facto standard for ones online identity.
\nThey blew it.
\nThe next big battle and opportunity for value creation will be how and where I am able to prove that I am who I am.
\nThe implications are enormous.
\n", "date_published": "2023-07-22T14:21:13-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/07/22/prediction-the-frontier.html" }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/07/20/some-good-ideas.html", "content_html": "\n\nSome good ideas here for replicating the impromptu real-time mentoring missing from distributed workforces.
\n
Is Forcing Employees Back to the Office Wise?
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-07-20T18:19:23-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/07/20/some-good-ideas.html", "tags": ["Photos"] }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/07/16/a-companys-single.html", "title": "A Company’s Single Store of Knowledge", "content_html": "The best thing a product marketing team can do for a sales team is give them ONE PLACE TO LOOK & SEARCH for the things they need. When you have a single source of truth, things become so much easier, and it’s easier to fill in the gaps.
\nBonus thought: Ideally, each page would have a comment section so you can gauge the vailidity and helpfulness of each document. This is why good wiki software is such a good solution, but it has to be adopted across the WHOLE team.
\nI’ve led a few crosss-company projects to consolidate knowledge into one wiki, and its not easy; but the reward is there if you stick with it.
\n", "date_published": "2023-07-16T12:20:19-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/07/16/a-companys-single.html" }, { "id": "http://handy.micro.blog/2023/07/14/on-buying-software.html", "content_html": "On buying software:
\nI’ve been on so many calls with robot SDR’s who probably mean well but their incentives don’t allow them to have human conversations.
\nIt’s Beep. BANT. Boop. MEDDPICC.
\nSales leaders need to do better for their teams.
\n", "date_published": "2023-07-14T12:27:00-06:00", "url": "https://chrishandy.blog/2023/07/14/on-buying-software.html" } ] }