Explore every episode of the podcast PRODUCTEA with Leah, Growth & Senior Leadership
Dive into the complete episode list for PRODUCTEA with Leah, Growth & Senior Leadership. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.
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Title
Pub. Date
Duration
113: Vincent Pierri - How to deal with Stage Fright before important talks
21 juil. 2025
00:50:49
Vincent Pierri, Public speaking coach and LinkedIn’s "PowerPoint ninja" with 25K+ followers, dismantles stage fright myths and reveals how to craft unforgettable talks. He shares practical frameworks like the "3Ps" (Pain Point-Problem-Promise) and the "ingredient spectrum" for engaging content.
Perfect for founders and leaders tired of boring presentations, this episode is full with actionable tweaks.
Timestamped Segments
00:02:54 - 00:05:10 "The Pastor’s Secret: Non-Tech Origins" Vince reveals his background as a full-time pastor—weekly sermons forged his speaking chops and frameworks.
00:08:00 - 00:09:16 "Stage Fright? Nope, You Just Suck at Prep" Vince argues 90% of "nerves" stem from poor talk-writing, not fear. Key fix: Structure talks for memorability.
00:15:00 - 00:17:09 "Talk Ingredients: Why Ideas Alone Bomb" Breaks down the content spectrum (ideas → stories → tactics) and the "2-min rule" for pacing engagement.
00:39:00 - 00:42:58 "Open Strong: The 3Ps Hook Framework" Vince’s Pain Point → Problem → Promise method hooks audiences fast. Leah adds mnemonics for sticky concepts.
Hot Takes
“Stage Fright is a Cop-Out—Your Prep is the Real Problem” Vince insists most “nerves” vanish when talks are well-structured, pretested, and packed with analogies (not just ideas).
“Polished Performance is Overrated—Be a Lawyer, Not an Actor” Ditching theatrics for persuasion (e.g., “argue like you’re in court”) beats forced energy shifts for early-stage speakers.
112: Anna-Karina Schmitt: Resilience Strategies from a World-Record Athlete
14 juil. 2025
00:49:37
Anna Karina Schmitt, a world-record free diver and former tech executive, shares her journey managing multiple sclerosis through lifestyle changes, mindfulness, and freediving. She talks about reclaiming control by prioritizing self-responsibility, structured habits, and mental resilience. Her approach blends practical health strategies with lessons from extreme sports, insights for founders and leaders overwhelmed by burnout.
Timestamped Segments
00:01:04 - 00:02:06 "From Burnout to World Records" Anna’s background as a freediving athlete, multiple sclerosis survivor, and mentor to athletes and executives.
00:02:54 - 00:05:10 "Diagnosis & Denial: Early MS Struggles" Anna recounts her initial diagnosis at 20, early denial, and how MS symptoms worsened before she adopted lifestyle changes.
00:08:00 - 00:09:16 "The Turning Point: 2013 Crisis & Recovery" Anna Describes her health crisis, the realization of needing drastic changes, and how freediving became a tool for mental clarity.
00:39:00 - 00:42:58 "Mental Mastery: Freediving Lessons for Leadership" Explains how freediving’s mental discipline (e.g., managing panic, trusting training) applies to high-pressure work environments.
Hot Takes
"Hustle Culture is a Lie – Your Body Knows Better" Anna critiques the "16-hour workday" myth, arguing that burnout stems from ignoring physical/mental limits. True productivity requires self-awareness and rest.
"Accountability ≠ Shame – It’s About Self-Compassion" Challenging the stigma around seeking help. Success isn’t about perfection but consistent, kind adjustments to habits and mindset.
111: Anthony Pierri - How to make Elevator Pitches for B2B Products
06 juil. 2025
00:41:45
The art of crafting a compelling two-sentence company description. Anthony Pierrie dismantles common marketing myths, revealing why product functionality matters more than vague outcomes, and introduces his "positioning anchors" framework. We dive into real-world examples, differentiation strategies, and why founders often sabotage their own messaging.
Timestamps
00:01:38 - 00:07:00 The elevator pitch crisis: Why outcomes aren’t enough.
00:07:00 - 00:14:00 Positioning anchors: Primary vs. secondary frameworks.
00:14:00 - 00:25:00 Differentiation: Linking problems to anchors.
00:25:00 - 00:41:17 Positioning pitfalls and real-world applications.
Hot Takes
🔥 "Product demos are the highest-value part of sales—not outcomes." Anthony cites a study showing that for companies over $50M revenue, the product demo outweighed outcome-focused pitches.
🔥 "Most elevator pitches fail because they’re stacked secondary anchors." Leading with outcomes like "we save time" without explaining what you actually do leaves listeners confused.
110: Scott Brinker - Brand, AI, and the Uncomfortable Future of Marketing
10 juin 2025
00:43:14
Scott Brinker, HubSpot's VP of Platform Ecosystems and "Godfather of MarTech," unpacks the chaos of marketing tools, why AI won’t replace human strategy, and how vertical solutions beat bloated platforms. He reveals why marketers must balance brand-building with data myopia and why usage-based pricing is the future.
Timestamps & Segments
00:03:36 – 00:07:00 | MarTech’s Explosion (And Why It’s Harder Than Ever) Scott explains why marketing has never been more complex despite tech advancements, citing fragmented channels and operational overload.
00:18:43 – 00:22:00 | Platform Wars: HubSpot vs. Salesforce vs. AI Debating centralized platforms vs. micro-tool constellations—and why vertical solutions will dominate.
00:34:21 – 00:38:00 | Pricing Shakeup: From Seats to Outcomes Scott predicts the death of seat-based SaaS pricing and rise of usage/outcome models.
Hot Takes 🔥 “AI is a sparring partner, not a CEO—if you let it make decisions, you’ve already lost.” 🔥 “Vertical market tools will eat horizontal platforms alive. Specialized domain expertise is the only moat left.”
109: Larry Robinson - How Instincts Outsmart Data in Product Leadership
01 juin 2025
00:54:43
Larry Robinson, CPO of Bright Plan and Salesforce veteran, unpacks how to balance data with gut instinct in product leadership. From hiring dilemmas to prototyping emotional reactions, he reveals why sometimes the "soft" skills of intuition and storytelling outpace spreadsheets. Hot takes on why your next MVP should prioritize passion over precision.
Timestamps & Segments
00:00:00-00:07:00 | Data vs. Gut: The Product Leader’s Tightrope Larry’s framework for blending analytics with instinct in high-stakes decisions.
00:07:55-00:16:00 | Hiring Hack: Why 5-Minute Gut Checks Beat 9 Interviews How to spot A-players faster using presentation-based interviews and thin-slicing.
00:22:00-00:30:00 | Prototypes ≠ MVPs: Build to Spark Emotion, Not Just Data Why showing two excited customers beats a perfect metrics dashboard.
00:35:00-00:44:00 | Innovation Fuel: How to Sell Leadership (Not Features) Positioning products as category-defining tools instead of incremental updates.
00:44:00-00:54:00 | Budgeting Rebellion: Why Simplicity Trumps Spreadsheets Larry’s contrarian approach to financial planning that pissed off tinkerers (but worked).
Hot Takes 🔥 “If your prototype doesn’t make someone’s eyes light up in 5 minutes, kill it.” 🔥 “Hiring processes with more than three interviews are just cowardice in spreadsheet form.”
108: Etie Hertz - Why customer empathy is now the moat
25 mai 2025
00:39:38
Etie Hertz, CEO of Loris.AI, breaks down how AI isn’t replacing humans - it’s unlocking superpowers for customer service teams. From analyzing 100% of customer conversations to predicting emerging issues before they blow up, he reveals how enterprises can turn empathy into a scalable strategy. Plus, why chatbots are headed for commoditization and the real value lies in the intelligence layer above.
Timestamps & Segments
00:02:00 – From Lawyer to AI Disruptor Etie’s journey from predicting the 2008 crash to building AI that tackles agent burnout.
00:09:00 – AI’s Hidden Superpower Why and how analyzing every customer conversation (not just samples) transforms decision-making.
00:20:00 – Data Sanity vs. Stale Insights How Loris.AI keeps models dynamically updated—no more “cup of water in the ocean” bias.
00:31:00 – The Chatbot Commoditization Trap Frontend bots are racing to the bottom; the real gold is in routing intelligence.
00:38:00 – Enterprise AI’s Dirty Secret Why 2025 will force consolidation—and how CX leaders are becoming the new data powerbrokers.
Hot Takes 🔥 “AI agents using the same LLMs will have identical outputs within 2 years—it’s a race to the bottom.” 🔥 “If your AI isn’t making CX leaders the loudest voice in the boardroom, you’re doing it wrong.”
107: Andres Glusman: Why Your A/B Tests Are Lying (and How to Fix Them)
20 mai 2025
00:49:12
Andres Glusman, experimentation expert and former Meetup product leader, unpacks why 89% of experiments fail - and why that’s a good thing. From redesign pitfalls to balancing data with intuition, he shares hard-earned lessons on turning failure into explosive growth.
It’s not about running more tests, but smarter ones.
Timestamps & Segments
00:01:02 – 00:10:00 The Experimentation Conundrum Andres breaks down why most experiments fail, the "VC mindset" for testing, and why a 65% loss rate is better than industry standards.
00:10:05 – 00:20:00 Low Traffic, Big Swings Strategies for companies with limited traffic: why timid tweaks waste time and how to bundle changes for measurable impact.
00:20:05 – 00:30:00 Redesigns: When to Rip the Band-Aid Why most redesigns backfire, how to test without tanking metrics, and the political minefield of shipping "VP-approved" flops.
00:30:05 – 00:40:00 Storing (and Ignoring) Experiment Data The lifecycle of experiment insights, why social proof is overrated, and how to avoid repeating past mistakes (hint: spreadsheets).
00:40:05 – 00:49:00 Hot Takes & Must-Reads Andres’ controversial read on stale A/B testing dogma + book recs to overhaul your product playbook.
Hot Takes 🔥 “89% failure rate? You’re doing it right.” – Andres 🔥 “If stats aren’t significant after 4 months, ship it anyway—your samples are probably garbage.” – Leah
Evie Brockwell unpacks why 92% of PMs are crispy-fried – and why "just meditate more" isn't the answer. We dissect toxic sprint culture, ADHD-friendly boundary hacks, and why treating burnout like a product churn problem might save your sanity (and your career).
🕒 Timestamps
00:02:28 - The Burnout Recipe High-driven PMs + chaotic orgs = guaranteed burnout. It’s not your fault – it’s the cult of "ASAP" as a personality trait.
00:11:38 - Boundaries Aren’t B.S. Why "I’ll just answer this Slack at 10 PM" destroys teams – and how to weaponize app blockers, second phones, and "No." as a full sentence.
00:18:46 - Leah’s ADHD Warfare "Losing parking tickets is my superpower." Tactical tips for neurospicy PMs: rigid routines, external accountability partners.
00:27:28 - Leaders: Stop the Overwork Olympics Why celebrating "Peter works 80-hour weeks!" backfires – and how to spot promotion-induced burnout traps.
00:40:41 - The Feedback Lie "Improve your quant skills" vs. "Be more reliable" – why managers secretly crave PMs who say "This launch can wait".
00:46:26 - Burnout Doesn’t Care About Your Gender Surprise! Men suffer equally – they just hide it better. The real divider? Whether your boss thinks "hustle" is a compliment.
00:52:14 - Exit Strategies When to fix the org vs. flee – and how job hunting (even casually) boosts your boundary-setting muscles.
🔥 Hot Takes
"Burnout is a product problem – treat it like churn." If 72% of users quit, you’d fix the UX. Why blame PMs when 92% are drowning?
"Your 'high performer' is a liability." Promoting hustle addicts to leadership? Congrats – you just weaponized burnout.
105: Melissa Perri - Why "AI" is a terrible strategist
04 mai 2025
00:50:30
Melissa Perri drops truth bombs about why most companies fail at AI integration, how legacy giants self-sabotage innovation, and why "slapping AI on it" is the fastest way to irrelevance.
Timestamps & Key Moments
05:59 – AI: Innovation vs. Lipstick on a Pig Why QuickBooks is losing to startups like Digits. Melissa’s rule: If AI doesn’t make the problem 10x easier, you’re just checking a box.
12:36 – Corporate Innovation’s Dirty Secret Legacy companies fear self-disruption. Spin out autonomous teams with clear goals-not just “innovation theater” with beanbags and zero accountability.
20:19 – Boardroom Pressure & AI Hype When investors demand AI, ask: Is this solving a real problem or chasing valuation multiples? Most boards care more about exit multiples than customer value.
24:33 – The “Latent Need” Blind Spot Customers tolerate broken workflows (looking at you, QuickBooks). Spot problems people don’t even know they have.
29:55 – AI’s Mundane Superpower Forget flashy chatbots-AI shines in automating daily struggles (e.g., Superhuman’s email shortcuts). If your team isn’t 10x faster, you’re doing it wrong.
44:10 – AI Ethics: When Algorithms Attack Healthcare horror stories and why AI’s “brilliant insights” can backfire. Treat AI outputs as signals-not gospel-or risk ruining lives (and products).
Hot Takes
“AI Is a Terrible Strategist” Slapping AI on your product without solving a core customer problem is like putting a rocket engine on a horse cart. It’ll move faster… straight into a dumpster fire.
“Legacy Companies Are Their Own Worst Enemies” Corporate innovation fails because leaders prioritize protecting outdated revenue streams over killing them. If your “innovation team” isn’t scared of disrupting you, they’re not trying.
104: John Cutler - How to Turn Team Chaos into Strategy
27 avr. 2025
00:53:10
Forget corporate utopias—John Cutler spills the real tea on why work sucks and why we are messy. On "organized anarchies," why 50% of your team is checked out, and how to turn chaos into strategy. Perfect for you if you are tired of performative frameworks.
Timestamps & Key Moments 00:00 - Intro to the Chaos John’s AI-generated roast sets the tone: “Product management’s most unhinged mind” dissects why companies are glorified dumpster fires.
01:56 - Why Work Sucks The “garbage can theory” of organizations: Companies aren’t rational machines—they’re battlegrounds for competing agendas. 30-50% of your team? Pragmatists who’ve stopped rocking the boat.
16:48 - Empowered Teams ≠ Chaos Why autonomy beats bureaucracy: Faster decisions, local context, and fewer dependency hellscapes. Plus, the “mandate levels” model to avoid micromanagement meltdowns.
23:06 - Simplicity vs. Complexity Leah’s restaurant metaphor: A simple menu (3 priorities max) beats a crowded one. Cutler counters: Complexity isn’t the enemy—bad interfaces are.
31:35 - The Physics of Scaling Why SaaS companies implode: Multi-product sprawl and “sublinear complexity” myths. Spoiler: Design decisions > org charts.
40:49 - Force-Ranking Priorities The dark art of saying “not this year” to shiny objects. Why your #4 priority is the silent killer.
49:32 - Skills for the Future Read sociology, not another agile book. Cutler’s pick: Images of Organization to see companies as brains, prisons, or flux.
Hot Takes 🔥 “Your ‘A Players’ Are Mythical” 50% of your team is smart-but-checked-out pragmatists. Healthy? Maybe. Terrifying for founders? Absolutely.
🔥 Companies Are Organized Anarchies Profit? Nah. Work is just humans negotiating needs. If your org chart looks rational, you’re lying to yourself.
103: CJ Gustafson - The Silent Recession: Why Product Leaders Need CFOs Now
23 avr. 2025
00:47:50
CJ Gustafson (ex-PWC tech CFO, finance provocateur) unpacks how tariffs and economic chaos are gutting SaaS valuations, why AI budgets are CEOs’ midlife crisis splurges, and how to recession-proof your product strategy.
Timestamps & Key Moments 00:00 - Tariffs: The SaaS Killer You Didn’t See Coming
$1.8T wiped from global equities overnight (worst drop since COVID).
Median SaaS multiples crash below 5x forward revenue: “Your customers move atoms, even if you don’t.”
07:46 - CFO Survival Tactics
Freeze hires, kill multi-year contracts, and review budgets monthly.
Track pipeline exposure to non-tech buyers: “Lululemon’s cloud spend matters more than your roadmap.”
13:42 - Product vs. Finance: The Gross Margin Gap
“PMs who ignore unit economics are selling features off the back of a truck.”
Why product teams must align with CFOs: “If you don’t understand how you make money, you’re just hanging art in the Louvre.”
20:36 - Valuation Apocalypse: Who Survives?
Infrastructure software (Snowflake) vs. niche tools: “Investors treat DCF models like horror movies now.”
Recommerce platforms could quietly thrive as luxury retail stalls.
27:22 - The Silent Recession Playbook
Over-communicate with employees: “Silence breeds panic.”
Pivot to maintenance/workflow tools and re-commerce: “Nobody’s buying new brake pads? Fix the old ones.”
33:23 - Growth Teams: RIP?
49% of engineering budgets go to growth… for now.
“AI nukes influencer marketing. Own niche communities or die.”
40:36 - “How Do We Make Money?” (The Only Question That Matters)
CJ’s #1 question for PMs: “Stop building for the Louvre. Build for margins.”
Why deodorant-branded swag won’t save your burn rate.
🔥 Hot Takes
“Your SaaS Isn’t Tariff-Proof” Even if you sell software, your customers (Lululemon, Ralph Lauren) rely on physical supply chains. Their budget cuts will strangle your ARR.
My Blog / Newsletter: www.leahtharin.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahtharin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeahThar
102: John Zeratsky - Fake Products, Real Feedback: Sprinting to Validation
13 avr. 2025
00:48:52
John Zeratsky, co-creator of the Sprint Method and VC partner at Character, spills the tea on why "vision-driven" startups often fail, how to validate hypotheses before burning cash, and why your pitch deck needs more grit than glitter. Cue the rapid prototyping, competitor smackdowns, and hot takes on AI hype.
Timestamps
00:00 – Intro: John’s journey from Google Ads to VC (and why tall founders have an edge)
05:48 – “Vision-driven” is a red flag: Why early-stage startups should ditch grand visions for hypothesis-driven experiments.
11:10 – The Foundation Sprint: Building a business case in 2 days (customer, problem, competitors, differentiation)
23:34 – Slaying competitors (even if they’re “good enough”): Why substitutes and workarounds are your real rivals
30:05 – Fake it ’til you validate it: Prototyping fake products to get real feedback (no coding required)1.
39:48 – Case studies: How Slack, Gmail, and AI material science startups de-risk bets early1.
45:50 – Closing: Why your MVP’s “surface area” matters more than polish (and where to find John’s book)
🔥 Hot Takes
“Vision-driven leaders are early-stage liabilities.” Hyping a “beautiful future” without validating assumptions? That’s a 50% failure rate waiting to happen
“Your pitch deck is probably BS.” Founders: If your “hypothesis” section is just buzzwords, you’re already behind. Investors want actionable experiments, not fairy tales
101: Srikrishnan Ganesan - “MVPs Are Dead” & Other SaaS Heresies
06 avr. 2025
00:45:38
Why building opinionated products is the future, why skipping MVPs in established markets works, and how AI will reshape customer onboarding. When I met Srikrishnan Ganesan for the first time, he impressed me with his original framing of what it means to find (and refind) product-market fit constantly.
Timestamps
02:23 – From SMB to Enterprise: Scaling Without Losing Vision Rocketlane’s year-long stealth build focused on unifying project management, docs, and customer portals. The secret? Start with SMBs to validate core workflows before adding enterprise bells and whistles.
07:58 – Pricing for Outcomes, Not Seats Why Rocketlane charges a premium over Asana: their customer portal drives faster time-to-value. But with AI automating workflows, Sri hints at consumption-based pricing coming soon.
22:32 – AI’s Role: Doing the Work, Not Just Organizing It Charge for work done, not headcount, as teams shrink.
31:52 – The Compliance Trap “Get SOC 2 early, even for SMBs.” Sri shares why skipping compliance torpedoes enterprise deals later. Pain now, payoff later.
37:37 – Roadmaps in the AI Era Their moat? Owning the system of record for onboarding to build AI agents that competitors can’t replicate.
42:31 – Enterprise Demands vs. Vision When some clients demanded features, Rocketlane delivered… 18 months later. Sri’s playbook: bake enterprise asks into broader platform goals to avoid becoming a custom dev shop.
🔥 Hot Takes
“MVPs are dead for established markets.” Sri’s radical bet: Launch full-featured products from day one in mature categories. Partial solutions get pigeonholed as “just another X”.
“SOC 2 isn’t optional—even for startups.” Compliance isn’t just for enterprises. Rocketlane prioritized SOC 2 early to avoid losing deals to legacy players. Painful upfront, critical long-term.
100: Matt Le May - The Product Manager’s Guide to Driving Business Impact
30 mars 2025
00:53:44
What’s up with the disconnect between product teams and business goals? Why vibes won't pay the bills, and how product teams can avoid the "elephant graveyard" of low-impact work. If you've ever wondered how to align your work with business outcomes - or why your CEO might be the "support worker of the board" - this one's for you.
Chapters with Timestamps
00:00–04:30
The Vibes Economy: Why founders sell visions to investors but fail to communicate existential realities to their teams.
The dangers of "pitch deck culture" infiltrating internal strategy.
Matt's take: "Reality comes back to get you eventually."
04:30–15:00
Product Teams vs. Corporate Reality: Why product managers need to embrace their role as business contributors.
Leah and Matt discuss the importance of standing up to "Gary" (or sales) while staying revenue-focused.
Gut vs. Data: Are vibes just pattern recognition in disguise?
15:00–28:00
Simplifying Strategy: How Matt helps teams draw a direct line from their work to company goals.
Christina Wodtke's "Radical Focus" approach: Orbiting company goals instead of cascading confusion.
Real-world example: Turning multi-product chaos into measurable customer lifetime value gains.
28:00–40:00
The Cost of Low Impact Work: Why Product Managers Must Think Beyond Their Immediate Team Resources.
Leah’s rule of thumb: A team’s roadmap should aim for $3–5M in value annually.
Survival Metrics vs. Success Metrics: Knowing when to kill a project before it drains resources.
40:00–52:00
The Eye of Sauron Effect: Why teams avoid high-impact work and how to overcome it.
Aligning incentives across teams and leadership to prioritize meaningful outcomes.
Matt’s advice: Treat your CEO like a customer—help them tell the story that aligns work with business success.
52:00–End
Long-Term Planning vs. Cadence Chaos: Balancing five-year plans with three-month cycles and monthly check-ins.
Leah’s warning: Don’t let sales hijack long-term plans for enterprise promises.
Final thoughts on commercially-minded PMs being the happiest (and most impactful) ones.
Key Quotes
Matt LeMay: "If you were the CEO, would you fund this team? Twice in my career, asking that question has prompted a team to proactively disband itself."
Matt LeMay: "Don’t wait for a perfect strategy from leadership; connect your work directly to what the business cares about most."
Resources Mentioned
Books:
Impact First Product Teams by Matt LeMay (available now).
Radical Focus by Christina Wodtke (for goal alignment strategies).
Key Concepts:
Survival Metrics (via Adam Thomas).
The "Eye of Sauron" phenomenon in corporate environments.
99: Mackenzie Hughes & Tara Goldman: From Jira Junkies to Profit Prophets
23 mars 2025
00:58:33
Connecting your work to business outcomes is a phrase we hear more and more in product and growth. Here's how Mackenzie Hughes and Tara Goldman from Goldhue lay it out and why we can't sleep on this anymore.
Chapters with Timestamps
00:00-05:30 Meet the "Therapist for Type A Product Leaders" and the "Ops Whisperer"
Tara Goldman's journey from VP of Product to coaching PMs on speaking executive
Mackenzie Hughes' transition from GTM strategy to the "dark side" of product ops
05:30-15:00 The Great Disconnect: Why Product Teams Struggle with Business Impact
The dangers of incentivizing output over outcomes
Why most PMs can't answer "How much revenue do your ideas need to generate?"
The critical importance of understanding churn at a granular level
15:00-30:00 Beyond Metrics: Building a Culture of Commercial Product Leadership
Why having 40 metrics is worse than having none at all
The power of driving a single metric through your entire organization
Rethinking validation: "We've lost the art of experimentation"
30:00-45:00 The $5 Million Roadmap: Thinking Bigger (and Smarter) About Product Bets
Why your product ideas need to generate 3-5x their cost (an article I recently wrote on this.)
The counterintuitive truth: Bigger bets often require less upfront validation
How to structure gates and learning milestones for major initiatives
45:00-60:00 Empowering Teams in an Age of Anxiety
Why "empowered teams" is an overused term few actually implement
How AI will shift the focus from shipping to go-to-market excellence
Resources for product leaders looking to boost their business acumen
98: Ross Pomerantz - Cold Calls, CRMs, and Comedy Gold: Corporate Bro’s Unfiltered SaaS Diaries
16 mars 2025
00:47:39
Ross Pomerantz (aka Corporate Bro) pulls back the curtain on turning sales cringe into viral gold. The ex-Oracle SDR turned B2B comedy king reveals how he monetizes corporate absurdity, why "scalable AI solutions" make audiences snooze, and how to survive when algorithms decide your career. Contains NSFW cold call stories, LinkedIn rage-bait truths, and why Salesforce pays him to roast CRMs.
Chapters with Timestamps
00:00–04:30
From MLB dreams to Oracle’s cold call trenches: “My first prospect told me to blow him – and my manager said ‘that’s normal’”
Why 2013 Vine videos mocking sales culture became accidental career fuel
04:30–15:00
Influencer Economics 101: Turning “drowning in SaaS spam” into $500B brand partnership opportunities
Why Salesforce pays him to clown CRMs: “They know I’ve suffered through 9,462 pipeline updates”
15:00–28:00
AI’s Content Apocalypse: Why B2B marketers are “flooding the zone with bot-written bullshit”
Survival Playbook: How to outlast AI-generated influencers and OnlyFans-for-CFOs nightmares
28:00–40:00
The Algorithm Trap: Why LinkedIn rage bait dies faster than a SDR’s first quota
Ross’s non-negotiables: “Never let brands own your content – unless they pay stupid money”
40:00–01:00:00
Hot Takes: Why “product marketing language is corporate ASMR” and how to monetize exec foot pics (allegedly)
97: Adam Fishman - Killing Projects for a Living: Mozilla’s Stage-Gating Secrets
09 mars 2025
01:00:55
Adam Fishman, interim SVP of New Products at Mozilla, shares insights on zero-to-one product development, killing unsustainable projects, and navigating AI’s impact on B2B SaaS. He breaks down Mozilla’s stage-gating process for innovation, the challenges of balancing ambition with practicality, and why distribution often trumps product in today’s crowded market.
Chapters with Timestamps
00:00–03:30
Adam’s role at Mozilla: Building beyond Firefox, managing innovation, and why “killing projects” is critical.
03:30–15:30
Stage Gating 101: How Mozilla’s framework prioritizes ideas, allocates resources, and avoids “innovation theater.”
The 5 stages: Discovery, Exploration, Viability, Growth, and Sustaining.
15:30–30:00
AI’s Double-Edged Sword: Turbocharging prototyping vs. drowning in “wrapper” tools.
Why distribution (not product) is the new battleground for SaaS.
96: Lidia Oshlyansky - 3 Skills That Outlast Any Tech Shift
24 févr. 2025
00:58:12
Lidia Oshlyansk reflects on navigating decades of tech evolution - from webmaster days to AI - and shares tactical advice for product operatives. Drawing parallels between today’s AI boom and past shifts (web/mobile revolutions), we talk about transferable skills (negotiation, systems thinking) over fleeting tools, debunks "future-proofing," and advocates curiosity-driven adaptability.
Key Timestamps
01:58 - Lidia’s unconventional path: From "business architect" to CPO roles at Spotify/Google
04:07 - Case Study: How "information architects" evolved into modern UX strategists
95: Tal Raviv - AI for PMs: Stop Overthinking, Start Tinkering
17 févr. 2025
00:48:41
From streamlining user research to improving cross-functional alignment, Tal Raviv shares practical tips for PMs to embrace AI without fear. The key? Start small, experiment often, and use AI as a thought partner - not a replacement. Whether it’s summarizing transcripts, building custom assistants, or leveraging tools like ChatGPT and Notion AI, the future of PM work isn’t about avoiding AI - it’s about mastering it.
Key Takeaways
AI Won’t Replace PMs, But It Will Change the Job: AI is a tool, not a threat. PMs who learn to use it effectively will thrive.
Start Small & Iterate: Don’t wait for the “perfect” AI solution. Experiment with tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Whisper to find what works for you.
Cross-Functional Alignment Gets Easier: AI can surface insights from unstructured data, helping PMs align teams and avoid conflicts.
AI as a Thought Partner: Use AI to generate ideas, simulate scenarios, and streamline workflows—but always stay connected to the raw data.
The Future is Contextual: Tools like Notion AI and Slack AI are powerful because they have access to your company’s unique context.
01:36 - 04:16 Why Product Management Feels Less Fun (And AI Isn’t Helping) Tal dives into why product management has become less enjoyable in recent years, citing increased pressure, fewer PMs per team, and the added uncertainty of AI. He emphasizes the importance of staying hands-on and experimenting with AI tools to cut through the noise.
04:16 - 07:59 AI’s Impact on PM Workflows: From Discovery to Go-To-Market AI isn’t just changing how PMs work—it’s reshaping entire workflows, team structures, and even job applications. Tal breaks down the four key areas where AI is shaking things up and why PMs need to adapt quickly.
07:59 - 10:07 The Antidote to AI Fear: Small Experiments & Tinkering Instead of fearing AI, Tal advocates for small, hands-on experiments. He shares practical tips for PMs to start tinkering with AI tools, like dedicating time each week to test new tools and iterate on prompts.
10:07 - 14:20 AI for User Research: Summarizing Transcripts & Building Craft Leah and Tal discuss how AI can streamline user research, from summarizing transcripts to identifying key insights. Tal emphasizes the importance of iterating on prompts and staying connected to the raw data to maintain product intuition.
14:20 - 18:25 Trusting AI Outputs: When to Double-Check & When to Let Go Leah shares a practical tip: test AI with data you already know well to gauge its accuracy. Tal adds that even when AI gets it right, PMs should still engage with the raw data to keep their intuition sharp.
18:25 - 22:54 Cross-Functional Alignment Made Easier with AI AI can help PMs connect the dots across departments, like spotting conflicts between marketing campaigns and product launches. Tal and Leah discuss how AI can surface insights from unstructured data, making cross-functional collaboration smoother.
22:54 - 27:14 Building Custom AI Assistants: From SQL Queries to API Docs Leah shares how she built a custom ChatGPT bot to handle SQL queries and API documentation, saving hours of manual work. Tal highlights the importance of giving AI context to make it truly useful.
27:14 - 29:53 AI Isn’t Magic: Start Small & Iterate Tal debunks the myth that AI requires “magic spells” (aka perfect prompts) to work. He encourages PMs to start small, iterate, and not overthink the process.
94: Julia Chatain - Misconceptions and How to Crush Them like a Scientist
09 févr. 2025
00:53:13
Senior Scientist Julia Chantin unpacks how cognitive biases and flawed feedback loops sabotage learning—and why SaaS leaders need to care. From debunking misconceptions (like why “proving” someone wrong often backfires) to the power of embodied learning, Julia reveals how diverse perspectives and physical interaction drive breakthroughs. Learn actionable strategies to challenge assumptions, build resilient teams, and design products that align with how humans actually learn - not just how we think they do.
"We need to reward effort, not just success."
01:20 - 07:30 Why Feedback Loops Fail (And How to Fix Them) Julia breaks down why homogeneous feedback reinforces biases, the danger of “echo chambers,” and why SaaS teams need diverse perspectives to challenge assumptions.
07:30 - 14:45 Embodied Learning: The Science Behind VR, Physicality, and Retention Deep dive into Julia’s research: How physical interaction (e.g., movement, touch) reshapes learning, why traditional education often misses the mark, and implications for SaaS product design.
14:45 - 22:00 From Theory to Practice: Actionable Strategies for Leaders Tactical advice: Building resilient teams, designing experiments that embrace failure, and fostering curiosity over “convincing.” Includes Leah’s relatable analogies (e.g., gym consistency vs. learning).
22:00 - 28:50 The Emotional Side of Learning: Fear, Identity, and Incentives Julia explains why emotional engagement matters (e.g., imposter syndrome, fear of failure), and how leaders can align incentives with sustainable learning processes.
28:50 - 33:00 Key Takeaways & Closing Julia’s final wisdom: Why “explaining to understand” beats “explaining to convince,” and how SaaS leaders can start small (e.g., toy projects, cross-functional feedback).
93: Emily Kramer - The Death of Marketing Channels
02 févr. 2025
00:52:45
The amazing Emily Kramer talks with me about B2B Marketing, the rise and fall of influencer marketing, and the challenges of navigating the 2025 social media noise.
What does the future of marketing look like while everything changes so rapidly?
takeaways
Influencer marketing is becoming less effective.
Sound Bites
"The death of channels might be more accurate."
"You have to figure out your strengths first."
"You need to shut up about the other things."
"Don't run your startup like an enterprise."
Chapters
00:00 Understanding Marketing Channels
05:06 The Evolution of Marketing
10:07 Influencer Marketing in B2B
15:13 Navigating the Noise of Social Media
19:58 Identifying Unique Marketing Advantages
25:13 The Importance of Focus in Marketing
26:39 Navigating Brand Messaging and Differentiation
29:02 The Importance of Focus in Marketing Strategies
31:11 Balancing Ideas and Execution in Marketing Plans
92: Kris Rudeegraap - New Marketing Channels for 2025 and Product-Led Sales
26 janv. 2025
00:49:23
Kris Rudeegraap, Co-CEO of Sendoso, talks about Sendoso’s journey from plg to sales-led back to plg and what all of this has to do with personal branding in B2B marketing. Why is Sendoso betting on physical advertising channels like gifts and direct mail as a provider, and what does he see the future of getting attention from the market looking like with AI changing everything?
Takeaways
Companies are exploring underutilized marketing channels for 2025.
Direct mail and gifting are emerging as effective marketing strategies.
The evolution of Sendoso reflects the need for both sales-led and product-led growth.
Sales and product-led growth must be balanced for success.
Sound Bites
"The inbox on LinkedIn is broken."
"Resumes are almost dead."
Chapters
00:00 Exploring Underutilized Marketing Channels
05:00 The Evolution of Sendoso: From Sales-Led to Product-Led Growth
09:49 Navigating the Challenges of Product Development
13:50 The Importance of Personal Branding in B2B
20:11 The Future of Content Creation and Marketing Strategies
24:39 The Evolving Landscape of Business Growth
25:57 Rethinking Go-to-Market Strategies
27:48 The Renaissance of Employee Education
29:44 Building a Sustainable Outbound Engine
31:10 Balancing Sales and Product-Led Growth
33:20 Navigating Customer Success and Sales Dynamics
91: Dave Kellogg - Organizational design: Signs of Health vs. Conflict
20 janv. 2025
01:01:10
“The only time where I saw all the VPs align is when they all hated the CEO” Why do we keep getting organizations wrong? How should you think about your team, the team of teams, and the organization you’re in?
Our five principles of organizational design and how to navigate growth and scaling challenges, particularly in startups.
takeaways
Growth should be a collective responsibility across all departments.
High internal conflict is a sign of poor organizational health.
C-level executives must act as translators between departments. Internal curiosity is as important as external curiosity.
Smaller companies often scale too quickly without solid foundations.
Founders should maintain humility about what they don't know.
Sound Bites
"We start out with a high-level idea, then complicate it."
"You should measure MQLs, not celebrate them."
"Make sure you're alive to fight in the next round."
Chapters
00:00 Understanding the Dual Role of a CMO
06:08The Ownership of Growth: A Collective Responsibility
12:12 Organizational Design: Indicators of Health and Conflict
17:51 The Complexity of Metrics and Data Overload
23:56 Cross-Functional Collaboration: The Role of C-Level Executives
30:38 The Importance of Internal Curiosity
31:36 Lessons from the GE Hawthorne Experiments
32:32 Feedback and Communication in Organizations
34:21 Five Principles of Organizational Design
36:14 Designing for Healthy Conflicts
37:40 Rethinking Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs)
40:02 The Role of Incentives in Organizational Success
42:17 Establishing Fail-Safe Processes
44:13 Challenges Faced by Smaller Companies
45:08 The Need for Humility in Startups
48:57 The Complexity of Large-Scale Projects
50:50 Understanding Time vs. Money in Enterprise Sales
90: Harini Gokul - How to keep things "simple" at scale
12 janv. 2025
00:57:41
The evolution of sales models, the critical role of customer success in driving revenue, and the responsibilities of C-level executives in fostering cross-functional collaboration with Harini Gokul, CCO @ Entrust, from a first principle perspective.
The challenges of implementing product-led sales strategies and the importance of simplifying metrics for effective decision-making. Why traditional customer metrics don’t work that well anymore and why it’s all about two things in business, no matter the scale:
Securing and growing customers.
Takeaways
C-level roles require a focus on company-wide outcomes, not just departmental interests.
Cross-functional problems often feel dangerous with little upside.
Sales teams often lack the skills to interpret data effectively.
Transforming organizations requires a willingness to challenge the status quo.
Sound Bites
"Revenue happens everywhere."
"What does good look like?"
Chapters
00:00 Rethinking Sales Models for Modern Business
12:04 The Role of Customer Success in Revenue Generation
24:06 Understanding C-Level Responsibilities and Cross-Functional Collaboration
28:19 Bridging Data Silos in Organizations
32:34 The Challenge of Product-Led Sales
36:47 Simplifying Metrics for Better Decision Making
39:11 Rethinking NPS and Customer Success Metrics
42:56 Time to Value: A Key Metric for Success
46:48 External Benchmarks and Customer Perspectives
49:40 Transforming Organizations for Modern Business
89: David Yockelson - Revolutionizing Sales with Interactive Demos
08 janv. 2025
00:51:48
We explore the rising significance of interactive demos in B2B SaaS. How these demos serve as a bridge between potential buyers and products, improving all relevant pipeline numbers.
The evolution of demo technology, the role of Gen.AI in enhancing demo creation, and the shifting dynamics of the sales process towards a more self-service model.
How does the future of marketing in a product-led world look like for Sales?
Takeaways
Gen.AI will revolutionize demo creation and usage.
The market for interactive demos is expanding rapidly.
Buyers prefer to explore products independently before engaging sales.
Budget holders are becoming more flexible and decentralized.
Value-driven marketing will replace traditional methods.
Sound Bites
"Interactive demos are a stepping stone towards PLG."
"Stop playing with words, play with value."
Chapters
03:57 Defining Interactive Demos
09:46 The Evolution of Demo Technology
14:02 The Impact of Gen.AI on Demos
20:04 The Future of Sales and Interactive Demos
26:05 The Evolving Role of Sellers in Tech Sales
27:05 Changing Dynamics of Budget Holders
28:54The Shift in Market Approach
30:15 The Importance of Market Understanding
32:05 Navigating the Competitive Landscape
33:32 The Power of Buyer Enablement
34:32 The Role of Interactive Demos
36:50 The Future of Interactive Demos
39:22 The Impact of Interactive Demos on Sales
41:13 The Fragmentation of the Interactive Demo Market
44:05 The Integration of Sales and Product Analytics
48:50 The Future of Marketing in a Product-Led World
88: Teresa Torres - Under the hood of Solopreneurship
15 déc. 2024
00:38:54
Teresa Torres offers a rare sneak peek behind the curtain of how she runs her business. How can you maximize your chances when you’re reaching out to people like us who have limited attention to go around?
What is our pricing strategy for what we do, and how did we come up with it? How does Teresa’s demand generation differ from Marty Cagan's or mine?
takeaways
Coaching should be a mutual investment of time and resources.
Not all requests for help are equal; specificity matters.
Sound Bites
"I charge a speaking fee to protect my energy."
"Be brief when reaching out for help."
Chapters
01:13 Understanding Introversion in a Social World
04:02 Setting Boundaries: The Challenge of Social Requests
08:15 The Value of Speaking Engagements and Energy Management
12:09 Crafting Effective Requests: The Importance of Specificity
15:27 Navigating the Landscape of Help Requests
20:30 Monetization and Value: Setting the Right Price
30:12 The Evolution of Pricing Strategies
37:19 Final Thoughts: The Importance of Investment in Coaching
Why is it so difficult for most companies to shift gears after reaching product market fit? Why can’t we just keep doing what made us successful?
Francesca Cortesi shares with me insights on the difficult journey from finding product market fit to getting to an IPO. We particularly explore the details of Hemnet, a Swedish B2B2C SaaS marketplace and how they dealt with this challenge.
takeaways
Defending existing revenue becomes a priority as companies scale.
Diluting your value proposition can occur when scaling too quickly.
Sustainable growth should be prioritized over rapid expansion.
Post-market fit requires speed within control and structured decision-making.
Founders must transition from product-centric to organizational leadership roles.
titles
From Market Fit to IPO: The Hemnet Journey
Scaling Strategies for Product Leaders
Navigating Growth Stages in Tech Companies
The Role of Innovation in Sustaining Growth
Sound Bites
"It's a matter of taking down your ego."
"Don't forget about your core product."
Chapters
04:53 The Journey of Hemnet: From Startup to IPO
09:57 Navigating Company Growth Stages
14:57 The Importance of Innovation Post-IPO
20:09 Challenges of Scaling: CFO and CPO Perspectives
23:53 The Challenges of Scaling and Alignment
27:59 Mindset Shifts for Sustainable Growth
30:18 Navigating Post-Market Fit Dynamics
35:22 The Lottery Win: Managing Growth Expectations
39:34 Focus and Structure: Keys to Avoiding Pitfalls
86: Joan Palmiter Bajorek: Layoff Anxiety in Tech and Career Optionality
01 déc. 2024
00:51:23
The pervasive issue of layoff anxiety in the tech industry, particularly in the wake of COVID-19, overvaluation and the rise of AI. Dr. Joan Palmiter explores with me the importance of networking and personal branding as essential tools for job security and career advancement.
Are multiple income streams and optionality realistic to mitigate the fear of job loss? How does personal career development overlap with product management? The significance of networking and communication skills and the evolving field of AI and how to adapt to it.
takeaways
70% of job seekers find opportunities through personal connections.
It's important to be open and generous in networking efforts.
Finding personal goals is crucial; not everything is monetizable.
Continuous learning and adaptation are vital in the tech landscape.
Sound Bites
"Don't stay in one lane; connect two lanes."
Chapters
12:47 The Importance of Networking and Personal Branding
24:07 Exploring Optionality and Income Streams
26:10 Leveraging Product Management Skills in Diverse Fields
27:09 Finding Personal Goals: Money vs. Joy
28:31 The Importance of Passion in Career Success
30:34 Navigating Career Choices and Social Status
32:54 Building a Career Roadmap: Steps and Strategies
34:23 Overcoming Hurdles: Grit and Resilience in Career
37:18 The Art of Follow-Up: Networking and Communication Skills
41:00 Understanding AI: Getting Started in a New Field
46:28 The Future of AI: Learning and Adapting to Change
85: Wes Kao - Strategies for communicating with leaders
24 nov. 2024
01:01:03
The nuances of executive communication and the importance of building buy-in for ideas with Wes Kao. The role of credibility, understanding bandwidth in conversations, and strategies for framing discussions to enhance clarity and reduce cognitive load.
De-risking strategies to avoid surprises and the significance of celebrating good decision-making processes rather than just successful outcomes.
Takeaways
Working autonomously means communicating more, not less.
Surprises in the workplace are generally unwelcome.
Celebrate the process of good decision-making, not just results.
Make your proposals easy for others to present.
Communication should be proactive, not reactive.
Chapters
01:51 Introduction to Wes Cowell and His Journey
02:51 Obsession vs. Discipline in Achieving Success
06:30 The Art of Executive Communication
07:51 Building Buy-In for Ideas
11:10 The Role of Credibility in Communication
15:24 Understanding Bandwidth in Conversations
19:34 Framing Conversations for Clarity
22:22 Reducing Cognitive Load in Communication
27:31 Cross-Functional Communication Strategies
30:51 Effective Communication in Leadership
34:06 De-risking Proposals and Feedback Loops
39:38 Celebrating Good Decisions Over Results
44:10 The Importance of Rigorous Thinking
54:30 Preparing Others for Success in Presentations
84: Kristi Faltorusso - Aligning Customer Success and Product Management
17 nov. 2024
00:47:19
Kristi Faltorusso, a CS executive and coach, joins me in this high-energy conversation about customer success-assisted onboarding, alignment, and the dreaded realities of cross-functional working with product & sales.
We explore effective onboarding strategies, the importance of aligning customer success with product development, and the necessity of quantifying challenges faced by customer success teams.
What’s the importance of defining effective KPIs for customer success, focusing on leading indicators rather than lagging ones? How DO we measure customer happiness? Is the NPS as useless as I believe it is?
takeaways
Onboarding strategies must focus on delivering value quickly by measuring time to value.
Consultative approaches to customer success add significant value.
Customer success teams often act as advocates for product improvements.
Focus on leading indicators for customer success.
Customer segmentation should be based on use cases, not just size.
Chapters
04:45 Understanding Customer Success and Onboarding Strategies
09:48 The Role of Customer Success in Product Development
14:50 Bridging the Gap Between Customer Success and Product Teams
19:56 Quantifying Customer Success Challenges and Solutions
23:41 Understanding Product Impact on Business Metrics
28:19 Defining Effective KPIs for Customer Success
83: Tadas Labudis - Overcoming the fear of founder-led selling
10 nov. 2024
00:54:33
Founder-led sales done well has a lot of power especially in product-led companies. Tadas Labudis shares his experiences with founder-led sales and how it helped him build confidence in the product and himself.
How to embrace your vulnerabilities and the importance of leaving a positive impression in sales interactions while getting insights you would never get just by looking at data.
How to balance product-led growth with effective sales strategies before its too late.
takeaways
Sales can be enjoyable once you find your own style.
Calculated risks in entrepreneurship are often misunderstood as reckless.
Product-led growth can coexist with sales-led strategies.
The definition of product growth is evolving. Founder-led sales is crucial for early-stage startups.
Hiring salespeople too early can be risky.
Sound Bites
"I learned to enjoy sales."
"Entrepreneurship is not as risky as it seems."
"You cannot hurry your clients."
"Sales is about refining the ICP and messaging."
"Product-led growth is about cost efficiency."
Chapters
03:09 Understanding Risk in Entrepreneurship
05:59 The Psychology of Product Development
08:48 Balancing Product-Led and Sales-Led Approaches
12:06 Navigating Early Sales Challenges
14:52 The Importance of Customer Retention
18:11 Building a Product That Sells Itself
21:00 The Role of Paid Pilots in Sales
23:57 Leaving a Lasting Impression in Sales
27:36 The Power of Founder-Led Sales
30:26 Misconceptions About Sales and Selling Styles
33:16 The Importance of Personal Sales Experience
36:19 Leveraging Sales Insights for Product Development
43:01 Refining Messaging and Understanding Customer Expectations
48:03 Balancing Product-Led Growth and Sales Strategies
82: Maranda Dziekonski - When selling never ends - CS in 2024 and beyond
03 nov. 2024
00:56:38
Maranda Dziekonski on the evolving landscape of customer success, the importance of driving value for customers, and owning revenue outcomes for a function that traditionally never has. Like product.
Why the traditional role is shifting to a more integrated approach and how this works when “the sale never ends”
We discuss the complexities of customer success, the impact of budget constraints on customer retention, and the importance of understanding customer churn.
What it means to build around mission-critical services and having the correct timing to introduce customer success to a company. How does sales compensation integrate with customer success actions and how can we transition customers smooth between sales and customer success?
What do “Head of” titles mean if anything?
Without a doubt one of my favorite episodes I have ever recorded.
takeaways
The role of customer success is evolving to include revenue ownership.
Customer success can be seen as an extension of sales but with a different approach.
The sale never truly ends; it's an ongoing relationship.
Customer success leaders need to demonstrate their impact on revenue.
Customer success should be integrated into product development.
Sales compensation should align with customer success goals.
Sound Bites
"Own revenue outcomes."
"The sale never ends."
"A ‘head of’ is a lawyer for their function."
Chapters
06:46 The Evolution of Customer Success
13:48 Revenue Ownership in Customer Success
19:57 The NPS Debate: Metrics and Insights
28:21 Understanding Customer Churn and Budget Constraints
31:08 The Role of Customer Success in B2B SaaS
33:59 When to Introduce Customer Success Management
36:14 Sales Compensation and Customer Success Integration
39:37 The Importance of Smooth Handoffs in Customer Success
40:34 Connecting Product Usage Data to Sales
45:22 Navigating Titles: Head of vs. VP in Organizations
81: Kyle Poyar - Rethinking pipeline responsibility and MQLs
27 oct. 2024
00:54:05
What is driving a company's value in 2024? How do we identify and copy trends that work until they don’t anymore? Why is product-led growth no longer a differentiator but becoming a table stake fast?
Why is everyone suddenly providing a pipeline from product, marketing, sales, and customer success while the only way that most companies measure pipeline is through Marketing and their MQLs (Marketing Qualified Leads)? Why does this old model not work anymore?
takeaways
Demand comes from various sources, but visibility is lacking.
MQLs are often an arbitrary measure of lead quality.
Valuations in the market are not always reflective of true value.
Building a sustainable company requires a focus on customer conversion. MQLs often lead to inefficient marketing practices.
Sound Bites
"There's very little visibility into what's actually working."
"MQLs are an arbitrary definition of leads."
"It's very spray and pray-oriented."
Chapters
04:56 The Evolution of Growth Strategies
10:01 The Dichotomy of Product-Led and Sales-Led Growth
15:05 The Importance of Founders and Team Dynamics
19:54 The Future of CRM and Data Integration
25:07 Rethinking MQLs and Sales Incentives
27:30 Rethinking MQLs: A New Approach to Marketing
30:55 Defining Success: The Role of ICPs in MQLs
34:41 The Interplay of Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success
39:42 Navigating Customer Journeys: The Role of Support
44:03 The Future of Investment: AI and Market Dynamics
49:10 The Evolution of Inbound Marketing: Finding New Channels
80: Leah Tharin - The Art and Pain of Public Speaking
20 oct. 2024
01:02:35
Vincent Pierri interviews me (Leah Tharin) about my journey into public speaking, particularly within the tech industry. How I found a platform, overcame stage fright, and built confidence. How does it feel to speak to different audience sizes?
How do you train this muscle? And where do memes fit into our dry tech industry? Why is building a brand such a painful experience due to the needed consistency,
Interview conducted by Vincent Pierri 🙏 (Public Speaking Voice Coach), who offered his time to generously donate his time to turn me into a guest for once about a topic I don’t specifically talk about.
Takeaways
Different audience sizes require different speaking strategies.
Feedback loops are essential for improving public speaking skills.
Humor can be a powerful tool in public speaking.
Consistency is key in building an online presence.
Having a unique point of view is essential for engagement.
Rising recognition can lead to a more isolated experience.
Sound Bites
"Public speaking is not just in the public."
"You should not be a senior leader if you cannot speak well."
79: Erin Papworth - Transitioning a product upmarket from B2C to B2B
13 oct. 2024
00:47:55
Learnings from the transition from B2C to B2B in the fintech space focus on what can be carried over and what not. Forming behavioral habits and the challenges of building a sustainable business model while addressing the social determinants of financial health were just a few topics in this fascinating episode I recorded with Erin Papworth.
The complexities of navigating the B2B sales landscape suddenly after selling to individuals.
takeaways
“The core concept was how can we get people to do something for less than three minutes a day around their finances.”
The shift from B2C to B2B requires different strategies.
Internal tools often fail to meet market needs.
Navigating the complexities of B2B sales is a learning process.
The importance of vision, careful pivots, and the balance between innovation and optimization.
Her concept of a vision is, to me, one of the very few that I think is actually cutting through the noise and has an impact aside from the cookie-cutter frameworks we had so far.
It’s beyond processes over mere goal-setting in achieving long-term success in startups.
takeaways
Pivots should be treated as silver bullets, used deliberately.
A strong vision can save not just a product line but also sanity.
Innovation should not be sacrificed for optimization.
Processes should be prioritized over mere goal-setting for better outcomes.
77: Amanda Daering - Effective Team Management Strategies, Leaders vs Managers
29 sept. 2024
00:53:52
We discuss the complexities of change management, the importance of direct communication, and the evolving dynamics of workplace relationships vs in the past. How to build trust within teams, the significance of clarity in roles, and the challenges of hiring in today's market, particularly for executive positions.
What’s the difference between really good leaders and bad managers?
Takeaways
Change management should simplify processes, not complicate them
Workplace dynamics are influenced by external advice.
Hiring should focus on long-term vision and fit.
Leadership requires balancing urgency with pragmatism.
Sound Bites
"People are getting too much of their work advice from TikTok."
76: Malte Scholz: Product Management in 2024 and beyond
23 sept. 2024
00:43:06
The dynamics of leadership in product management, the importance of a low-hierarchy organization, the challenges of founder mode, and the balance between control and empowerment.
Data in product management, the limitations of traditional tools, and the future of product management with AI.
Takeaways
Founders often struggle with letting go of control.
Micromanagement can be necessary but should be balanced with empowerment.
Traditional product management tools often fall short in meeting modern needs.
AI will transform the way product management operates.
Unshipping features is essential for product evolution.
Sound Bites
"Ego should really never play a role here."
"I never make any decisions here alone."
"There's nobody more incentivized to make this whole thing work than the founders."
Chapters
03:12 The Journey of AirFocus
05:59 Navigating Founder Mode and Micromanagement
09:13 Balancing Control and Empowerment
11:59 The Role of Data in Product Management
14:53 Challenges of Traditional Product Management Tools
75: Kevan Lee & Shannon Deep - Understanding Brand beyond visuals
15 sept. 2024
00:52:05
Summary
The branding experts Shannon Deep and Kevin Lee dig into exploring the multifaceted nature of brand measurement and strategy.
Misconceptions surrounding brands and risks associated with brand decisions, the importance of aligning brand strategy with business goals, and the challenges faced by founder-led brands in maintaining their identity.
What does marketing look like in the future? Where does product marketing sit?
Takeaways
Many senior leaders conflate brand with just design and visuals.
Brand is an additional filtering mechanism for attracting the right customers.
Measuring brand effectiveness can be complex but is crucial for growth.
Founder-led brands face unique challenges in separating their identity from the company.
Brand marketing is becoming increasingly important in the current business landscape.
You can measure brand through various metrics, including share of search and brand awareness.
74: Ami Vora - Unconventional Lessons in Senior Leadership
08 sept. 2024
00:52:33
Ami Vora, CPO at Faire, brilliantly lays out a lot of concepts about how she views senior leadership:
How to build a strong bench of performers, balancing authenticity and urgency. How do you make yourself care about boring topics and find joy in work?
Why feedback loops and building team connections become more important as an organization scales. How do we deal with weak performers, skip-level meetings, and when to invest in strong performers?
Why growing others is always paying dividends and make you more secure.
Takeaways
Balancing authenticity and urgency is a challenge in leadership, but it is important to be true to oneself while maintaining a sense of urgency.
Transitioning from an operative role to a product leadership role involves a shift in power dynamics and the need to build connections with team members.
Managing weak performers can be challenging, but it's important to depersonalize the conversation and focus on finding the right match for the role.
Skip-level meetings provide unique insights and opportunities for career development.
Generosity and supporting others in their growth are key qualities of a secure leader.
Sound Bites
"Invest in what you think the future looks like"
"Recognize and address mistakes, then move forward"
"What I do like is like calling everyone on the phone and saying like, 'How are you? What's going on with your career? What can I help with?'"
Chapters
00:00 Investing in the Future: Building a Strong Bench
06:03 Balancing Authenticity and Urgency in Leadership
08:19 Forgiving Oneself: Learning from Mistakes
18:13 Finding Motivation: Understanding Why
25:08 Building Connections: Fostering Unity in Scaled Organizations
26:03 Navigating the Shift in Power Dynamics
27:28 Building Connections through One-on-One Conversations
28:55 The Importance of a Growth Mindset and Feedback
31:20 Managing Weak Performers with Empathy
32:17 The Role of Skip-Level Meetings
34:07 Investing in Strong Performers for the Future
73: Austin Hay - BS Marketing, Dogfooding and the future of CRMs
03 sept. 2024
01:03:09
Cringe Marketing, Dogfooding, and the limitations of Hubspot and Salesforce with Austin Hay, the Co-Founder of Clarify (CRM).
I talked with Austin on the rise of superficial marketing tactics and what they do to the importance of building a strong brand.
We discuss why Product Managers cannot ignore Marketing anymore and the value of good dogfooding in product development when everyone tells you to “listen to your customer”.
How to transition from being your own ideal customer to targeting a different market segment.
Takeaways
Marketing is moving from a deterministic approach to a more probabilistic approach, where marketers have less control and understanding of who and how to reach people.
The rise of superficial and cringe-worthy marketing tactics on platforms like LinkedIn is a result of increased competition and the need to stand out.
Traditional CRMs have limitations in terms of speed, data entry, and automation.
Sound Bites
"Marketing is moving back to the ways things were done in the 1960s to the 1990s, where you're not going to have as much control and understanding about who and how to reach people."
"We're just shifting market shares around without deriving value to the customer."
"You can be a really good dog fooder of your product, but you may not be the ideal ICP for your product in the future."
"The core product is never done. Whenever you add something else, it becomes a little bit worse, and then you need to repatch it up."
Chapters
08:12 The Rise of Superficial and Cringe-Worthy Marketing Tactics
13:55 The Importance of Building a Strong Brand
23:40 The Role of Marketing in Product Development
29:03 The Value of Dogfooding in Product Development
31:25 The Value and Challenges of Dogfooding
38:12 The Never-Ending Process of Product Development
39:07 Balancing Customer Feedback and Vision
53:46 The Limitations of Traditional CRMs
01:00:15 Introducing Clarify: Disrupting the CRM Market
72: Rand Fishkin - Why paid advertising sucks in 2024
25 août 2024
00:47:17
If you spend money on paid ads, chances are that you’re being taken advantage of. The biggest providers do it to you because they can and they optimize their systems more and more towards it.
Rand Fishkin and me discuss the challenges and limitations of paid advertising, the role of AI in marketing, the importance of organic initiatives and why you can’t skip good quality audience research.
Takeaways
Many marketers spend money on ads that are shown to people who would have converted anyway.
The best marketing channels are often the hardest to measure. Paid advertising can be limited and may not always provide the desired results because you don’t see how they really perform.
Sound Bites
"There's lots of people being taken advantage of in the digital marketing and advertising ecosystem today."
"There are literally hundreds of billions of dollars that flow into that ecosystem that don't necessarily have careful accounting."
"We're going to need to do these sketchy things that essentially take credit for sales that would have already happened, show people more ad results, reduce the quality of the organic results, make it harder to identify ads, force people to scroll down further, lazy load the organic stuff and quick load the paid stuff."
"Treat digital advertising the way Coca-Cola treated billboards in 1965. Test different messages and campaigns in specific markets and analyze the lift in same-store sales to determine effectiveness."
Chapters
06:30 The Issues with Digital Advertising
10:22 Taking Advantage of the Digital Marketing Ecosystem
13:14 The Challenge of Proper Accounting and Attribution
18:29 The Misleading Nature of Digital Metrics
23:03 The Difficulty of Measuring the Best Marketing Channels
23:59 The Limitations of Paid Advertising and the Need for Innovation
25:27 The Impact of AI on Marketing and the Changing Web
28:10 The Value of Organic Initiatives in Marketing
29:31 Testing and Experimentation in Marketing
34:13 The Importance of Working with Competent Experts
41:26 The Significance of Qualitative Metrics in Marketing
71: John Cutler - How to structure a product organization
18 août 2024
01:18:08
John Cutler on the challenges of scaling and operating a collaborative product organization.
We discuss different mental models for how different functions work together as teams and why it’s important to clarify and document the operating model, especially during times of growth, turnover, or changing strategies.
John talks about the concept of scaffolding is introduced as a way to navigate the process of change and improvement and why most crossfunctional initiatives fail.
Takeaways
Define in an operating model team sizes, roles, and responsibilities
Reduce single points of failure and promote shared accountability
Establish a shared language around team and domain evolution
Stay firm on the chosen operating model and evaluate it within a specific timeframe
Sound Bites
"We invest in teams, products, and outcomes, not individual projects and deliverables."
"What are the valid reasons to ask for money and what kind of rigor are you going to put for them for their team?"
"Teams respond well if there are a small number of things that people are stubborn about."
Chapters
06:45 The Need for an Operating Model in a Growing Company
08:04 Running a Collaborative Product Organization
14:32 The Challenges of the CPO and CTO Tandem
19:26 The Importance of Clarifying and Documenting the Operating Model
29:00 Scaffolding and Navigating Change
38:23 Team Size and Misalignment in SaaS Teams
39:18 Investing in Teams, Products, and Outcomes
41:27 Valid Reasons to Ask for Money and Team Rigor
45:03 The Importance of Being Stubborn
46:46 The Power of Enable Constraints
51:54 Defining Team Sizes and Roles
01:05:30 The Role of Engineering Managers in Teams
70: Pedro Goés - Building for enterprise customers in an oversaturated market
11 août 2024
00:42:37
Summary
Pedro Góes, the founder and CEO of InEvent, discusses with me the challenges and strategies of selling to enterprise clients in the event tech industry.
Why in-person interactions and relationship-building can’t be beat by pure self-serve. The value of certifications and how they contribute to higher retention rates.
He shares insights on the event tech market, the role of AI in their product, and the differences between doing business in the US and Europe.
Takeaways
In-person interactions and relationship-building are important for establishing trust and are not just limited to sales.
Expanding in-person operations and support can be a key differentiator.
The challenges and regulations of doing business in Europe and the US differ.
Finding a niche and focusing on a specific market segment can lead to success in an oversaturated market.
Sound Bites
"We have been trying to focus on this type of clients because it's better retention."
"We have been building this for 12 years and it's not ready yet."
Chapters
04:43 The Value of Certifications
09:48 Challenges and Opportunities in Enterprise Sales
69: Janna Bastow - The challenges and opportunities AI brings to Product Management.
04 août 2024
00:51:18
What is the role of product managers in the age of AI and the potential impact of AI on roadmapping and expectation management?
Janna Bastow, CEO & Co-Founder ProdPad / Co-Founder of Mind the Product, shares her perspective on how AI is just another tool that can help product managers synthesize feedback and speed up certain aspects of their job.
Why AI should not replace the human element of product management, such as getting alignment from stakeholders and gathering feedback from real users and how we can think about evaluating roadmaps when they all look the same.
Why product managers being skilled in asking the right questions and validating their ideas with real customers is not optional anymore.
Takeaways
The value of a roadmap lies in the roadmapping process, not just the document itself.
AI can be used as a sense checker and sidekick to provide feedback and support decision-making, but human judgment is still crucial. Creating a company culture where employees feel comfortable challenging ideas is crucial for innovation and growth.
Product managers need to understand how their work connects to revenue and develop roadmaps that align with the company's strategy.
Sound Bites
"The job of a product manager is to get out of the building and understand what users and the market want. Especially with AI being around"
"Nobody's getting fired for using AI."
"Product managers who do not understand how their work connects to revenue will be in trouble in the future."
Chapters
00:00 The Role of Product Managers in the Age of AI
09:08 AI as a Tool for Feedback Synthesis and Speeding Up Product Management
23:17 Human Judgment and Decision-Making in Evaluating Roadmaps
25:34 Creating a Culture of Innovation and Openness
26:22 The Role of Product Managers in Driving Growth
27:41 The Impact of AI on Product Management
32:26 The Importance of Asking the Right Questions
35:19 Adapting to the Changing Landscape of Product Management
68: Vijay Iyengar: Unbundling PLG and why BI tools are not good for analysis
28 juil. 2024
00:53:26
When is PLG just a fad? Vijay Iyengar, Senior Director of Product at Mixpanel discusses with me about the misconceptions around PLG and the role of analytics in driving business growth and why first principles is in our field the only thing we have.
Do PM’s really need to have a basic understanding of data and how it is stored and analyzed with LLMs being the norm? Why business intelligence (BI) tools are not the answer.
Which key metrics and questions are correct to start with if you’re trying to get your data under control?
Takeaways
PLG is not suitable for every business
Business intelligence (BI) tools are good for consumption and reporting, but not for analysis.
Data quality is a challenge, and engineers need to care about data and be involved in tracking.
Sound Bites
"There's no best practices the way there are in other fields. Like it's all being written. It's all first principles."
"There's plenty of businesses that can monetize much better and grow much better focusing on a different segment of the market where PLG isn't the appropriate sales motion."
"Core root analysis, just following people around this is very, very underappreciated."
"BI tools are good at consumption. It's good when you've predefined a set of metrics and dimensions and you want to push that out for general consumption."
"Reporting is great to just keep a pulse on things, but nobody ever found an insight from reporting or nobody ever found something that's needle moving from a report."
Chapters
03:23 The Relevance and Overrating of Product-Led Growth (PLG)
05:15 Finding the Right Sales Motion for Your Business
09:28 The Importance of Tracking and Analytics in Sales Motions
13:44 Focusing on Churn and Retention for Sustainable Growth
22:14 Understanding the First Week Experience and Power Users
26:27 Understanding Data in Product Management
27:52 Limitations of BI Tools
29:19 Challenges of Data Quality and the Need for Engineers to Care
31:44 The Role of the CTO and CPO in Driving Data-Driven Decision-Making
46:34 Getting Started with Data Analysis: Focusing on Key Metrics
67: Laura Schaffer: Layering self-serve into a Sales-led gig at Amplitude
21 juil. 2024
00:58:40
Laura Schaffer, VP Product Growth @ Amplitude shares her experience of launching a self-serve paid plan and a free plan at Amplitude, a sales-led organization.
We discuss the changing landscape of selling, the power of self-serve product experiences, and the expectations of users. The conversation also delves into the tensions between sales and self-serve motions, the importance of buy-in and clear decision-making frameworks, and the structure and purpose of trials and freemium offerings.
We also talk about the disappearance of classical websites, questioning the need for a separate website and sign-up flow. What’s the role of Product, Growth and Marketing in that future?
Takeaways
The digital landscape has changed, and users now expect self-serve product experiences that allow them to try and evaluate products themselves. Product-led growth (PLG) is a powerful approach that can drive pipeline and accelerate sales, but it requires buy-in and clear decision-making frameworks. Trials and freemium offerings are effective ways to lower the friction of pricing and onboard users, but they need to provide enough value to get users over the next hurdle. Digital web experiences and digital product experiences are becoming more similar, and the need for a separate website and sign-up flow is being questioned.
Sound Bites
"Whenever you layer in a self-serve motion into a sales led company, it will shed spotlight on any issues that are there at the company." "Companies will start merging the website and product experience to avoid losing potential customers in the funnel." Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Challenges of Implementing Self-Serve Motion
06:42 The Changing Landscape of Selling and the Power of Self-Serve Experiences
13:54 Tensions Between Sales and Self-Serve Motions: Navigating Conflicts and Gaining Buy-In
21:02 Trials and Freemium: Lowering Friction and Onboarding Users
26:02 Balancing Self-Serve and Sales-Led Motions: Serving Lower-End and Enterprise Segments
29:09 The Blurring Line Between Digital Web Experiences and Digital Product Experiences
37:01 Merging Website and Product Experiences
44:30 Measuring Success in a Product-Led Growth Model
50:36 The Importance of Support in the Self-Serve Environment
My Blog / Newsletter: www.leahtharin.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahtharin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeahThar
66: Henrique Cruz - AHA! How to define and reach User activation
14 juil. 2024
00:47:09
Summary
Activation and aha moments in product growth with Henrique Cruz, Head of Growth at Rows.com. How to find the right activation metric that predicts retention and how to iterate on the onboarding flow to improve activation.
Examples of activation metrics and the challenges of tracking and improving activation. The importance of branding, the land and expand strategy, and positioning a brand against larger competitors.
Benefits of dropping the homepage and allowing users to immediately access the product.
Takeaways
Importing a CSV file has no correlation with week one retention for Rows, while pulling data from an integration is strongly correlated with retention.
The onboarding flow and the post-onboarding flow are both important for activation.
Start by analyzing the actions of high engagement users to form hypotheses about activation metrics.
Separate core users from less engaged users to focus on retention.
Send churn emails to users who have stopped using the product to understand the reasons for churn.
Dropping the homepage and allowing users to immediately access the product can increase sign-up rates and provide valuable data for experimentation.
Sound Bites
"Importing a CSV file has basically no correlation with week one retention." "Activation really only starts after onboarding."
Chapters
08:59 Iterating on the Onboarding Flow for Better Activation
10:53 Analyzing User Behavior to Improve Activation
18:02 Understanding Churn and Retention
23:00 The Impact of Embeds on Activation
23:30 Branding and Positioning
34:27 Dropping the Homepage and User Data
37:34 Selling to Enterprise Customers
46:42 Generating Curiosity Through Social Media
My Blog / Newsletter: www.leahtharin.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahtharin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeahThar
65: Guillaume "G" Cabane - The Future of Marketing in an AI-Dominated Landscape
07 juil. 2024
00:57:48
Summary
Guillaume Cabane and I discuss the future of marketing and the role of humans in a landscape dominated by AI and automation. We’re talking about what does drive marketing and sales teams, and how their future will look like.
The conversation touches on topics such as product-led growth, market penetration, and the role of content marketing in engaging target audiences.
The conversation touches on the use of automation and human interaction in customer reactivation, as well as the ethical considerations of growth marketing. They conclude with insights on understanding churn and implementing effective re-engagement campaigns.
Takeaways
The role of humans in marketing is being challenged by AI and automation, raising questions about the future of engagement and trust.
Sophisticated scams and phishing techniques require marketers to find new ways to build trust with their audience.
Engagement and consumption metrics provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of marketing efforts and the level of interest from potential customers. Long sales cycles and complex products require a different approach to customer activation.
The NPS metric can be valuable for gathering feedback and identifying churn reasons, but it should be used in conjunction with other data sources.
Sound Bites
"Marketing generally has an incentive to over-promise, because that is what brings the people in."
"Why hand over to a human, which is a risk of failure at this point? Just automate the touch."
Chapters
07:31 Building Trust in the Face of Sophisticated Scams
13:13 Aligning Incentives and Metrics for Long-Term Customer Success
27:29 Measuring Engagement and Consumption for Effective Marketing
28:54 Customer Activation and Long Sales Cycles
31:22 The Importance of Customer Data and Tools
34:43 Automation vs. Human Interaction
39:18 Understanding Churn and Reactivation
49:18 The Limitations of NPS and Rebates
52:07 Timing and Strategies for Customer Reactivation
My Blog / Newsletter: www.leahtharin.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahtharin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeahThar
64: Kristen Berman - Behavioral science and product growth
30 juin 2024
00:54:37
Summary
Kristen Berman, the Co-Founder of Irrational Labs discusses with me the psychology behind decision-making, the importance of understanding human behavior in product design, and the limitations of traditional research methods.
We are exploring the challenges of balancing friction and value in user experiences, the role of context in shaping behavior, and the need to focus on the first day of user onboarding. The concept of getting customers out of their status quo and the various strategies to achieve this, such as offering immediate benefits or making the onboarding process easier.
Takeaways Traditional research methods, such as interviews, may not accurately predict future behavior.
The environment and user experience can significantly impact user behavior.
The first day of user onboarding is crucial for capturing user attention and driving engagement.
Context and reference points play a significant role in determining pricing and creating value for customers.
Sound Bites
"The psychology of not wanting to be cheated or feel like it's unfair can be pretty universal."
"Your job as a product person is to get me out of my status quo."
"Try to set your team up to do experiments. Starting higher is better because you can always come down if you start lower."
Chapters
00:00 The Psychology of Decision-Making and Product Growth
09:00 The Limitations of Traditional Research Methods
21:02 The Importance of the First Day of User Onboarding
24:16 Understanding the Context and Mindset of Users
27:06 Getting Customers Out of Their Status Quo
35:34 The Importance of Experimentation and Research in Pricing
43:28 Context and Reference Points in Pricing and Value Creation
My Blog / Newsletter: www.leahtharin.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahtharin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeahThar