Product

Up In Smoke: How Do Cigarette Product Managers Do It?

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How times have changed! As little as 10 years ago, cigarette smoking was no big deal – lots of people did it. Since then a lot has changed and a lot of people have very strongly held views on the topic. No matter which side of the fence you fall on, it’s important to realize … Read more

Product Manager Nightmare: Toyota’s Recall & What They Need To Do

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What kind of car do you currently drive? There’s a real good chance that it’s a Toyota because Toyota has become the #1 car maker in the world. That used to be all fine and good, and then a little problem popped up. It turns out that a whole bunch of Toyotas are suddenly having … Read more

Can A French Grocery Store Teach You To Be A Better Product Manager?

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The Grocery Problem So what’s the most exciting thing that you did last week? I have no idea what your answer might be, but I’m willing to bet good money that going to the grocery store was not high on your list. Over in France the product managers at a company called Chronodrive have figured … Read more

I’d Like To Buy Some Time With That Product…

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Selling Time With Your Product As product managers we are always looking for ways to give our products a unique selling proposition. We add unique features, we drop the price, we try bundling the product with other products, etc. However, maybe we’ve been overlooking the single most important way that we can get our potential … Read more

Are You Listening To Your Customers Product Manager?

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Why Bother Listening To Your Customers? One of the best interviews that I’ve ever read was with Steve Jobs (of Apple fame) in which he scoffed at doing things like focus groups and such in order to get input for the fantastic products that Apple makes. He said that since what Apple is doing is … Read more

Hey Customer: Would You Like Some Time With That Product?

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Quick: what’s the most valuable item in the world? Gold? Diamonds? Nope, it turns out that the thing that most of us would gladly give our left arm for more of is: time. Now since I can see that you are nodding your head in agreement with this, I’ve got a question for you. Why … Read more

Guns, Ammo, And Product Managers

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So there you are: the product manager for a boring product. How often have you caught yourself gazing longingly over at one of those iPhones, Kindles, or some other such highly desirable product and though to yourself “Now why couldn’t I be the Product Manager for a cool product like that?” I have one message … Read more

Stop Giving Your Customers Too Many Choices — They Don’t Want Them!

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As product managers, we have somehow convinced ourselves that our customers both want and need more choices when it comes to our products. This thinking has allowed us to heap on more and more choices for our customers to make: colors, pricing plans, features, etc. However, it just may be the case that the one … Read more

Is Microsoft Planning On Having Blue Light Specials?

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Put yourself in the shoes of a Microsoft product manger for just a moment. You’ve got a bit of a challenge: you work for a very large and a very powerful company that has lost its cool. In every category where once you ruled supreme, you now have pesky competitors showing up who product are … Read more

Get More Customers By Offering Them A Suicide Drink

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Whenever I stop at a 7-11 with my kids in tow, they start instantly clambering for me to allow them to get a soda. On those occasions that they have worn me down enough that I’ll do almost anything to get them to shut-up, I’ll give in and let them. What they proceed to do … Read more