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5 Key Non-Technical Skills Every Product Manager Should Develop!

January 30, 2023 by Dane Palarino

The world of technology is in a constant state of change, with new opportunities opening up. Top professional product managers need more than just technical skills to stay ahead of the curve. It takes a lot to enhance those skills and build a bright future. Product managers are often viewed as the CEO of the company’s products. They constantly help businesses make decisions on product features, pricing, and company direction.

PMs also help businesses with changing demands of products from stakeholders, investors, customers, and the market. As a product manager, you will have to work with different departments in your company. So to accomplish these tasks, you should have certain skills to get started with a product management organization. This guide is a collection of non-technical skill sets to land competitive positions.

Let’s begin!

Why Do Product Managers Require A Unique Blend Of Skills?

Product management is both an exciting as well as a challenging career path. The knowledge of product management is not enough. It requires hard and smart work. The products manager’s responsibilities are to build and improve the product and maintain and grow the customer base for a product. They evaluate new technologies to keep up with technical advancement, influence company direction, and evaluate the process to increase efficiency.

To satisfy all stakeholders, they must create value and convince people by providing strategies and solutions. Product managers need to have a broad range of abilities if they want to excel in the field. These encompass communicative, emotional, and interpersonal skills, which we normally think of as “soft skills,” and concrete, technical competencies, which we traditionally think of as “hard” skills. Therefore, product management is a challenging field as it requires handling both technical and non-technical skill sets.

5 Key Non-Technical Skills To Develop As A Product Manager!

Product managers who excel in interacting with people and managing emotions stand out. They are skilled at motivating the product team, bringing stakeholders with various interests, and creating user-centric products. The top five non-technical PM abilities to develop are listed below:

1. Deeply Understanding Users Needs:

One of the most important tasks of a product manager is to understand what users need from the product and provide a solution. You need to make sure that you understand users’ goals and how your product helps them meet their personal or professional goals. It’s crucial to get this right because users are the base of your business. If you fail to understand your customers’ needs, you will fail in your product management tasks. Not only observe user behavior but go beyond that and learn more about them. Regular surveys, customer interviews, and feedback systems allow you to learn more about your consumers’ perspectives and experiences than you might through quantitative research alone.

2. Product Storytelling:

One of the most significant non-technical skills is being a good storyteller. It not only motivates your users to buy products but also motivates engineers to develop them. If you are proficient at storytelling, you can make your product stand out from the crowd. The product manager should know how to create a clear and compelling product story. This will help your customer to take action, which is crucial for the growth of a business. It’s also an effective way to communicate what’s unique about your product or service and will help you connect with your users emotionally.

3. Superb Communication

The product manager should have the necessary communication skills to develop a clear vision for everyone in the company. They should be able to define the product strategy and drive a successful product development team. They must have excellent communication skills and be able to impress the audience by speaking confidently. Communication is essential for top-level executives and technical developers building what you’re selling. If they are connected before, you will be more likely to get their buy-in, and therefore they also help you bring in more revenue through up-selling (a feature most consumers never use).

4. Great Motivational Leader:

A good product manager must be a great motivator who can motivate the team to deliver the best work. They should be able to motivate their team by providing goals, identities, and purposes for team members. They should give motivation not only themselves but also to other members of their team and make them feel better about their work. Leadership is one of the necessary non-technical skills that PMs need to develop to manage teams with different personalities and cultural diversity.

5. Precise Decision-Making:

As a product manager, you are accountable for the result. Because of its strategic nature, you should make fast and accurate decisions. You also need to communicate the decisions to everyone in the company. You must think like a CEO and plan with vision, foresight, and intuition. Even though PMs are not responsible for building products, they are responsible for all aspects. Because of this, they need to take responsibility during critical situations by making sound decisions as quickly as possible.

Final Verdict!

As technology has been advancing annually and every year brings new challenges, the product manager has to be extra attentive regarding new trends. You need to be a fast learner that can keep up with the changing environment and environment in which you will work. Your role is to create a product that gives maximum return on investment.

To conclude, proper product management it’s challenging, but it’s not impossible. You will get Product Manager Interview Questions from Palarino Partners’ expert team to know your preparation level. By following the above guidelines and developing the skills, you can become a successful product manager.

Top 5 Roles in Product Management

January 23, 2023 by Dane Palarino

Product management is a particular type of business management concerned with managing a product’s planning, design, development, and delivery. It has originally been defined as the management of end-to-end processes required to create and deliver customer value by creating products that meet customer requirements.

Product managers are responsible for planning, organizing, and driving the product life cycle risks across all product development stages, including market research, formulation, design verification and testing (DFVT), manufacturing, marketing launch, etc.

Product management is a cross-functional role that involves interaction across functional teams. It has grown as one of the most important functions in business today.

Product Management is a combination of two roles: Product Owner and Product Manager. They are always present in the same team and work together to deliver the product to the customer.

These roles are crucial for successful project management, leading to a successful product launch. These roles are not established in all organizations, but once they are recognized, they will become part of any product management organization.

The main purpose of having a product owner is to deliver the right thing, at the right time, with the right quality, and within budget. Product management is responsible for translating business (customer) requirements into features that make up a product ultimately delivered to customers.

As a result of this process, the product manager will need to engage in conversations with business stakeholders. The product owner owns this information and is responsible for keeping it up-to-date and available.

What is product management?

The process of bringing a new product to market or further developing an existing one is known as product management. It begins with the conception of a product with which a consumer will engage, and it culminates in an analysis of how well consumers received the product.

Bringing together business, product development, marketing, and sales is what product management does. According to several studies, successful product management can lead to a 34.2% rise in profits, demonstrating the significance of putting this strategy into action.

Understand the benefits of product management through its impact on the organization and its bottom line. Product management has the distinct ability to drive both market penetration and return on investment (ROI).

When implemented correctly, it can result in a 26% increase in share price. In addition, it can increase loyalty among customers by 24%. This amount holds when considering that their ROI increases with each launched product.

5 Key Roles in Product Management

1) Vision development:

Planning for the long term is what product management does for its organization. Product development and vision for success are the most important factors that product managers consider in their daily activities.

They ensure that the organization focuses on developing products that will ultimately be sold to customers. Their responsibilities include identifying customer needs and developing and identifying potential markets.

It also involves engaging in conversations with other departments, like marketing, sales, finance, etc., to ensure an entire range of support during product development.

2) Product management:

Product management is where everything comes together, dramatically impacting all of an organization’s departments. This role is derived after all the planning and visioning that has taken place throughout the entire organization.

Their activities include engaging in conversations with business stakeholders, marketing, sales, finance, etc., to ensure a range of support during product development.

3) Customer needs:

Product managers are responsible for making sure that their customers get what they specifically want from their product as they market it to them. They conduct market research to ensure they know the product they want and how best to sell it to their customers.

They then develop a plan for success. This plan includes how they will engage with customers and market their products and determine what role marketing, design, manufacture, etc., will play in the development of the product.

4) Strategy development:

As the first phase of product development begins, a product manager will begin to develop a strategy that will be used for designing and manufacturing products for their customers.

These strategies must consider the customer, a price point (if the organization does not have one, the product manager might need to work with finance to establish one), and a timeline. The timeline is important, as it is determined by the customer and can be tweaked if necessary.

5) Marketing and sales:

Product managers recruit the right people, manage and monitor them, and engage with customers through various channels to ensure they can market their products effectively. They also test the product after launch and keep on testing until they have determined whether or not the product is a success.

The Bottom Line!

Product managers demonstrate their value and make a substantial impact in their organization. They must be able to negotiate effectively, plan and create a cohesive team environment where they can collaborate effectively with other departments while facilitating complete customer satisfaction.

The role of product management is essential in the success of any organization as it ensures that its customers get what they want at an affordable price point.

Ways To Crack Product Improvement Questions In PM Interviews?

March 2, 2022 by Dane Palarino

Product improvement, such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon, is the most prevalent topic in Product Manager interviews. For example, you can practice critical questions such as, “Would you enhance Google Maps if you had the chance?” At times, the question may make you feel anxious. You can think and respond; however, this will only come with experience. We’ll go through some of the most crucial tips and questions from the product manager recruitment agencies to think about before heading to a Product Manager interview.

Step 1: Give A Brief Description Of The Product

The most important thing to remember while fixing any product problem is that you must keep the interviewer informed at all times. Start by discussing your brand knowledge once you’ve clarified the inquiry. Include the following information about the product:

What is the purpose of the product?
Who makes use of it?
What are they doing with it?
What problem is it addressing for the users?

If you get a question regarding a product you are unfamiliar with, you might ask the interviewer to give you a quick overview. They are typically willing to assist. Before going any further, be sure the interviewer agrees with your knowledge of the product.

Step 2: To Reduce The Scope Ask Clarifying Questions

It would help double-check that each term in the problem statement is specified correctly.

Ask for clarification on the concept of “improvement” if the question is “How would you enhance LinkedIn?” For example, if the question is “How would you improve LinkedIn?” ask for clarification on the definition of “improvement.” Does it relate to higher utilization, more money, or something else? Is there a specific platform that the interviewer wants you to concentrate on (for example, mobile native, mobile web, or desktop web)? Or do you have the option of picking anyone?

Step 3: Determine What You Want To Accomplish.

If the New York Product Manager interviewer does not tell you which one needs improvement, you will have to establish a measure. Ensure that you explain why you choose that metric/goal and that the interviewer is okay with it.

Ideally, it would help if you prefer a goal that you believe is strategically significant to the product or one with which the product is/might be experiencing issues.

Step 4: Make A List Of The User Segments And Pick One To Focus On.

Make a list of the various user groups who utilize the product. User groups should be different and possess distinct features.

Here are some examples of user groups that utilize Gmail:

Users with a lot of power:
Throughout the day, they check their email many times.
Many emails are sent and received.
A working professional is usually more tech-savvy.
Casual User:
They check the email either once sometimes a day.
Send and receive a restricted number of emails.
Occasional Users: Once every few days, they check their email.
Only sends and receives a small number of emails.
It’s usually an elderly individual who isn’t very tech-savvy.
Finally, decide which user group you want to concentrate on. It is the user group for whom you will be improving the product. Also, explain to the interviewer why you believe focusing on this particular user category will be advantageous.

We intend to continue with the Power User phase in the preceding example. This segment of users is very active and is always looking for features that help them increase their productivity and communicate faster.

Step 5: Make A List Of Your Pain Points And Prioritize Them.

The interviewer is looking for evidence to sympathize with a product’s users—your ability to recognize and prioritize the critical pain areas that users are experiencing. You’ve explained the product, stated the aim, and chosen one user segment up until this point.

You will submit a list of use cases, or pain areas that you believe are currently underserved in this stage. Before responding, feel free to ask for a moment to consider the use cases. Thinking about the user journey from beginning to end is one technique to develop a list of use cases. By reviewing the whole customer experience, you can better understand the client’s needs and opportunities for improvement.

Closing Notes!

Keep in mind that interviews are two-way streets. You’ve come to learn as much about them as they have about you. Though it will never appear that way since they will outnumber you, question you more, and because you are the candidate and they are the all-powerful corporation, the interview will appear to be utterly one-sided.

It’s excellent if you know a Product Manager who can assist you. However, finding the right relationships to make this happen is difficult for most. It may also be tough to rehearse for several hours with that individual unless you are familiar with them.

Because of the unclear questions, preparing for a product management interview might be intimidating, but we believe the frameworks discussed above can assist! Regarding your interviews, best of luck.

What Is Product Operations & Do You Really Need It?

February 24, 2022 by Dane Palarino

The ultimate aim of any product team is to make a product and then improve it as per the requirements of the customers. Product managers come into the show to collect data, know about the industry trends and study the features of the product. But is it that simple? Obviously not!

It becomes quite tedious, especially when business begins to scale and your organization starts making more and more products.

This is the place where product operations mark its entry. You must have heard of marketing operations or sales operations, but what exactly is product operations?

Without any ado, we will see the nitty-gritty of product operations in this article. Let’s get started.

Defining Product Operations

Product operations fulfill the responsibilities of facilitating cross-team collaboration, managing data, selecting software tools, and fulfilling other streamlining functions as well. The product operations exist to enhance the efficiency of the product team.

Importance Of Product Management

Let’s talk about the situation 10-15 years back from now. Product operations was not really something that organizations would pay attention to. So, why does this role has gained recognition in recent years?

The foremost advantage of product operations is its time-saving quality for the product managers. Before the existence of product operations, a product manager was bound to fulfill the responsibilities towards every aspect of the product. For instance – conducting research, managing data, making decisions, and whatnot. It was a time-consuming task that kept you away from various other areas. And this is not the way how you gain efficiency in work-related activities.

With the help of the product management team, product managers need not worry anymore about time-consuming tasks. Product operations help the product managers and give them data and insights so that product managers can make informed decisions. It helps them to thoroughly focus on their core job, like developing and improving the product updates.

Is product Operations Necessary?

If you are a small business, it is not mandatory to have product operations in your organization. For example – small businesses generally do not have the resources to form a team of product operations. In such cases, you can delegate the tasks of product operations to somebody else on the product team like a product manager.

But as your business grows, you need to get a dedicated product operations team that will become an indispensable part of your company.

All in all, the field of product operations is the key to a scaling product company.

Product Operations Roles

The roles and responsibilities of product operations vary from company to company. In general, the following are the areas where product operations play an essential role –

Data Management – Managing and leveraging data is important if you want to assess the current goals of your business. Data management helps your organization to prioritize the areas that demand your focus. With the help of product operations, Product Managers can then know which areas need their concern and how they can improve them. Let us clarify this to you with an example – A newly launched product is not gaining much recognition in the market. The product operations team will prove this with the data and communicate this information to the product managers. Afterwards, product managers decide to take the needed steps to improve or change the features of the product. In short, data management helps product managers to be clear about where to put their focus. best companies for product managers

Research And Experiment – The product operations team follows several methods to collect data. The best companies for product managers ensure that their product operations team use various software tools to determine the data and information, like what challenges customers face and which features they use the most. Product operations also collect the feedback of the customers. The feedback helps the companies to make their product more accepting and ultimately keeps the customers happy.

Communication And Alignment – It is important to keep the other organs of the organization aligned with the product team. The product operations team shares the need of the consumers, insights, and goals to keep the business on track. Every department of an organization, like marketing, sales, etc., needs to work closely with the product team in order to achieve the desired results. Thus, smooth communication and alignment between the product team and all other departments give you a competitive edge over others. It results in faster growth of your organization.

To Sum It Up!

If your business is experiencing growing pains, product operations is the answer to beat all the worries and accommodate the needs of the team. Every company needs smooth communication and defined processes with other teams. The same goes true for the product. Bring product operations into your organization, and you will fly high in your business in the coming times.