Everything Is a Product by Mike Belsito
By Katsiaryna Drozhzha on December 29, 2017.
The Product Manager is the person responsible for overseeing how products are developed, launched, and brought to the marketplace. With so many different types of products, PM roles varies quite a bit. And because the product world is so fragmented, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for a PM to get a handle on what’s relevant and useful to learn and grow professionally.
On stage of Productized Conference, Mike Belsito from Product Collective explains how we can all learn from people managing products that are much different from the ones we manage. Why PMs (and their products) are more similar to each other than it seems…and why that is great. Find out in this Medium post.
What Is a Product?
What is a product? What does it actually mean and how do we define it? Here is what Google suggests:
That is a “horrible” definition. Mike claims that none of the product people gets into product management just for the sake of manufacturing or selling something. That is not what drives “product” passion to success.
As a product person and an entrepreneur for over 13 years, Mike Belsito has had the opportunity to meet and learn from hundreds of product people. Especially as a co-founder of Product Collective, Mike gets a front-row view on products from all over the world and from all different types of groups. Starting from PMs coming from Apple and Paypal to the product managers in catering service, all of these product people share one common thing: obsession with their customers.
And this got Mike thinking: what if different types of product people are actually more similar to one another that we might think? Can we learn from people managing products that are much different from those we manage?
To find the answers, Product Collective set out some conversations with their members. Going into those conversations, Mike and his team made a few assumptions:
- Quicker iteration leads to more likelihood for success.
- Larger organizations rely more on quantitative over qualitative data.
- The more resources you have, the better access to tools that can help the product management process.
- Product people must stay obsessed with their customers…no matter the type of product.
Only the last hypothesis turned out to be correct.
Your Lawyer is Also a PM
Rapid iteration is nice in theory, but it is sometimes just not possible. Some products take a lot conversations, research, taste-tests, etc. Sometimes it is the customer who doesn’t want the product to change. Remember, that every product is different and requires an individual approach.
However, it does not mean that you cannot learn from other products, even if the products we manage and the organizations behind those products seem so different from one another. It’s true that there are all sorts of different products-whether they’re physical products, digital products, services, etc. Yet, the processes that product people go through to manage and elevate those products are often times analogous to each other. Because of that, a product person managing, say, a SaaS product can actually learn from the experiences of somebody managing, say, a consumer beverage. It’s true that not everything will be applicable, but there are many things that can be. So product people would do themselves a favor if they keep an open mind and actively seek out others to learn from… even those whose products are different than those that they manage.
Forget the Numbers
Quantitive data is important, but remember that numbers are very important. Qualitative data is data too. Often times, we’re engrossed with hard numbers. And it’s true that having quantitative data to work with can be very useful. But even in organizations that have a lot of quantitative data to work with, it’s the qualitative data that adds context to the numbers. In these organizations, many decisions aren’t actually made without at least some insights gathered from qualitative data.
Use the quantitative data whenever you can, but it’s important to remember to do so in parallel with what you’ve learned from real conversations that you’re having with customers. Sometimes, hard numbers alone can be deceiving.
Too Much Can Bury Your Goals
The more tools you’re using doesn’t necessarily equate to more product success. As product people, we live in a “golden era” of having access to all sorts of product management tools and resources that can help us in our process. But there isn’t necessarily a correlation between the number of tools that you’re using… and the success your product is going to have. Focus on using a few really great tools that can help you gain insights from your customers — and don’t ignore the simplest tools. In one large tech company, the tool ranked as most beneficial in their product management process was Microsoft Excel! A tool that many of us already have access to.
Think About Your Network
Mike Belsito makes assumptions that underlie the conventional wisdoms of product management:
- It is important to be in front of your customers early and often. Have real conversations.
- Having all of the tools in the world might actually be overrated. Sometimes the simple way is thebest.
- There are all different types of product people … managing all different types of products. Yet these product people actually had viewpoints and experiences that were more similar than different.
If a software product manager can learn from a local beverage producer, think about your own network. Who can inspire you?Who in your community might actually be a product person after all? Maybe, it is a lawyer, maybe it is an accountant, maybe it is someone who provides some sort of services…Just take them to coffee and start digging about their business.
And the end of the day, you can learn a lot from them.
Access Mike’s PRODUCTIZED presentation below:
About Mike Belsito
Mike is the Co-Founder of Product Collective — a community for product people and organizers of INDUSTRY: The Product Conference. Mike has been named one of the top 40 product management influencers by PM Year in Review and is the host of Build Launch Scale, a product-focused podcast. His work has been featured in national media outlets like The Atlantic, inc. magazine, CNN, PBS NewsHour and the The New York Times.
About Productized Masterclasses
The Productized Masterclasses are 2 days of hands-on masterclasses and insightful keynote speakers. On 27 & 28 May you’ll enjoy 4 masterclasses of your choice, get practical tips, and network with your peers. Come and meet Dan Olsen, Kandis O’Brien, Radhika Dutt, Ken Sandy, or Daniel Zacarias, among many others and get ready to be inspired to learn more about Enterprise Product and Consumer Product! SAVE THE DATE — MAY 27–28 2021
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Want to be a part of the Productized community? Sign up for our newsletter here.About the Author
Katsiaryna works at Productized as a content strategist. After spending some years traveling the world, she moved to Lisbon to discover the secrets of Western Europe. In her “free time” she enjoys surfing the waves of the Portuguese coast.
