Product Management and Sales: from conflict to harmony. Since product managers and account managers usually have different compensation plans, there can often be a natural conflict — that of thinking in the long term about the health of a product versus appeasing a single customer who is ready to pay big money for its delivery. Eric Krock tells us that, in order to tackle this problem, the CEO — who both parties report to — has to be explicit in how they want their workers to manage these situations. But both parties can also start supporting one another better, which ultimately will result in an increased understanding of shared goals and a better relationship in general.
PM 101: working with sales. It should come as no surprise that salespeople have one singular goal — to sell. As we’ve seen, this can cause conflicts. However, there is one question that a product manager can ask themselves to help craft the right pitch for your methods — “How will this help [the sales person] close more deals?”. Through this lens, the Clever PM explains, we can better understand the motivations in sales and more effectively communicate why you approach product development the way you do. “Work with sales, not against them”.
Sales v. Product Management: why can’t we all just get along. So how do we get along? Let’s start by being mutually respectful — the salesperson is the lifeblood of a company but couldn’t do anything without someone building sellable products. Then recognize where you can work together, such as in the communication with customers, sharing of competitive information and the defining of roadmaps, amongst other things described by Peter S. Buchanan.
