Frank Ramirez

To be effective, our approach should focus on the outside-in, prioritizing the most pressing needs of our target prospects. Marketing must understand market segment opportunities and align our core value proposition accordingly. It's essential to define and deliver quantifiable value to customers' core KPIs. If Sales pursues alternative segments, Marketing needs to optimize and clarify messaging for those specific use cases, arming Sales with general KPIs that span across targeted market segments.

Keys to avoid conflicts and drive productive stakeholders relationships include: Use Market Data: Leverage data to highlight customer needs and make informed product decisions. No one can argue with customer market data. Know Stakeholder KPIs: Understand and align with stakeholders' key performance indicators to reduce friction and fosters collaboration. Communicate Clearly: Be direct about your needs, reasons, and deadlines. Avoid politics, jargon and maintain straightforward communication. Regular, transparent updates build trust and alignment. Focusing on data, KPIs, and clear communication ensures your product meets both market and stakeholder expectations.

First, understand your target customers. Utilize various feedback channels, such as services like Vote Frenzy, to incentivize and gather honest feedback, and drive trial and sales. Validate the economic value of your product with trusted beta partners with your MVP. Remember, it's not only about meeting needs but also quantifying the value exchange and monetization. Consider the entire customer journey to grasp your Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)/churn, Break even, ROI, and ultimately with time an LTV. You need to ensure your solution delivers measurable value and can be monetized. Your product and business are interconnected; strive for a defensible marketing mix fit, not just a product fit.

I have a love and hate relationship with frameworks the reason being that they tend to shape our thinking in a way that excludes independent thought for me. This looks like a great framework, but now that it is in place, my thinking has been already transformed. There is value in this transformation in terms of organizing thoughts, but what has been left on the table? I would venture to guess that the transition from one of these different areas to the next, and of itself will yield value value about the changes in the adaptation that needs to take place.