Let me tell you ‘bout my best friend
Last month we talked about concept of embedding discovery with your customers into your product culture. Since then, I hope you’ve engaged in at least one customer conversation!
This month (yes, these will be monthly), we are expanding on the concept of ferocious curiosity. We’re focusing on an often-overlooked partner in crime for PMs. The Solutions/Sales Engineer (SEs). Yeah yeah yeah, I get it, you probably receive GAPs reports from them on a semi-regular cadence, and hear about some bugs here and there. If this holds true, excellent! Keep it up; these are valuable inputs. However, we are going to access this untapped dynamic duo from a different angle today. More importantly, we are going to explore how the right relationship between these two could be one of the most valuable within your business/organization.
Let’s assume you grasp the core function of an SE. SEs house an incredible amount of deep product and market knowledge. Engaging with prospects daily from various companies and industries gives them unmatched aggregated information. Additionally, they can be masters of discovery so the information mentioned is often root cause findings about problems. That information is invaluable to any product team.
Including and not limited to:
- Operating models
- Use cases
- Pain points
- Future and past projects
- Technology stacks
- What has/hasn’t worked
- A sneak peek into the strategic thought process
The significant advantage here is that it’s agnostic regarding your product(s). This removes noise and bias that can get introduced with feedback from customers (your research approach can account for this, but thats next month’s topic). I’m not claiming that this is superior to customer feedback; it’s simply different. Prospects do not know your solution intimately and are shedding light on the world that does not include you right now. This treasure trove of market information from your SEs can also be used to confirm:
- Future plans (should we pursue a set of features or strategic direction,
- Recalibrate ideas that are in question (we should actually be addressing the problem this way, because….)
- Introduce new ideas (a new set of problems that were previously unknown)
- Help highlight signals like new operational trends, macro impacts or just tools on the rise. (A new regulatory change is actually top of mind, and prospects are scrambling to figure out ways to adjust).
If you have a strong relationship with the SE team, you gain this strategic and rich insight, which is far better than “Without a Klaviyo integration we will lose the deal.” Your planning efforts will thank you next qaurter, and the quarter(s) after that.
The best part about best friends. Its mutual. While, your new bestie is elevating your market knowledge and potentially giving you new signals, you’ll be sharing in-depth product team intel. Roadmaps, strategic bets, pivots, product visions, etc. I can feel the distaste some PMs reading just experienced. I understand the fear of the SE(s) selling the future, and causing roadmap shuffle if future features get sold now. However, with the right relationship, that won’t happen. Rather, empowered with this information, your best friend is going to artfully engage with prospects to help validate and access feasibility of these ideas. All without stirring suspicion or overselling. Now you have a new set of inputs to help strengthen the decision anchor for product development and direction.
Finally, and honestly my favorite aspect of working closely with SEs is the ideas they generate. Since ideas are the currency of innovation, I love new ideas! While SEs navigate the technical landscape, they’re not confined to the binary realm of ones and zeros. They’re strategic thinkers who bring a holistic perspective to the table. Their understanding of the product extends beyond its technical facets; it encompasses how the product does and does not fit into the broader market landscape. Take the time to have intentional conversations about their ideas and experiences with the product and prospects. You’ll learn so much about your own product and gain more than you can measure.
The SE + PM relationship is one that exists, but is mostly transactional today. You exchange a 3–6 month roadmap in exchange for GAPs and bug reports. Turn this relationship from the person you see occasionally at the gym, gas station or coffee shop, to a close friend you’d Facetime on a Saturday afternoon. I promise it will be worth it.
