How to right-size your product launch process depending on company scale and resources Jordan Jacobs

THE GLOBAL EVENT FOR THE CLOUD AND SERVICE PROVIDER ECOSYSTEM No Pitch Presentation Policy Please help us produce more relevant content in the future by rating this session using our event app! Each presenter signs a speaker agreement certifying that their presentation will be educational and not a sales pitch. Attendees have a right to report speakers not adhering to the policy.

THE GLOBAL EVENT FOR THE CLOUD AND SERVICE PROVIDER ECOSYSTEM Our goal in Sales is to figure out the reason for the “no” and attempt to overcome it. Sales) Would you like to buy this brand new Bentley? Customer) No Sales) Why? Customer) It’s too expensive Sales) What if it was $100 Customer) Sold Why OvercomeDealbreaker Closed (Won) Closed (Lost) No Objection

THE GLOBAL EVENT FOR THE CLOUD AND SERVICE PROVIDER ECOSYSTEM Become a products-focused company. Products Sell Themselves Sales FocusedProduct Focused CA Technology HP Cisco Dell Lenovo Nimble Veeam Apple Tesla Google cPanel

THE GLOBAL EVENT FOR THE CLOUD AND SERVICE PROVIDER ECOSYSTEM Product Process Tesla Google

THE GLOBAL EVENT FOR THE CLOUD AND SERVICE PROVIDER ECOSYSTEM Standard process regardless of company size Company size does not alter process; it alters what is done at each step. What Start with Why How WhenWho Execute

THE GLOBAL EVENT FOR THE CLOUD AND SERVICE PROVIDER ECOSYSTEM Why are we doing anything at all? What Start with Why How WhenWho Execute We can sell more if we do this. Condiment Revenue I can’t sell X without Y. Condiments I want to do this as a company. Strategic

THE GLOBAL EVENT FOR THE CLOUD AND SERVICE PROVIDER ECOSYSTEM Strategic Large shifts in direction Aligns with your overall mission for the company May or may not generate revenue Condiment

THE GLOBAL EVENT FOR THE CLOUD AND SERVICE PROVIDER ECOSYSTEM Revenue Focused on a specific market, need or use case Goal is entirely to drive revenue Ideally should match with company vision (Doesn’t Always) Condiment

THE GLOBAL EVENT FOR THE CLOUD AND SERVICE PROVIDER ECOSYSTEM Don’t forget the condiments Core products are like having a hot dog stand Can’t just sell hot-dogs and buns Need ketchup and mustard Think dedicated servers + cPanel/Plesk Condiment

THE GLOBAL EVENT FOR THE CLOUD AND SERVICE PROVIDER ECOSYSTEM How are we going to develop or build this? Who is going to develop this? Buy a company with expertise Build the product yourself Partner with someone who already provides the product How are we going find customers for this product? Remember – the job of a products person extends to the go to market. What Start with Why How WhenWho Execute

THE GLOBAL EVENT FOR THE CLOUD AND SERVICE PROVIDER ECOSYSTEM Execute the plan you developed Plan a timeline for the project What Start with Why How WhenWho Execute

THE GLOBAL EVENT FOR THE CLOUD AND SERVICE PROVIDER ECOSYSTEM Companies tend to scale in steps. CEOBoardCEO Employee(s ) Manager(s)Director(s) Employee(s ) Director(s) Each Step adds Complexity CEO VP(s) Director(s) Manager(s) Employee(s ) Phase 1Phase 2Phase 3

THE GLOBAL EVENT FOR THE CLOUD AND SERVICE PROVIDER ECOSYSTEM Phase 1 Companies CEO acts as the product leader CEO communicates informally with all members of staff Products are revenue driven vs. strategic Process is informal – but few customers and good communication cause service to be very good Lots of training and documentation is less important MVP is the word of the day

THE GLOBAL EVENT FOR THE CLOUD AND SERVICE PROVIDER ECOSYSTEM Phase 2 Companies CEO steps back a little from products but is still involved in details Training becomes important Process is still fairly informal – but few customers and good communication cause service to be very good. Departments start to silo, so product managers must get buy-in from department heads to co-sponsor products. Approach them with the why – work together to solve the what. Probably the best possible indication of internal success.

THE GLOBAL EVENT FOR THE CLOUD AND SERVICE PROVIDER ECOSYSTEM Phase 3 Companies CEO is focused on overall strategic direction of company, products are run by a separate team. Every product you expect to grow needs resources focused on it. Direct partnership with department leads. Each team involved in a launch must do their own training and execution. Company implementation is much harder than actually launching the product. Build and follow a checklist for actions needed to be executed. Know that it’s impossible to answer every question – the longer you beta, the less issues will be at launch. Dedicated a single POC from each department to be responsible for the product for the first days. Each team lead should meet weekly to discuss the product for 1 year and implement quick fixes. Launch less, improve more.

THE GLOBAL EVENT FOR THE CLOUD AND SERVICE PROVIDER ECOSYSTEM General tips/tricks Don’t develop in a silo Build products for the 85% Don’t answer why during what Track the sales funnel closely and meet weekly reviewing every lead, op, and sale Don’t solve 1 objection if it means creating objections for others Don’t underestimate your competition Pay attention to your sales team’s confidence in your product

THE GLOBAL EVENT FOR THE CLOUD AND SERVICE PROVIDER ECOSYSTEM Questions? Jordan Jacobs VP, Products