The three Ps of product marketing: A recipe for driving value at a growth-stage company

Hi there! I'm going to focus on about the three P's of product marketing: people, product, and process. I'll define each of these three P's as we go along and also share some do's, don'ts, lessons, tools, and takeaways.

I'll discuss on:

• The first P of product marketing: People
• The second P of product marketing: Product
• The third P of product marketing: Process

But before we jump in, let me introduce myself. I’m Emily Ely, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Qwick. I've been doing product marketing since about 2018. My background is in the B2B tech SaaS space, primarily in startups and high-growth companies.

I've been at the company for about a year and a half. Throughout this time, I've grown a lot, and looking back, I wish I had known at the start of my journey what I know now about the three Ps of product marketing.

So, let’s take a look at the structure of what we'll discuss today. We'll start with the foundation of our three Ps hierarchy, which is people. From there, we'll dive into understanding your product space, the second piece of our hierarchy.

Finally, we'll wrap up with the process, which is built on the first two elements: people and product. I also absolutely love Schitt's Creek, so that's going to be the theme throughout this article.

The first P of product marketing: People

Alright, let’s start with people, the foundation of our three Ps. In product marketing, the success of our role depends not only on the work we do but also on how well we collaborate with others.

As product marketers, we can't simply come to work, do our jobs, and clock out at the end of the day. We’re working cross-functionally all the time and we need to have strong relationships with our collaborators, be highly self-aware, and be able to give and receive healthy feedback.

Step one: Prioritize strong relationships

My first recommendation for you is to prioritize building good working relationships. Let me explain why I think it's relevant for all of you.

When I first started at Qwick, I was like a bull in a china shop. I came in a little too hot. I just saw so many opportunities for product marketing to drive value. We needed to revamp our pitch decks, establish talking points, launch new features weekly, build out a brand-new team, and revisit our personas.

The possibilities seemed endless. However, looking back, I recognize that I went about it all wrong. Yes, I had the expertise to get things done, but I failed to take the time to listen and understand the people I was working with. I didn't delve into the projects they were involved in, what mattered to them, or their passions.

If I had prioritized those relationships, I could have created alignment and advocates from the very beginning. I could have established a space for product marketing much earlier.

Step two: Learn how to give and receive feedback

The second aspect of people is giving and receiving healthy feedback. This tool should be in everyone's relationship-building arsenal. Now, let me be honest – I've often struggled with feeling comfortable when it comes to sharing my feedback with others, especially when it's not all positive.

I always felt like I was walking a tightrope between providing productive feedback and risking putting the receiver on the defensive. So, instead of risking conflict with my colleagues, I became the kind of person who would bottle everything up until it was ready to explode.

And let's not even get started on how difficult it was for me to receive feedback. I used to take everything personally. It wasn't healthy, and it did not help me or build trust with my colleagues. Maybe you can relate.

But guess what? You don't have to do that anymore. There are several methods you can use to start sharing healthy feedback. I've personally found the most success with the "ask-tell-ask" framework.

This approach allows the person receiving feedback to mentally prepare themselves because, let's face it, receiving feedback can be a little intimidating. It gives them a chance to set themselves up and reflect on their strengths and areas for improvement after they've received the feedback.

Here's how it works: you start with a micro-ask to get their buy-in. For example, you might say, "Hey, Joey, do you have some time to chat later? I just want to go over how that meeting went." Joey can then respond with either a "Sure" or a "No, I don't want to talk." Remember, relationships are a two-way street.

If Joey agrees, you proceed by telling him about the specific behavior you want to give feedback on. This is key: focus on the action, not the person, and then describe the impact of that action and how it affected you.

For example, you could say, "Hey, Joey, when you were eating that bag of Fritos during the sprint demo, it made it really difficult for me to hear and understand what was happening."

Finally, conclude by asking a question to check in and see if your feedback resonates with the person you’re talking to. This gives you a chance to make sure they understand this feedback, and it gives them a chance to either accept or reject it.

Now, here's an important point to remember: practice makes better. Giving feedback is not easy, and I'm certainly no expert in it. We all have room for improvement, but the more you practice, the better you'll become.

I also understand that this can be more or less challenging depending on the internal culture at your company.

I'm fortunate to work at Qwick, where they emphasize the importance of developing this skill both personally and professionally. I'm grateful that I can practice it on a daily basis because it genuinely helps in building strong working relationships.

Step three: Check your mental health

I'd like to conclude this section on people with an open conversation about mental health. I'm going to get a bit vulnerable here, so bear with me. I hope that by sharing my experience today, I can demonstrate how easy it can be to get in your own way, hindering your ability to develop strong working relationships.

Here's a little backstory: I grew up feeling like I needed to be perfect. It may sound conceited, but that's the truth. I believed I would be judged if I didn't meet that standard.

As I became an adult, this belief evolved into a big ugly beast of imposter syndrome, which severely affected my self-esteem at work. Even on topics I was an expert in, making decisions became almost impossible. On top of that, I felt like everyone was looking to me for the right answers.

Working in startups and high-growth companies, there's no time to doubt yourself. You have to keep going because the pace never slows down.

However, I found myself unsure if my work was accurate (even though in my heart of hearts I knew I was doing a good job) or if it held any relevance or impact. I hadn't built the necessary relationships or trust with my colleagues to truly believe in myself.

To fast forward a little bit, without delving into all the gory details, external circumstances compounded all of that work stress. It became clear to me that the way I was feeling wasn't sustainable.