What are the best ways to get stakeholder buy-in for your product launch plan?

??Achieving stakeholder consensus can make or break a product launch. Ensure your approach aligns with their vision and conveys clear benefits. Steps for Gaining Buy-In: ?Demonstrate Market Need: Use robust market research. ?Highlight Financial Returns: Project ROI and potential profits. ?Mitigate Perceived Risks: Offer risk assessment & management plans. ?Showcase Marketing Strategy: Detail promotion & distribution plans. ?Solicit Feedback Early: Engage stakeholders in the planning phase. Eager to streamline your product launch and gain crucial stakeholder support? Let's discuss how to craft a strategy that resonates. Contact me today.

It's critical to do your stakeholder analysis early on! Given the nature, scope, and desired outcomes of the launch - who do you need to be a Supporter? Who are currently your Detractors? How do you turn them into Supporters, or at least Neutrals?

Once you identify your key stakeholders and have identified their priorities, map the value proposition of the product to those priorities. As a product manager, you need to have the sales skills to align the value proposition of the product with stakeholders priorities. To combine the forces from your stakeholders is critical because product adoption outside of the organization is a big challenge and getting buy-in's and alignment from the stakeholders is key. It's like going to build a castle and you only have a carpenter with you. Also, frequent communication once buy-in has been acquired is also an important part of successful product launch. You don't know what you don't know and you need everyone at all times.

The key with identifying stakeholders is to keep that group small enough that you can move quickly. From there, each person needs to understand clearly what they'll be accountable for doing, and how that will impact the rest of the team.

Find an internal champion and get their buy in one on one first - then, you've won half the battle to be honest. See what language and terms they use to describe value, find out what they care about and tailor the presentation/pitch accordingly.

It is easy for Product Marketing and Product Management to work next to each other. However, this is a huge risk for proper product adoption. To mitigate this, try as Product Marketing to be involved in the product development process as early as possible. This creates a shared ownership of the product, where development and commercialization are seen as one. This not only increase trust in each other but also the roll-out success due to more agile workflows, better information sharing, and joint learnings.

Your stakeholders will always ask, "What's in in for me?". It's important to involve them throughout the process from inception to execution to drive home the answer to this question. If your stakeholders don't feel like you're scratching their itch, you won't get their buy-in

Involve them STRATEGICALLY! Give them the bigger picture, the WHY context - to gain their buy-in and motivate them...before you pull out those checklists and ask them to execute.

Clear Communication: Once you've identified your key stakeholders, it's crucial to develop clear and effective communication strategies. This involves regular updates to stakeholders about your GTM strategy, addressing their concerns, and incorporating their feedback. Use Persuasive Data: This could include market research, customer surveys, or sales forecasts. By presenting data that demonstrates the potential success of your product, you can convince your stakeholders of the value of your plan. Showcase the Benefits: Highlight benefits of your GTM plan for each stakeholder. This could be increased sales for the sales team, improved customer satisfaction for the customer service team, or enhanced brand reputation for the marketing team.

While it's the PMMs who are typically at the forefront of a product launch, the process's success hinges on a collaborative ecosystem. Frequent touchpoints with Product and Sales teams are not just helpful—they're indispensable. Why? Because these interactions fuse the technical depth from the product side with the market-facing perspectives of the sales team. The PMM may own the launch, but ownership in this context is about stewardship, guiding a cross-functional journey towards a shared objective. The earlier stakeholders are looped into the process, the smoother the integration of their feedback and expertise.

This was touched on lightly here, but goals and measurable metrics are important to establish and maintain credibility. You should avoid presenting tactical metrics (open rates, CTR, shares, follows) as objectives to your plan. They are activities to help drive towards your overall business goal.

Slack for quick updates Email for big updates Meetings for actual discussions I use Slack and Google suites A LOT - and found them really helpful

Tailor the launch scope/content to the objectives of the launch. Customer acquisition vs. customer retention vs. other types - they all required somewhat different launch elements.

I start the process of anticipating objections long before a launch has even started. When I start a new product marketing role, I share the framework I use to launch products and work with my stakeholders to get their feedback. Should we be doing more? Less? Something different? What should the timelines be? From there, we're able to actually execute launches much more smoothly because we've already aligned on the primary objectives.

One time at work when there was a big bold idea, I collated all the risks and how we'd solve the risk if it ever came to that - so that helped address objections as I had already thought about it!

Create a shared dashboard or document to track key product launch metrics. This will help to keep stakeholders informed of the progress and performance of the launch. Share positive customer feedback and testimonials with stakeholders. This is a great way to show stakeholders that the product launch is being successful and that customers are happy with the product. Lastly, host a post-launch celebration and retrospective to thank stakeholders for their contributions and efforts. This is also a good opportunity to review the results of the launch and to identify the areas of improvement for future launches.

Don't be afraid to the annoying person that keeps following up if you need the info to close the loop. however, it's important to discuss cadence, ways of working from the get go, and how the stakeholders would like to be communicated etc.

Product launches mark the beginning rather than the end of a successful venture. The product's journey is an enduring one, necessitating continuous refinement, close engagement with users, collaboration with product and engineering teams, and ongoing progress. It is essential to maintain regular communication with key stakeholders to stay at the forefront of product updates and meet customer expectations.

Secure stakeholder buy-in for your product launch plan by clearly articulating the value proposition, aligning with business objectives, and presenting compelling data; for instance, by showcasing projected ROI, market demand, and competitive advantages to demonstrate the plan's strategic impact and potential success.

Effective communication and Alignment of goals. To achieve this, you should clearly articulate the value proposition, demonstrate market research, and highlight the business case. Engage stakeholders early on, customize communication, and provide a timeline with key milestones. Offer opportunities for involvement and address concerns proactively. By employing these strategies, you can effectively engage stakeholders, build consensus, and gain their support for your product launch plan.

This is where storytelling can be your superpower. As the article suggests, involving key stakeholders early and often can create a sense of shared ownership and reduce friction. However, I believe strong storytelling and ensuring your stakeholders understand and connect with your vision is key to getting buy-in.

Know the difference between product release and launch of the product...these activities might very well be related but different!