What are the best ways for a mentor to develop a Product Marketing professional's analytical skills?

In marketing You need first to understand customer pain and define clearly how your product/ solutions are answering customer needs mentioning your product key differentiators( why your product)

As a mentor within Product Marketing, its most important to present the broad discipline of Product Marketing to ensure that who you are working with finds the right "home"- I generally start with the Pragmatic Institute's Pragmatic Marketing Framework. Once aligned as the right contributor, the analytical side to marketing begins with the curiosity to ask WHY and obsess over the customer needs. To translate this within a product mindset, the QFD- Quality Functional Deployment tool is a strong one to pull apart product requirements, and ensure the dialogue is open on what is going to make the end product. Lastly translating this into the commercial value benefits from the EVE Economic Value Estimation to sell the value of the solution

I start by setting specific, measurable, and achievable goals for my mentee, tying them to key performance indicators (KPIs) (MRR, CR, Retention Rate, ARPU etc) relevant to Product Marketing. This helps them understand the importance of data in measuring success.

In marketing you need to convince clients that your products can solve the problems that never been noticed as a real problem to you but you could feel there is some problem any way. And you have recognized these problems and have already considered to solve such problem in your product design.

Marketers use the phrase "customer's pain" or "pain-point" way too often. This is an overused term and is not what marketers should be focused on. A potential customer is looking to gain something from an interaction. They have the desire to learn something they either didn't know before or to enhance their understanding of a topic. Any marketing piece needs to bring the customer value. That percieved "value" needs to be understood and focused on, in order to drive an expected return. Just because the customer is searching for something, doesn't mean they have "pain". They could be looking for a better way to build a mousetrap. Marketers need to be able to show and explain how their mousetrap is differentiated from their competition

I introduce my mentee to various data sources like Google Analytics, market research reports, and social media insights. I guide them through the process of data collection, analysis, and interpretation using tools such as Excel, data visualization tools like Amplitude, Tableu or Data Studio

Making informed decisions using data is crucial. Telling a story with data is more important in marketing. This is not a one-cap-fits-all approach it is a contast and consistent learning to make meaning of data...

Trabajar con datos es actualmente una de las herramientas más poderosas para generar conocimiento en las organizaciones. Además contribuye directamente al desarrollo de las habilidades analíticas del equipo. En el marketing de producto impacta directamente en la eficacia en la toma de decisiones que afectan en todas las fases de ciclo de vida del producto. Hoy en día se hace imprescindible trabajar desde la perspectiva del dato si en nuestra compa?ía estamos en un entorno en que tenemos acceso a herramientas que nos permiten sacar conclusiones de cantidades ingentes de datos.

The key is to learn to tell the story using the data. The best way for the mentee to learn is by doing the work, and the mentor provides feedback by asking questions.

It is not so much about the data sources and tools. Rather it is about how the identified OKRs help the business and the tools needed. Simple spreadsheets is often sufficient unless there is copious data that requires Analytics tools.

I am a big proponent of the scientific method, I found it provides a very simple and effective framework for PMMs to think about why/what data matters and replace that in the context of their goals: 1. What did you learn? 2. Based on your observations, what do you think we could do? and what would good look like? 3. How will you know it worked? 4. What will you do once you know? It's really important to get to the "so what" as Elena mentioned, and it can also help right-size efforts and prevent analysis paralysis...

As a mentor I would stress the importance of understanding the data and information you have before you can properly analyze and present it. Asking questions and consulting others throughout the organization especially in a sales capacity provides valuable insight and can ensure your recommendations are sound and incorporate a variety of perspectives.

I encourage pathological levels of curiosity. Curiosity drives discovery and innovation, particularly in product marketing, where understanding customer behavior and market dynamics is essential. For instance, when a product experiences a sudden rise in user engagement, a mentor should prompt the mentee to explore beyond the obvious. Encourage asking probing questions: Is the engagement spike due to recent feature enhancements, market changes, or perhaps a successful marketing campaign? This inquisitive approach leads to a comprehensive understanding of causation rather than mere correlation. Mentors can transform mentees from passive recipients of data into seekers of knowledge, who use analytical rigor to drive product marketing success.

Challenge the status quo and ask why when you see patterns or trends that are outside the norm. Knowing where to go and what to ask are just as important to create new scenarios and perspectives.

When analyzing data, think about the what, why, and always go back to your hypothesis. Does it support? Why doesn't it support? Let the data tell you the story this can be done quantitatively and qualitatively

One of my favorite things about marketing and product marketing is the ability to synthesize complex ideas and technology into understandable messages. In many cases, charts and graphs are helpful ways to visualize what might otherwise feel intangible. However, it's important that the content you create is easy to understand and tells the right story. Just because the visualization or illustration looks nice doesn't mean it's delivering value.

It's extremely helpful have a mentor who is strong in execution of these skills, to observe them and make note of best practices. And yet, my skills improved remarkedly when I was the one "doing" the communicating and presenting of data. Being paired with as strong mentor and developing the communication and presentation of data together allows for a more active role. Rolling up your sleeves as the mentee, diving in and collaborating with a seasoned presenter reinforces good practices while providing coachable learnings as a solid foundation for future presentations and communications.

One thing I've found helpful in my career is participating in regular presentation practice, whether in simulations or in team environments, to improve confidence and the ability to communicate complex information in an accessible way. These approaches complement the creation of compelling stories and ensure effective communication in diverse contexts.

After gathering a large amount of information and data about competitors, products, environment, one might struggle with how to communicate those efficiently. Among my favourite frameworks depending on the context : - SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threads) - 4Ps (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) - Pareto curves for sales results - Matrix (BCG-type) when working with 2-3 different quantitative dimensions Never forget to be visual and impactful : less is more!

Simplicity indeed is key in presenting conclusions. The analytic stage might have been highly complex, the present-out should be super simple for your audience. Especially relevant as the receivers might work and think in a functional way, so they need to be able to relate how the conclusions impact their work. The more the presenter can step in these functional shoes when sharing/presenting, the higher the motivation will be to deliver on the outcomes.

And make sure the skills you’re developing aren’t ONLY product marketing skills. They need to be holistic marketing and commercial skills to be a well-rounded marketer!

Inspire your mentee to enhance their analytical skills in Product Marketing through innovative approaches. Encourage cross-mentoring for a two-way exchange of knowledge among team members. Foster collaborative projects and brainstorming sessions to share ideas and challenges. Organize internal hackathons, visit other industry companies, and promote hands-on learning in real projects. Introduce simulation games, external expert interviews, and dedicated "Hack your Learning" days. Emphasize the value of internal sharing of success stories and challenges. Publicly recognize achievements, fostering an environment where learning is celebrated. These diverse approaches enrich your mentee's learning journey.

Learning is an ongoing journey, applicable not only to Product Marketing Enthusiasts but to everyone. For marketing professionals, every aspect is a learning opportunity. Whether it's a brand's campaign, an individual's post, a podcast, a blog post, or a book summary—everything is marketing in my view. Seize lessons from your surroundings; every happening is a form of MARKETING by either an individual or a brand. Continuously learn and enhance your path. Marketing thrives on a two-way collaboration, and the more knowledgeable you become, the sharper your marketing insights will be.

Everything must be discussed and improved on regular basis (for instance 1 per yearly lessons learned session are important for a continuous improvement approach

Eu acredito profundamente no poder do aprendizado contínuo. Sempre recomendo livros, cursos e eventos que ajudem a equipe a crescer profissionalmente. Também valorizo muito os aprendizados vindos de erros e acertos, criando um ambiente onde experimentar é encorajado. Fa?o quest?o de conectar a equipe com outros profissionais e incentivar trocas de ideias. Para mim, o crescimento individual e coletivo é o que impulsiona os melhores resultados.

I lead by example in my analytical approach. I offer guidance and support when they face challenges. I create a safe space for them to discuss their analytical projects and seek advice.

One thing I regularly do with my team is sharing three different aspects of my week (and they are doing the same thing): what went well, what was a hard nut to crack and what is going to be sticky, so still a task for the upcoming week. By doing that everyone automatically shares their learnings and speaking for me as a mentor I give them insights on my challenges and how to overcome them as well.

One of the key things I have found is that sharing a frequent informal ‘chit-chat’ with the team -sharing key insights with data you have analysed on your own, trends observed in each market etc and get the team members also to engage actively and encourage them to come up with their own analysis. Analysing data is an extremely vital tool in product marketing and to build appropriate strategies.

Procuro liderar pelo exemplo. Sempre compartilho os desafios que enfrento e como os superei usando dados e estratégias analíticas. Fa?o quest?o de mostrar, em projetos reais, como aplico essas habilidades no dia a dia. Também estou sempre disponível para orientar e fornecer recursos, seja acesso a ferramentas, tempo para estudar ou feedbacks construtivos. Para mim, é importante mostrar que errar faz parte do processo e que cada erro é uma oportunidade de aprendizado.

Nothing beats strong examples from competition or even winning propositions from other industries. Important to stimulate behavior to learn from other winners through superior data analytics and lateral thinking how it can be applied to creating own superior propositions.

The first and most important rule is to always be thinking about the customer experience. Data can help show “what” is happening with your business, but the only way you’ll ever truly understand “why” is to talk to lots and lots of customers. It also helps to be a customer yourself. Go out to stores and buy your own product with your own money. Order it online. Google search your category the way a new user would do. See what your consumers have to go through in order to discover and buy your product and then go home and use it. Then, do it all over again for your competitors’ products. You’ll quickly understand what frustrates your customers about your brand experience and how you stack up to the competition. Customers first!

A common overlooked topic is for product marketers to understand the P&L of the industry. What is an acceptable ad spend considering repeat purchase rates, margins etc.... Many newcomers to an industry have never seen the P&L of the business and lack a view of how their activities trickle down to the financial statements of the company.

The purpose of marketing is to understand how your product or service fits or does not fit into a marketplace. Many times entrepreneurs create a thing and believe it is fantastic. " build it and they will come" . It's not enough to want to make a business to earn money. Be passionate about what you spend your life working on. Money is not the real goal it is the measure of success in a market. Marketing should identify if your product or service can be successful to whom and for what value. Once that is determined, Marketing is a tool to reach the most likely audience and establish a brand in that audience. Sales are the result of good marketing. Beyond startup is when the phone rings and its an order because the product is accepted.

I start off simple: - What is your message - Who is your target audience - How are you going to reach them - How are you going to measure success I stress that they must find the value that resonates with the customers by talking to customers, not Product Managers. There are several other things basics I stress, but this is where I start when training.

Key advice: Prioritize action. Embrace flexibility for surprises, take risks, and welcome the possibility of failure. In the realm of product marketing, the process involves encountering failures, learning from them, and subsequently refining strategies based on the insights gained from past experiences. Moreover, when uncertain about the outcome, don't hesitate—just hit the publish button. Every outcome, positive or negative, is an opportunity for learning in the dynamic field of product marketing.