Product Chats Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Turning Knowledge into Impact: How Pragmatic Courses Drive Organizational Change May 05, 2023

Show notes

“We're not looking for the learning itself; we're looking for that behavior. We want that application. That is where the real value is for any organization or business.” - Erica Sutula What makes Pragmatic’s courses effective and impactful? In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of Product for Pragmatic Institute, and Erica Sutula answer that question. Erica is a passionate learner and an expert in creating learning experiences that motivate and engage adults. She finds joy in exploring new subjects and acquiring knowledge and loves nothing more than sharing that knowledge with others in a way that inspires and motivates them. They discuss:

What is instructional design
How Pragmatic helps students implement their training after they’ve completed a course
The impact collaborative learning has on outcomes
What is problem-based learning
Why certification exams help with the long-term transfer of knowledge and skills

Ready to transform your organization into a market-driven powerhouse?
Enroll your product teams in Foundations today. They’ll learn to uncover market problems, develop buyer and user personas, and create a winning positioning strategy. With 7.5 hours of lectures, group discussions, and practical exercises, they'll gain the skills and tools needed to become a market-driven product professional.
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How To Utilize Aha! For Effective Product Management Apr 28, 2023

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“The secret is not to pick the squeakiest wheel, but to actually find the thing that's going to add the most business value and customer value if we release it out to the market.” - Erik Johnson In this Product Chat, Ian Templin, director of product management at Pragmatic Institute, and Erik Johnson, knowledge group manager at Aha! have a collaborative discussion about specific product strategies and how to execute processes using Aha!’s software. Ian and Eric Discuss:

The three common pitfalls of market research
How Aha! prevents market research from getting lost in digital drawers
The three-prong test to validate and prioritize problems (and a tool to help)
Aha!’s product value scorecard and idea portal
How to effectively bring market insights to the development and design teams
How to get buy-in for a new roadmapping tool

About the hosts:
As the Director for Product Management at Pragmatics Product Vertical, Ian oversees a team of instructional designers responsible for creating and refining purposeful and inspiring learning experiences. Erik Johnson is a seasoned Scrum Master with extensive experience in project management and software development. He's also incredibly passionate and exceptionally knowledgeable about sharing his in-depth knowledge of Aha!’s product development tools. Improve Your Product Strategies with Training from Pragmatic
Enroll in Foundations and learn how to identify market problems, uncover strategic opportunities, develop buyer and user personas, and create a positioning strategy.
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How to be a Product Manager That Engineers Don’t Hate Apr 21, 2023

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“Use that user empathy superpower with your engineers. See that they are your partners, not your resources.” - Kirsten Van Detta In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of product for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Kirsten Van Detta, group product manager at LinkedIn, about improving the PM/Engineering relationship. Kirsten Van Detta is a passionate product manager with a diverse project management and business analysis background. She discovered her love for product management when she landed her first role leading a team for a flagship CRM that was sold to external customers. Since then, she has worked on products of all sizes, from large enterprise-scale products to smaller projects for universities. Currently, Kirsten is working at LinkedIn, where she is focused on sales technology. She thrives in the product management role because it allows her to do everything she loves, from developing strategies to executing and delivering projects. Her experience has given her a unique perspective on the tension between product managers and engineers. In this episode, Rebecca and Kirsten discuss:

What engineers need from product managers
Communication strategies to better collaborate with engineers
Why advocating for the product is also advocating for your team
How to repair your relationship with the engineering team if it isn’t ideal

Do you want to learn more about navigating roles and responsibilities? Enroll in Foundations
You’ll learn how to understand the market and its problems, use that knowledge to build and sell products people want to buy, and master the Pragmatic Framework to bring successful products to market.
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Should You Delegate to ChatGPT? Insights from Nils Janse Apr 14, 2023

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This episode is from our latest Product Chat webinar >> watch the webinar

“I really encourage you whenever you have a task think about whether you have to do it or whether the ChatGPT can do it for you.” - Nils Janse In this episode, Nils Janse, founder of Delibr, explains how product professionals can integrate AI to enhance products and workflows. During this episode, Nils discusses:

The limitations and capabilities of GPT-3 and GPT-4
The applications for generative AI, evaluative AI and interactive AI
An example of how Delibr uses AI to build PRD
Prompt engineering approaches

Want to Join Pragmatic’s alumni community? You’ll get your free lifetime membership when you complete your first course—Foundations.
In Foundations, you’ll learn how to master the Pragmatic Framework and build products the market wants to buy. Enroll Today If you’ve already completed Foundations, our course selector tool will help you decide on which course to take next.

Lessons from Netflix: How to Launch Pricing Changes Effectively Apr 07, 2023

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“I teach the pricing class, and we like to say that people don't want to feel punished when it comes to price—they want to feel rewarded." - Todd Middlebrook In this episode, Pragmatic Instructors Paul Young, Dan Corbin and Todd Middlebrook dive deep into Netflix’s latest policy updates to discuss the importance of pricing changes in a subscription-based business. During this episode, they discuss:

Netflix’s latest changes and the impact
The reaction in the market to the password-sharing crackdown
Why businesses should avoid making customers feel like they are being punished with pricing changes
The ways Netflix could approach the policy change differently
How Netflix could improve its messaging and policy launch moving forward to earn goodwill with current and future customers

Want to learn more from these Pragmatic Instructors? Enroll in Price
You'll learn a proven approach to pricing that reflects what the market is willing to pay and supports your organization's strategies. We'll teach you how to evaluate the competitive and market environment and its impact on pricing. Plus, you'll learn how to implement, track and measure pricing strategies. Learn More

Why Your Company Needs a Voice of Customer Program Mar 31, 2023

Show notes

“Data in a spreadsheet is going to have a limited effect. How you tell the story and how you convey that to members of the leadership team in a way that is easily digestible and makes it clear how they can act on it is vitally important. If the feedback is only shared with the CEO or with one department, then you're leaving a lot of opportunities on the table.” - Evan Klein. In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Eddie Gordon, courseware designer at Pragmatic Institute, interviews Evan Klien about win/loss, customer feedback, and employee engagement programs. Evan is the founder and CEO of Satrix Solutions. With a passion for voice of customer programs, Evan drew on his experience as the head of client satisfaction at a digital agency to create a business focused on helping B2B companies listen and respond to their most important constituents, including customers, prospective customers, former customers, and employees. During this episode, Eddie and Evan discuss:

How to implement systematic feedback processes
Who should be included in customer satisfaction surveys and interviews
How to share customer insights in a way the company will feel empowered to act on them
Benefits of hiring a third-party voice of customer services
Best practices for approaching win/loss interviews
How to encourage customers to provide feedback and respond to survey or interview requests
How employee feedback programs contribute to improving customer experience

Enroll in Foundations
In this course, you’ll learn the ins and outs of the Pragmatic Framework and how to approach win/loss analysis at your company.
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How Designers and Product Managers Can Work Together to Drive Innovation Mar 24, 2023

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"In an environment where there is not good collaboration, ultimately, you don’t leverage the expertise of everyone. You’re leaving all these superpowers on the table because people aren’t talking. The key to innovative ideas is leveraging the talents of a whole group.” - Teresa Brazen In this episode, Pragmatic Instructors Cindy Cruzado and Teresa Brazen discuss how product managers and designers can work together to create intuitive, innovative products. Cindy and Teresa will provide insights into:

Why you should bring in design earlier in the development process
How designers and product managers approach the development process differently
Navigating the conflict between desirability, viability and feasibility

Enroll in Pragmatic’s Design Course for Product Managers
Learn how to create innovative, intuitive products that the market will embrace. Gain a human-centered approach to market problems, partner with designers, and deepen your understanding of target users. With the skills and knowledge gained through this course, you will be equipped to drive meaningful impact in your organization. Enroll now and unlock your full potential as a product manager. Learn More Enroll in Business Strategy & Design
learn how to contribute to strategy conversations confidently, tie your design work to business outcomes, and align user-centered work to advance business objectives. With this course, you'll strengthen cross-functional partnerships and demonstrate the return on investment of your design work. Learn More

Overcoming Resistance to Change: Insights from Pragmatic Instructors Mar 17, 2023

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“The first market we have to sell to is our executive team” - Steve Gaylor We know Pragmatic training has the potential to revolutionize the way your organization approaches product—but does your company (more specifically, your leadership) understand the impact of being market-driven? In this episode, Pragmatic Instructors Paul Young, Cindy Cruzado, Amy Graham, Steve Gaylor, and Will Scott discuss putting Pragmatic training into practice. During this episode, they discuss:

The challenges product professionals will face when trying to implement change in their role and company
How to get buy-in from the executive team to build a market-driven culture
Why capturing market data will help you prevent emotional or political conversations with stakeholders in the company
How to manage through influence versus authority

Want to learn more from these Pragmatic Instructors? Enroll in Foundations, where you’ll learn how to master the Pragmatic Framework and build products the market wants to buy.
Enroll in Foundations
If you’ve already completed Foundations, our course selector tool will help you decide on which course to take next.

How To Hire Excellent Product Managers with Matt LeMay Mar 10, 2023

Show notes

This podcast has some strong language, so if you've got any little ones around, you might want to pop in some headphones. “I think there is just this deep, massive insecurity around hiring product managers. Companies are fearful of hiring the wrong person. So they defer to the perceived wisdom and expertise of others. In doing so, they abdicate their most important responsibility, which is to figure out what they need for that team to achieve its particular goals at that moment, at that company.” - Matt LeMay In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Matt LeMay, partner and principal product management consultant at Sudden Compass. Matt LeMay is an accomplished product leader who has helped various companies enhance their product management practices. He co-founded Sudden Compass, a consultancy that has helped several organizations such as Spotify, Google, Clorox, and Procter & Gamble with customer centricity. He is also the author of Agile for Everybody and Product Management in Practice. In this episode, Rebecca and Matt discuss:

Hiring the right product manager for your team starts with understanding exactly what your company needs, not simply “what makes a good product manager.”
The key quality Matt looks for during an interview with a prospective product manager
Why you should switch from clarifying the role of product management to clarifying the goal of product management
How to incorporate different frameworks into the hiring process

Are You Looking For Your First (or Next) Product Job? Pragmatic Certifications Can Get You Hired. Pragmatic’s product practice provides a full ecosystem of impactful, results-driven training and resources for product professionals and teams. Use our course selector tool to help you find the perfect learning path for your career goals. Learn More

A Systematic Approach to Branding and Positioning with Ulli Appelbaum Mar 03, 2023

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“The first success criteria for positioning I use is if all the key constituents within the client organization have clarity and a united point of view on what the brand and the company stand for. The second is if the salesforce feels energized. The ultimate metric is business success, such as customer acquisition or growth.” - Ulli Appelbaum In this episode of Pragmatic Live, Rebecca Kalogeris, VP of marketing for Pragmatic Institute, interviews Ulli Appelbaum, an independent brand strategist about positioning. Ulli has over 20 years of experience developing communication strategies and positioning platforms for various clients. Ulli recently authored the [Brand Positioning Workbook: A Simple How-To Guide To More Compelling Brand Positioning, Faster](A Simple How-To Guide To More Compelling Brand Positionings, Faster) They discuss:

Ulli’s systematic approach to branding and positioning, including internal stakeholder interviews, competition analysis, and customer research.
Types of positioning deliverables after completing initial research
Why positioning can help you when things don’t go according to plan
How to measure the success of positioning work
Common problems that occur in positioning projects

Market.
This course helps you gain a thorough understanding of your buyers and how they like to buy so you can build product marketing strategies that deliver results.
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