Build

In this episode, Maggie shares a quick story and an update on the podcast. Connect with Maggie on Twitter at @maggiecrowley.

Contrary to popular belief, product marketing is not just about making decks. In this episode, Maggie sits down with Drift's Director of Product Marketing, Aurelia Solomon. Together, they talk through the ins and outs of a product marketing role, why storytelling is crucial to success, and how to build, and manage, a strong PM to PMM relationship. Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends. You can also connect with Maggie and Aurelia on Twitter @maggiecrowley and @Aurelia90716528

In 2019, one of the most common questions Maggie got from her listeners was, "What's a one-pager?" So, she sat down with former Drift product manager, Daphne Funston, to answer the question.Since then, Drift has grown and scaled so much that the product team has actually had to evolve the template, which is why Maggie will be releasing a new episode all about V2 of the one-pager in upcoming weeks. But for now, we wanted to remind you of the basics, and the strategies that have proven to work for earlier-stage companies. Be sure to hit the subscribe, so you don't miss part 2!Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, and share the pod with your friends. You can also connect with Maggie and Daphne on Twitter at @maggiecrowley, @daphnegrayson, and @DriftPodcasts

Maggie's already given her best advice on how to deliver a great presentation. But what about enabling your teams to deliver their best presentations? That's what Maggie explores in this episode. Today, Maggie shares the five core elements she looks for in a great presentation, and how she provides feedback to her team based on those five points. This episode is a must-listen for managers new and old. Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends. You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter at @maggiecrowley

There's a lot of advice around how to effectively build products, but how do you actually put that advice into practice? Ben Foster has first hand experience. Serving as an advisor, then writing the book, Build What Matters, which is all about building products focused around customer-centered product visions, and now holding the position of chief product officer at Whoop, Ben has had to learn how to take his own advice and turn it into action.In this episode he and Maggie define what a product vision is, clarify how it's different from a strategy, discuss ownership vs. autonomy, and the realities Ben has faced since implementing his own advice at Whoop.Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends. You can also connect with Maggie and Ben on Twitter at @maggiecrowleyand @fosterinnovates

There are a lot of stories out there on how founders built their first product but not many examples of founders sharing those stories as they're happening. In today's episode, Maggie talks with David Flinner, co-founder and Head of Product at Levels, about how they're building their first product. From building in public, to just how scrappy a first version can be, to what it takes to make the jump from early adopters to the early majority, this episode is a deep dive into what it can look like to build a new product from the ground up.Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends! You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

Prioritization is one of the hardest things that a PM has to do. Whether it's balancing inputs from a million stakeholders, figuring out how to hedge a series of bets, or making sure there's time to tackle that debt that you know you've got to deal with, it's never as simple to prioritize work as it seems. So in today's episode, Maggie talks with Srinivas Krishnamurti, SVP of Product at Productboard, about why prioritization is so hard, how he approaches it on his team, and what tips, tricks, and questions he asks to help teams prioritize more effectively. If you've ever stared down a list of things and tried to figure out what to do and what to throw out, this episode is for you. Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends! You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

What is a chief of staff, why is the role so popular, and is it a better launchpad for a career in tech than product management? In today's episode, Maggie talks with Drift's own Chief of Staff, Terrance Rogers, about the role, the chief of staff career path, common myths, and why it's gaining in popularity. Thinking about whether to go into product or take a chief of staff role? This episode is for you.Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends. You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

As a product manager or product leader you have to be able to see a future in which your team has solved problems for users, because only once you’ve seen that future can you work backwards to figure out how to get there. Then, you have to be able to motivate your team and get them to buy into that vision for the future. To do that you’re going to need creative energy and a somewhat relentless but realistic optimism. Unfortunately, keeping that optimism going, especially coming off of the year that we’ve all had, can be tough. So in today's episode, Maggie shares a short rundown of the tricks she uses to stay motivated and fight product burnout.Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends. You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

An ongoing debate in product is whether or how much to pay attention to the competition, which gets even more tricky when the space that you're building in is extremely crowded. In this episode, Maggie talks with Nash Ahmed, Founder and CEO of Undock, about what it's like to build a company in a space as crowded as calendaring. Nash shares the role of brand, how to go up against the biggest incumbents, and why having a strong point of view is the real key. Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends. You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

Thinking about a new job? Don't make the mistake of prepping for just the interview: to get the best possible outcome you also need to prep for the negotiation. In this episode, Maggie spoke with Linda Zhang, former Group PM turned founder and the author of an article about how she negotiated, then walked away from, a massive PM offer at Facebook. Linda shares her negotiation strategy, how she prepares, her top advice, and why it is so important to talk openly about topics like pay.Check out Linda's article and other product thinking here: https://www.productlessons.xyz/Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends. You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

Ever heard that the product manager role is different company to company? One big difference can be identified with one question: is your job as a PM to manage a backlog? In this episode, Maggie talks with Ravi Dev, SVP Product at GoodRx, about the PM role, A/B testing, backlog management, and why none of that is really the job that the best product managers are doing. Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends. You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

In this episode, Maggie shares a cautionary tale about what can happen when you rely on data too much and lose sight of what your customers have to say. This lesson is part of a talk that Maggie is giving at the Women in Product conference this year, so you’ll have to check that out in May to hear the rest!Like this episode? Hit the subscribe button and leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review. You can also follow Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

Putting together a strategy isn't even half the battle for product leaders. The real challenge is how you put together a plan and actually execute on that strategy. To learn more, Maggie talked with Jon Fan, the VP of Product at Benchling, about how to do strategic planning well. They get into how to treat your planning process like a product, stack ranking, and why there might never be a "right" answer.Like this episode? Hit the subscribe button and leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review. You can also follow Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

It's easy to forget that building really great products is a team sport: the best product managers know how to work with their engineering and design counterparts to move their businesses forward. In this episode, Ravneet Uberoi, a Group PM at Box, joins Maggie to share her advice on how to build strong relationships with engineering plus the best career advice she's ever heard.Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends. You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

Think that the secret to prioritization is a better formula for weighing features against each other? Think again! According to Maggie, prioritization cannot be done with a formula. Instead, it starts and ends with the why. Looking for a quick framework for how to set yourself and your team up for better prioritization? This episode is for you.Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the podcast with your friends. You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

So you got a PM job, now what? What does success look like in product management? To answer that question, Maggie sat down with Jackie Bavaro, former Head of Product for Asana and author of Cracking the PM Interview, about her new book: Cracking the PM Career. While the specifics are unique to each company, Jackie outlines all the key skills PMs of all levels need to be successful. Trying to figure out how to get that next promotion? Check out this episode for details on how impact, scope, and autonomy are the real secrets to PM success. Check out the book here: https://www.crackingthepmcareer.com/ Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends! You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

Everyone knows they should "be data driven" but it turns out that just looking at metrics isn't enough. In this episode, Maggie talks with Derek Steer, Co-founder and CEO of Mode, about what it actually means to be data driven. It turns out that the real work is actually all about asking the right questions and sharing analyses, not just sharing dashboards. Check out the SQL tutorial here: https://mode.com/sql-tutorial/ Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends! You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

A new year means a chance to reflect and learn from the year before. So in this episode Maggie looks back at what she learned in her day job and over the past year of Build and shares the five lessons she is committed to bringing into 2021. Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends! You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

A new year means a chance to reflect and learn from the year before. So in this episode Maggie looks back at what she learned in her day job and over the past year of Build and shares the five lessons she is committed to bringing into 2021. Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends! You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

In this special crossover episode, Maggie is joined by Matt Bilotti (host of Growth) and Sean Lane (host of Operations) to take you behind the scenes of Drift’s podcast program. You’ll learn how the hosts prepare for new episodes, the biggest lessons they’ve learned after recording 50+ episodes each, the best piece of advice they’ve received from their guests, and what listeners can expect in 2021. Want to know why Maggie says she wants to have more on-air disagreements? Listen to the full episode to hear Maggie’s plans for leveling up the show next year.Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends! You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley—Want to hear more from Matt and Sean?Subscribe to Growth With Matt Bilotti here: https://growthpodcast.drift.com/Subscribe to Operations with Sean Lane here: https://operationspodcast.drift.com/

In this special crossover episode, Maggie is joined by Matt Bilotti (host of Growth) and Sean Lane (host of Operations) to take you behind the scenes of Drift’s podcast program. You’ll learn how the hosts prepare for new episodes, the biggest lessons they’ve learned after recording 50+ episodes each, the best piece of advice they’ve received from their guests, and what listeners can expect in 2021. Want to know why Maggie says she wants to have more on-air disagreements? Listen to the full episode to hear Maggie’s plans for leveling up the show next year. Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends! You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley — Want to hear more from Matt and Sean? Subscribe to Growth With Matt Bilotti here: https://growthpodcast.drift.com/ Subscribe to Operations with Sean Lane here: https://operationspodcast.drift.com/

It's hard enough to figure out what the PM role is, let alone how to manage PMs. Luckily, in this episode Maggie gets advice from Dheerja Kaur, the Head of Consumer Experience Product at Robinhood, about how she approaches management. With experience as the Chief Product Officer at The Skimm and growing the product management role at ESPN, Dheerja shares how to coach PMs, how that changes at different stages of growth, and pitfalls to look out for when managing product managers. Plus, advice on how and when to make the jump from PM to manager of PMs.Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends! You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

It's hard enough to figure out what the PM role is, let alone how to manage PMs. Luckily, in this episode Maggie gets advice from Dheerja Kaur, who leads the Core Product team at Robinhood, about how she approaches management. With experience as the Chief Product Officer at The Skimm and growing the product management role at ESPN, Dheerja shares how to coach PMs, how that changes at different stages of growth, and pitfalls to look out for when managing product managers. Plus, advice on how and when to make the jump from PM to manager of PMs. Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends! You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

It's hard to have a tactical conversation about product strategy without giving away what you're up to as a business. But, product strategy is a critical discipline for product leaders. So in today's episode, Maggie and Ibrahim Bashir, GM & VP of Product at Box, tear down a product we all know to see if they can back into that product's strategy. Along the way they cover what product strategy actually is, what frameworks are helpful, what inputs go into a good strategy, and when you don't need a strategy at all. Looking for a deep dive into how product strategy works from an expert? This one's for you.You can connect with Ibrahim on Twitter @ibscribe and sign up for his newsletter at https://runthebusiness.substack.com/Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends! You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

It's hard to have a tactical conversation about product strategy without giving away what you're up to as a business. But, product strategy is a critical discipline for product leaders. So in today's episode, Maggie and Ibrahim Bashir, GM & VP of Product at Box, tear down a product we all know to see if they can back into that product's strategy. Along the way they cover what product strategy actually is, what frameworks are helpful, what inputs go into a good strategy, and when you don't need a strategy at all. Looking for a deep dive into how product strategy works from an expert? This one's for you. You can connect with Ibrahim on Twitter @ibscribe and sign up for his newsletter at https://runthebusiness.substack.com/ Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends! You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

It's easy when you're a product manager to take the pricing and packaging of your product at face value. But, if you're solving customer problems in a differentiated way you're probably eventually leaving money on the table if you don't start to think about how you might continue to monetize that work. In this episode, Maggie talks with Tara Seshan, Business Lead for Financial Products (and one of the first product managers) at Stripe, about how to think about pricing, packaging, and value creation as a product manager. Plus, bonus advice on the "splash zone" and Tara's journey from founder, to PM, to business lead.Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends! You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

It's easy when you're a product manager to take the pricing and packaging of your product at face value. But, if you're solving customer problems in a differentiated way you're probably eventually leaving money on the table if you don't start to think about how you might continue to monetize that work. In this episode, Maggie talks with Tara Seshan, Business Lead for Financial Products (and one of the first product managers) at Stripe, about how to think about pricing, packaging, and value creation as a product manager. Plus, bonus advice on the "splash zone" and Tara's journey from founder, to PM, to business lead. Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends! You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

Good product managers do customer research. But just doing the research isn't enough - we also have to make that customer research matter. In this episode Maggie talks with Adam Thomas, product leader and principal at Approaching One, about how to make research work and how to package it for and sell it to your stakeholders. In Adam's words, "good research helps teams understand the why behind the why — the thing that’s driving the customer’s need to find a solution for the problems they face." Looking to get more out of your research? This episode is for you.You can read Adam's article for BuiltIn here: https://builtin.com/product-management/make-your-product-research-matterLike this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends! You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

Good product managers do customer research. But just doing the research isn't enough - we also have to make that customer research matter. In this episode Maggie talks with Adam Thomas, product leader and principal at Approaching One, about how to make research work and how to package it for and sell it to your stakeholders. In Adam's words, "good research helps teams understand the why behind the why — the thing that’s driving the customer’s need to find a solution for the problems they face." Looking to get more out of your research? This episode is for you. You can read Adam's article for BuiltIn here: https://builtin.com/product-management/make-your-product-research-matter Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends! You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

So many products, especially in B2B, say that they're powered by AI. But what does that mean for the product team? Should every team or every product be "using AI?" In this episode, Maggie talks with Ashley Fidler, CPO at Eigen Technologies, about what problems are a good fit for AI, how to approach building with AI as a product manager, and whether or not you need an advanced degree to PM an AI-powered product.Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends! You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

So many products, especially in B2B, say that they're powered by AI. But what does that mean for the product team? Should every team or every product be "using AI?" In this episode, Maggie talks with Ashley Fidler, CPO at Eigen Technologies, about what problems are a good fit for AI, how to approach building with AI as a product manager, and whether or not you need an advanced degree to PM an AI-powered product. Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends! You can also connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley

We know that time-based roadmaps never seem to work. But product teams still need a way to plan, coordinate, and share what they're working on both internally and externally. Enter Janna Bastow, the CEO and Co-Founder of ProdPad, who has gone on a long journey to the promised land of roadmaps. In this episode, Maggie learns from Janna the right way to think about roadmaps, how they're actually a tool for prototyping strategy, and how to get out from under the tyranny of the Gantt chart.Like this episode? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, hit the subscribe button, and share the pod with your friends! You can connect with Maggie on Twitter @maggiecrowley and Janna @simplybastow