Product Managers are essential ambassadors to your brand, and need to be delicately chosen and with a long-term focus in mind. You need to ensure that you are finding talent that can really become vested in the company, in order to develop your product from idea to revenue generation. Strong Product Managers at a tech company are the ones that essentially take ownership over the product development. Their role requires more than just a solid understanding of the product but an unbridled passion for it and belief that it will solidify a position in the marketplace.
The Product Management role takes time to develop
When hiring a Product Manager for your tech company, you really want to ensure that you hire someone that you see as being a true brand ambassador. This role requires a thorough understanding and passion for the product – as they are the central contact point for all information pertaining to the product. They are the pinnacle point of execution for a product’s success. The Product Manager both internally and externally, will fuel enthusiasm and support for the product while remaining the expert and champion – that will ultimately take some time to foster and develop.
Stay away from product development changing hands too often
Each Product Manager has their own unique flare and this will inevitably reflect on the product and its positioning within the company and on the industry. If the Product Management changes hands too often, that will inevitably have an impact on the strength of the positioning of the product and its core messaging. True product understanding and passion takes time to develop and each time this is interrupted by a change in management – the momentum of your efforts can suffer significantly. If you look at it in very basic terms, every time that role changes hands, every relationship stemming from that role is affected.
Tech Products are constantly evolving – Product Management is an ongoing task
Technology changes fast and your product managers have to be able to keep up with that change while also bridging the gap between technological evolution and the customer needs landscape. The Product Manager will be responsible for doing their due diligence on market research, asking the right questions, compiling the data, analyzing it and then relay that information cohesively back to the developers to ensure that the product is produced, maintained and updated successfully. Product Managers need to have a comprehensive understanding of the technology itself in order to do this, while also having superb communication and analytical abilities. This requires one stellar candidate.
Take time to establish credibility and relationships within the company (Two very critical elements for success)
Just as much as any new Product Management hire needs to make a considerable effort towards proving themselves and building key relationships with both internal and external stakeholders of your business; so is it important for you and your senior management team to create strong relationships with your new hires. A company with a welcoming atmosphere and that fosters an environment of long-term growth, loyalty and product pride will be able to keep great employees and lower their turnover.
When you take a step back and view this position from a critical perspective—there are many deeper elements than what is viewed from the surface. Don’t put your product (or your company) at risk of failing. Bring on the right Product Management talent to put a product plan in place for the long-term and see it through all stages of development.
Are you getting ready to hire a Product Manager? We’ve created a free checklist to help you refine your requirements, plan the interview process, and get aligned on competitive compensation.