As product management Recruiters, there isn’t a product category we haven’t invested countless hours researching and recruiting. The “DTC” category of products is the most fun to recruit for – it’s also one of the most difficult.
What is DTC?
A DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) business is a business model where a company sells its products or services directly to customers without relying on trading partners such as wholesalers, retailers, or distributors.
The DTC category includes businesses that monetize cosmetics, razors, box subscriptions, pet products, fashion, nutrition, mattresses, and furniture, to name a few.
The other part of the DTC category includes businesses that monetize native digital products and experiences, including subscription services (SaaS). This includes digital news or magazines, streaming video products, fitness & wellness, and education & learning.
Recruiting for DTC
Recruiting product talent for a DTC brand is both fun and challenging.
First, the Fun: Recruiting for a DTC brand is fun because it’s easy to get behind a product where you could be the ICP or user. Experiencing the value and delight of a product firsthand makes it easier to “sell” and rally others to join along.
Then the Hard: Today, we kick off a three-part series to explore the why. If these brands are so easy to get behind, then why is it hard to hire Product Management talent for a DTC company? We will also share how companies can overcome these common roadblocks to get a “hell yes” hire!
But first, who are we to talk about recruiting Product Managers?
Martyn Bassett Associates has been recruiting product talent across North America since 2006. In 2016, we made things official with the launch of a dedicated Product Practice. We built a team of high-performance Recruiters, Researchers, and Operations support to deliver on complex searches with precision and speed. This positioned us as a disruptor for disruptors. Our goal has always been to help a leader make a smart hiring decision – fast.
Here are three Case Studies which highlight our work recruiting product talent for DTC brands:
- CPO search for Covers
- Product Manager search for Quartermaster
- Product Manager search for Bayshore Health
Stay tuned for Part 2: The #1 Reason it’s Hard to Recruit DTC Product Managers and what you can do about it!