On Product Management

Give me a good product any day

The worst thing you can be given as a marketer is a good product to sell.

So, I’m going to channel the Cranky PM here a bit. Though I doubt I can be quite as cranky in public (behind closed doors is another matter).

The worst thing you can be given as a marketer is a crappy product because no one is going to buy it. I like Seth Godin a lot, but really. There’s being contrarian and there’s being stupid.

Yes, people panned Pollock. The Prius is a “bad car”. These have nothing to do with the products but the insular nature of insiders. Art critics are shitheads. And car magazines are written by lonely journalists who are just in it for the free test drives and sold to lonely readers who drive crappy cars and dream of owning flashy crappy cars. They have no actual intention of determining which cars are the best. Which is kind of Godin’s point.

But here’s a better point – opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one and they’re all full of shit.

If you really need an opinion, ask someone who matters, not critics or journalists. Ask a real user that has money to spend. And do your best to get a decent product to sell. Because if Seth Godin really thinks it’s better to get a bad product, I know a few companies who would love to hire him.

Related posts:

1. Negotiation 101: You have to give to get