In today’s episode, I explore gathering product market insights directly from customers and crafting effective product marketing strategies with Martina Lauchengco, a partner, teacher, author, speaker, mom, and native Californian. You will learn: * How a VP of Marketing required team members to talk to two customers every week. * Observing customers in the field to deepen your knowledge about how they use your products. * Conducting customer interviews to understand the bigger context. * Win/loss analysis. * Collaboration between marketing and sales teams. * How companies can stay ahead of the curve by being responsive to customer needs. * How the rapid pace of technological change and AI is transforming go-to-market strategies. * Understanding how a product intersects with the market and identifying key activities to amplify its reach. * Product marketing’s intersection with lead generation strategy. * The crucial role that product marketers play in shaping go-to-market strategies. * The limitations of positioning statements. * Understanding the context and audience for messaging. * The dynamic nature of messaging in the early stages of a company. * Using storytelling frameworks in sales pitches. * Investor positioning. * Borrowing techniques from successful peers, even if they seem unconventional. * How product marketing is misunderstood in many companies. — If you want to skip ahead: (0:00) Customer insights for product marketing. (4:16) Customer interviews. (9:38) Understanding market changes. (16:39) Product marketing and go-to-market strategies. (20:19) Lead generation. (26:15) Positioning for companies. (29:57) Sales pitches. (36:01) Testing new pitches. (39:23) Product marketing function. — Connect with Martina Lauchengco on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinalauchengco/ Learn more about Martina: https://martinalauchengco.com/ Get Martina’s book, Loved: How to Rethink Marketing for Tech Products: https://amzn.to/3RIr5s2 — Connect with April Dunford and learn about practical positioning that accelerates marketing and sales: Work with April: https://www.aprildunford.com/contact April’s newsletter: https://aprildunford.substack.com/ April’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprildunford/ April’s Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/aprildunford — Mentioned in this episode: * Gong call recording software: https://www.gong.io/ * The Jobs-to-be-done (JTBD) framework: https://strategyn.com/jobs-to-be-done/ — Get April Dunford’s books and audiobooks: “Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It.” “Sales Pitch: How to Craft a Story to Stand Out and Win.” Amazon US: https://amzn.to/49l0ZRY Amazon Canada: https://amzn.to/4ac9hgt Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3vosDzQ Apple Books: https://apple.co/3xihSzC — The Positioning with April Dunford podcast: Want to make your product stand out in a crowded market? It all starts with great positioning. Using April’s battle-tested methodology, she'll teach you the nitty-gritty of positioning so that you can unlock better marketing and sales performance. Podcast website: https://www.positioning.show/ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3PFHcWx Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4aqyDqI Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@positioningshow — This episode was produced by Story On Media & Marketing: https://www.SuccessWithStories.com