As a 15+ year product manager, I always said "I don't do sales." Yet looking back, I closed our biggest deals every time. Five years ago I embraced this and found a playbook for going through sales conversations like a product manager would: a clear mental model and set of tactics. Sales turned from dreadful to fun. Every product manager needs to become associated with revenue to secure their job and elevate their impact. Here's exactly how to get comfortable doing it. We'll PRACTICE LIVE and learn a mental model for SALES discovery. Add Tag to Answer

In the tech world of software developers and AI programmers, a huge portion of them come from the East and they have to communicate with the decision makers in the West. My session will highlight the expensive problems this creates for any company with engineers. I will also explain how, with Next Up Leader coaching those engineers can catapult themselves past the masses by learning the soft skills needed in order to communicate clearly and honestly to their decision makers.

In this session, we'll explore the critical partnership between Product Management (PM) and User Experience (UX) and how it enhances product success. We'll uncover the dynamics of effective collaboration, highlighting the benefits and methods for integrating PM and UX roles seamlessly. Attendees will learn about the overlapping responsibilities and distinct contributions of PMs and UX teams, emphasizing the importance of each in the product lifecycle. The talk will provide insights into leveraging UX expertise, particularly in research and design, to enrich the product development process. Practical strategies for fostering a productive and cohesive working environment will be discussed, ensuring that both PMs and UX professionals can effectively collaborate to meet user needs and drive product success. This session is ideal for those looking to enhance the synergy between PM and UX roles, leading to more user-centered and successful products.

Two years ago, I made the best decision of my life—I set up my own PMM consulting practice after spending more than two decades in Corporate America. In this talk, I will transparently share the steps I took to make this life-changing transition to a fractional marketer. I'll discuss how I established a thriving business, and most importantly, the valuable lessons I've learned along the way. Starting your own consulting practice is actually easier than you might think.

In this session we explore a new approach to creating exceptional products: directly engaging the passionate customers who use them. The Community Driven Product Development (CDPD) methodology moves to a more collaborative process with select groups of the product's actual users embedded into the product development process. The methodology is based on four big strategic and tactical tasks: finding the right people, engaging them at the right time in the development cycle, ensuring focus on achieving the right outcomes, based on planning and executing the right activities. This session will be led by long time community guy and the creator of the CDPD methodology, Jake McKee. He will introduce you to the Community Driven Product Development methodology, compare it to traditional methods of product development, and share best practices for creating your own successful Community Driven Product Development program.

In the world of product management, it's a hard truth that most products, around 95%, don't make it. But there's a deeper story here. Join me as I unpack my own experience, filled with ups and downs, to shed light on the challenges faced by product managers. Through my journey, I'll talk the common mistakes that often go unnoticed and provide valuable lessons learned. By examining real-world mistakes and questioning traditional approaches to product management, this talk offers actionable strategies to navigate the unpredictable journey of building successful product. You will leave this conversation equipped with the knowledge on how to become resilient and effective product leaders in the face of uncertainty.

Unlock global success by mastering the art of global product sourcing and e-commerce in this unique session! In this talk, discover how a skilled sourcing agent can connect you with manufacturers worldwide, helping you offer in-demand products anywhere. Learn how to find and hire sourcing agents for trending or targeted items, then capitalize on their expertise to sell across various platforms and regions on-demand. We will cover several working examples of how to setup each working relationship and what it looks like in different parts of the world. You'll also learn how to create a seamless working relationship between your agents and a Shopify expert, establishing an automated workflow that gets new products up and running in just one weekend. Dive into the world of supply-chain logistics and forge valuable connections that propel your business forward!

A candid journey through the dark side of product development where failure isn't just an option: it is the norm... Studies show that more than 50% of new products fail. Why is the industry's narrative being always about successes? This session dares to shine a light on often neglected realities of failure in product development. Delve into the real-world experiences as we unpack the raw truths about setbacks and how to navigate this messy reality through the product lifecycle and what lessons we've learned along the way.

Competitive intelligence is a crucial practice for product managers as they navigate the complex market landscape. It helps them understand their competitors and make informed decisions about their product strategy. This discussion will cover how Product Managers can conduct thorough competitive intelligence and empower them to make strategic decisions and keep their products competitive in the market.

In this session Mark will talk about how to increase your odds of finding a job in this economy. He'll give an overview of the current conditions of the job market, and cover strategies for getting ahead of the pack and increase your odds at getting the interview and landing the job.

We all know that AI and Gen AI are here to stay for the long run. As AI continues to mature, product leaders are curious about how it will affect their work and the products they build. In this session, we will explore AI's place in building products, from considering AI in product strategy to implementing AI in product-led organizations. We will also take an extra step to understand how AI can power product-led growth and make product development smarter. After attending this session, you will have a better understanding of how to think about AI in product management in your workplace.

Are you running an independent or small consortium Fractional Product Manager consultancy? The concept is simple: We provide PM services a la carte: Product Vision/Strategy, Market research/analysis, Roadmapping, Collab with IT to create and deliver sprint backlogs, set up A/B experiments, data analysis, etc. Need we differentiate between PM and Consultant? The question is, how realistic is it? - Are you just entering the PM field, seeking to build a portfolio? - As an embedded asset, how do we gain (or present) trust? Impact team morale? - How to charge for our services? - How to operate as a consortium of PMs? - What tools work best for multiple cooks in multiple kitchens? You will not be spoon-fed: In a traditional un-conference/camp, this would be called a "Birds of Feather" roundtable discussion, ideation, what works, what doesn't ..

Two years ago, I moved to the Data Intelligence team at my company in order to bring a new AI-driven product to market. In this session, I'll share some of my lessons learned from that experience. I'll use an example of designing a meal-planning app to walk through practical frameworks for identifying AI use cases. Then, we'll talk through key user experience considerations for an AI product or feature, such as intentionally designing for when AI outputs are inaccurate. We'll also take a step back and critically examine whether an AI solution is the right approach in the first place. I'll share questions to consider, rooted in trustworthy AI principles, to ensure human-centricity remains at the forefront. Ultimately, my goal is to provide you with actionable ideas for responsibly incorporating AI into your product, as well as resources to help get you started on that journey.

A basic principle of Product Management is understanding customer problems, but we can still struggle to properly frame the problem and know that we are focusing on the right problem. One of the most effective ways I have learned to frame the need for a product is through Jobs-to-Be-Done. When Product Managers properly apply Jobs-to-Be-Done, they are better able to identify and articulate the market problem they are solving, which then opens them to a new world of possibilities to drive innovation. This session will introduce the participants to the Jobs-to-Be-Done framework, will share examples of the concept based upon well-known products, connecting that to the innovations achieved, and then provide time for participants to apply Jobs-to-Be-Done through a group exercise.

All are welcome! Whether you are trying to break into the product world (product, ux, ui, data, dev, marketing, etc.) or are a seasoned veteran, we can all learn from one another!