Product managers: The crucial role they play in marketing

Product managers are often the difference between a brand that is perceived as being a ‘pioneer brand’ that reacts quickly to the needs of consumers and a mediocre brand that falls behind latest trends and new developments in the market.

Ensure that the product manager that you hire is well suited to the role and culture of the business as this will be of significant benefit to your organisation and the products or campaigns you are launching.

Product managers need to be strong communicators, cross-functional workers and negotiators. If all of these factors are ticked off, the right type of product or variant will be launched into market on time, which, in turn, enables for successful implementation of the strategy that the marketing team has created. This will lead to more positive results for the marketing campaign and stronger profits for the business overall.

A product manager’s ability to communicate effectively across the board will lead to their effective management of new product developments (NPDs), renovations and innovations throughout the entire stage-gate process.

The skills that should be included in your ‘essential’ list when looking to hire a new product manager include the following:

Being able to communicate effectively is key to ensuring a project is completed on time and everyone is contributing with their part towards the end goal. 

Being able to think outside of the box is a great asset to a product manager, as they can offer fresh insight and funnel new ideas.

Having a strong understanding of the numbers involved with projects will help with costing, budgeting and ensuring the cost-efficiency.

Product managers will need to possess strong interpersonal skills as their role will require frequent collaborations across teams, stakeholders and suppliers.

Working on a number of projects at any given time is often a task that a product manager will have to undertake. Strong control of all elements across these projects is a key quality to have.

Recognising top talent from a CV alone can be difficult, but there are some ways you can draw out the best candidates at the interview stage. 

Setting a product-based task during the interview process can allow the candidate to demonstrate their on-the-job thinking, general creativity and ability to express why their new product development (NPD) ideas are not only in line with the brand strategy but also commercially viable for the business. 

Secondly, try changing the brief after they have delivered their presentation and ask them what they would do if X should change. This will help you to understand how they adapt their thinking to a circumstantial, on-the-spot change and whether they are able to react well under pressure. You can also incorporate role plays into the interview process, this can demonstrate negotiation skills with suppliers and approach to adverse scenarios.

To attract and engage the top talent you should showcase the best elements of your business during the recruitment process. Have a clear set of figures on budgets, number of innovations, types of innovation and the direction that the business is going from a product perspective. Interviewers will also play a very large part in how excited candidates feel about the prospective opportunity and the office environment will also contribute immensely to the candidates’ perception of day-to-day life in the office.

Furthermore, specify the influence global teams have vs local teams, if this applies to your business. Be sure to highlight the level of autonomy and ownership the individual will have over their product processes. 

If you are looking to hire a new product manager for your team, get in touch with your local Michael Page office and speak to one of our specialist recruitment consultants. Alternatively, have a look at our article Hiring top talent: boost your business communications.

Managing Consultant, Michael Page Marketing

T: 01932 264 191