Achieving Success With Product Management

By Della Monroe


There is a lifecycle within every manufacturing company that handles the basics of planning and forecasting, not to mention production and marketing. As part of this structure, there are people in product management who are the enterprise's link to the public and soothsayers of demand. They know the customer's wants and needs and how to put the right goods in the correct place. In short, they integrate all aspects of the business process to move forward the supply chain.

Product development can come from R & D, but there is only one person or team who can handle marketing. These people are specialists in market share and profit margins. They understand timing. They also know how to streamline the business and eliminate waste. They can spot problems and apply the Band-Aid of new solutions. They are troubleshooters in disguise.

The duties and functions are various and while maximizing sales and revenues, an individual or a team make help streamline processes, eliminating the production fat. They anticipate problems and suggest solutions as they arise. They know the power of remedial action and how wrong turns can affect progress on the road to market share. The entire business depends on such managers and their foresight.

The features and benefits say it all and the product managers know how to get the word circulating. They know how to grab media attention and sales. They have strategies and tactics that have stood the test of time based on data analysis. If you question the need for these professionals, you are on the wrong track. There is vast benefit to adding such managers to the payroll and expanding overhead. They are worth their weight in gold. They can ride the roller coaster all the way to the top through the ups and downs of the business. They always seek to take their company to the next level.

Everyone with a merchandize thus needs management. It simply goes without saying. Vice Presidents, for example, do not have the knowledge or time. They have other tasks on their plate. Plus, the customer must be a major part of the equation, not the purview of normal management. Demand must be built by creating buyer need.

If you are asking who needs a product manager, you are obviously on the wrong track. Marketing is the buzz word on every tongue. Plus you need someone to anticipate problems and have solutions galore. You need innovative thinkers that offer products with wide appeal.

A skilled manager knows how to identify weak areas and to fix them in a flash. In effect, they keep the ball rolling on the perennial path to profit. They liaise with other departments and communicate ideas and problems. They offer executives a rationale that makes sense in today's economy. They have insight and foresight and the ability to manage risks with success. In short, they drive the sales team and focus attention and energy on the product.

Companies can't and shouldn't do without these specialists. They understand the data and therefore the needs and wants of the customer base. They know when it is time for the next best thing and when it is apropos to cut losses. They are not production line schedulers, but are end run go-getters who guide everyone to a positive goal.




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