Transformed

CHAPTER 37Objections from Sales

Note: Much of this discussion is informed by chapter 21, “Partnering with Customers.”

“We are the ones sitting down with customers every day. Why shouldn't we be the ones to tell the product team what needs to be delivered?”

There is no question that salespeople operate on the front lines with customers, and as such they are valuable sources of input for the products. In the product model, product managers have strong relationships with salespeople from across the company because they truly depend on one another. Product managers are also encouraged to actively participate in the sales process for key prospects.

More generally, product managers and product teams have direct, ongoing engagement with users and customers. Not in a sales context, but in a product discovery context.

That said, there is a foundational principle which explains why strong product solutions rarely come from the customer or from the salesperson:

The customer and the salesperson do not know what is technically possible.

They are often experts in their own domain, but rarely are they experts in the enabling technologies used to build the solutions they buy.

When they buy your products, they are effectively hiring you to be the experts for them. Strong products come from combining real customer needs with solutions that are just now possible.

“This is a great product vision, but it's years in the making. I need to make my numbers now. How will what's being built help ...