Optimal Product Management & Product Marketing™ Newsletter

Every two weeks we publish the Optimal PM Newsletter, covering hot companies in the Valley to watch, trends in high-tech marketing, and insights, opinions and best-practices from the marketing and Product Management trenches. We profile some of the most interesting new companies and products in the industry, review the latest books on Marketing and Product Management, discuss the latest marketing strategies and more.

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Previous Issues:

PM 2.0 May 19, 2011
Adventures in product management cartoon: Sales & Innovation
Agile Requirements: not an oxymoron
Primary research comparison chart
Explaining what you do: a Product Manager’s perspetive
Are twitterers just talking to an empty room?
Could Epsilon dereliction of duty lead to increased government regulation

PM 2.0 Feb 22, 2011
If you don’t know, just say so! Honesty builds credibility
Product management tips and best practices: Humility

PM 2.0 Jan 5, 2011
Is your product bug tracking database a productivity issue?
Stop reading here: how to make email both short and detailed
Rules 45: Know your audience and tailor your message

PM 2.0 December 20, 2010
Rule 46: Find the problem that customers will pay to solve-and solve it!
Rush to Failure
Why Microsoft won’t dominate online services anytime soon
Rule 44: Focus on breakthrough innovation for products
Rule 43: Life is Short

PM 2.0 December 2, 2010
Product Management Rule 43: Life is Short
Product Management Rule 44: Focus on Breakthrough Innovation for Products
Cookies Cause Bitter Backlash
Andreesen’s new “Rockmelt” Browser – First Take

PM 2.0 August 23, 2010
What every product manager needs to know about security & privacy
Determining the optimat mix of marketing and launch programs
Five goals of a project manager

PM 2.0 July 19th, 2010
How Product Management can save SaaS
Best phone ever: Blackberry Bold 9700
Dear Facebook: Please stop changing my email preferences

PM 2.0 May 18th, 2010
Privacy,Product Management, Facebook & Google
Five questions for global launch readiness
Stunningly awful sales prevention demos

PM 2.0 May 3rd, 2010
Becoming twice as effective as a product manager
How to choose a product management training program
Customer input during the product lifecycle

PM 2.0 January 25th, 2010
PMTK Action Model Merits
Working from one to-do list
The Myth of the Iron Triangle

PM 2.0 January 13th, 2010
Product Manager’s Toolkit v4.0 Released
Automated Demos to Shorten the Sales Cycle
PM Productivity Tip: Mastering Outlook
Excellent Software Pricing Ebook

PM 2.0 January 6th, 2010
It’s Time for Lean Product Management
Product Management Productivity Tip: Mastering Email
Remote Demos – What Can We Do Better?

PM 2.0 October 30th, 2009
Five Rules for Creating Automated Demos
Do Your Cusomters Deserve a Bill of Rights?

PM 2.0 October 5th, 2009
Demo Evolution
Gobbledygook Grader

PM 2.0 August 17th, 2009
Bill Gates & the Demo
Unique Selling Propositions (USPs)
Cool new product: Dropbox

PM 2.0 June 10th, 2009
How to play to your strengths
Why a demo should be like a news article
Team autonomy versus common process

PM 2.0 May 6th, 2009
Product Management on a Dime
Making the Most of Your Time
Job Hunting & Networking Resources List
Small Marketing Changes Can Make a Big Difference

PM 2.0 April 9th, 2009
Product Management Manifesto
Product Naming Guidelines
What makes a demo truly remarkable

PM 2.0 February 4th, 2009
More Marketing With Less
TRAINING: PM Fast Track in San Jose, CA and Boston, MA
Archived Webinars Available
CPM Self-Study Course

PM 2.0 January 13, 2009
Product Management Manifesto
TRAINING: PM Fast Track in San Jose, CA and Boston, MA
Product Marketing vs. Product Management
CPM Self-Study Course – get Certified
Product Management Teams

PM 2.0 January 6, 2009
2008 Article Summary
TRAINING: PM Fast Track in San Jose, CA and Boston, MA
CPM Self-Study Course – get Certified
Three excellent service providers

PM 2.0 September 24th, 2008
ARTICLE: Vertical Guts: Are you too Scared to Cross the Chasm?
TRAINING: PM Fast Track in San Jose, CA and Boston, MA
ARTICLE: Stunningly Awful Demos
WEBINAR: How to work more effectively with your sales team

PM 2.0 September 16th, 2008
ARTICLE: Amazon, Brian Lawley, Software Bugs, the Angel and the Devil
TRAINING: PM Fast Track in San Jose, CA and Boston, MA
ARTICLE: More Auto-Demo Hell – a “Customized” Recorded Demo?
WEBINAR: How to work more effectively with your sales team

PM 2.0 July 10th, 2008
ARTICLE: Making the most of your time
ARTICLE: Competitive demo situations and “bake-offs”
ARTICLE: Who’s driving your company?
WEBINAR: How to work more effectively with your engineering teams
PM Fast Track training in San Jose, CA and Boston, MA
Expert Product Management Bundle Now Available

PM 2.0 May 20th, 2008
ARTICLE: Why so much software still stinks
ARTICLE: Chaos does not a successful product make
ARTICLE: Writing effective benefits statements for your features
WEBINAR: How to accelerate your product management career
PM Fast Track training in San Jose, CA and Boston, MA
Expert Product Management Bundle Now Available

PM 2.0 April 22nd, 2008
ARTICLE: Secrets of Outsourcing Successfully
ARTICLE: Why Don’t they Get it?
WEBINAR: How to get Phenomenal Product Reviews.
WEBINAR: How to Create Compelling Product Roadmaps
PM Fast Track public training now available on East and West coasts
Expert Product Management Bundle Now Available!
Brian Lawley wins “Excellence in Product Management Thought Leadership” award.
PM Office nominated for “Excellence in PM Tools Award”

PM 2.0 April 9th, 2008
ARTICLE: Attention, Retention & Demos
SEMINARS: High-Impact Product Launches
ANNOUNCEMENT: Expert Product Management Toolkit Bundle Released!

PM 2.0 March 24th, 2008
ARTICLE: The Four Quadrant Feature Prioritization Matrix
TRAINING: PM Fast Track – Mar 31 to Apr 3rd in San Jose, CA
WEBINAR: How to Plan & Execute a High-Impact Product Launch
PMEC Keynote: How to Accelerate Your PM Career

PM 2.0 February 15th, 2008
ARTICLE: Where should Product Management Report?
TRAINING: Mar 31 to Apr 3rd in San Jose, CA
WEBINAR: How to Advance your PM Career
ANNOUNCEMENT: Software CEO Software Innovation Awards

PM 2.0 January 16th, 2008
ARTICLE: Is Agile a Threat to the Product Management Discipline?
TRAINING: Feb 11-15 in San Jose, CA
ANNOUNCEMENT: Product Manager’s Toolkit Version 3.0 now available!
ARTICLE: Why is it so hard to find good Product Managers?
SPONSORSHIP: Softletter’s Marketing & Selling SaaS Seminar, 2008.

PM 2.0 December 12th, 2007
ARTICLE: Embracing Agile Development
Product Management & Product Marketing Training
ARTICLE: Can you outsource product management?
Softletter’s Marketing & Selling SaaS Seminar, 2008. Highly Recommended!
280 LinkedIn Group. Join now!
ARTICLE: Four critical success factors for your products
New PM Jobs list. Post to 1000 PMs for free.
BOOK: Expert Product Management now on Amazon.com
FUN: Bubble 2.0 and Dilbert on Agile
RESOURCES: PM Office templates and on-demand training

PM 2.0 September 18th, 2007
PM Office™ Released!
Softletter Marketing and Selling SaaS (Software as a Service) Seminar – Oct 3-4
Product Management Productivity: Master Meetings
PM Fun: Product Manager’s Bingo
New Book: 42 Rules of Marketing!

PM 2.0 September 6th, 2007
Speak More Powerfully: The Gratuitous Vocabulary List by Peter Cohan
Softletter Marketing and Selling SaaS (Software as a Service) Seminar – Oct 3-4
PM Productivity: Mastering Email
Fun: MBA Jargon Generator
Six 280 Group Product Management Toolkits Now Available
Product Management & Product Marketing Training Sept 24-28

PM 2.0 August 10, 2007
 Top 10 Product Review Mistakes, Part 2
Product Management Productivity Tips: How to Prioritize
Press Release Template available for free download
Six 280 Group Toolkits now available
Product Management & Product Marketing Training September 24-28th

PM 2.0 July 2007
 New Toolkit Released: Get Great Product Reviews!
Product Management & Product Marketing Training Sept 24-28th
Top 10 Product Review Mistakes, Part 1
Guest Article: The Value of Informal Success Stories:
PM Humor: Office Space and Web Crash 2007

280 Insider Product Management Newsletter, April 2007
Truth in Marketing? Or Not!
Want to be more effective at your job?
Cool Products & Hot Companies: Cingular 8525
280 Toolkits: Launches, Roadmaps, Lifecycle, Beta & Developer Programs
Become a CPM (Certified Product Manager) or CPMM (Certified Product Marketing Manager)
Brian Lawley Speaking at May Boston SMP Conference: Discount for 280 Group Readers

280 Insider Product Management Newsletter, March 2007
Top Ten Product Launch Mistakes, Part 2
Product Management & Product Marketing Training April 16-20, San Jose, CA
280 Group featured on CNBC’s World Business Review April 3rd/4th
Introducing: The 280 Group Product Launch Toolkit™
Become a CPM or CPMM
Special Offer: Save $10 on Software Product Management Essentials

280 Insider Product Management Newsletter, February 2007
Top Ten Product Launch Mistakes, Part 1
Product Management & Product Marketing Training April 16-20, San Jose, CA
Become a CPM (Certified Product Manager) or CPMM (Certified Product Mktg Manager)
Special Offer: Save $10 on Software Product Management Essentials
Product Management Webinars: Beta Programs & Product Review Programs
Hot Companies to Watch: Dash
Marketing Humor: GoogleGulp

280 Insider Product Marketing Newsletter, January 2007
New PM Tools & Templates for download
Brian Lawley featured in “Happy About Knowing What to Expect in 2007″
Book review: In Search of Stupidity
280 Group to be featured on CNBC

280 Insider Product Marketing Newsletter, December 2006 
Product Management Humor
Cool Product & Hot Companies: Jaxtr
Book review: Product Management Essentials
Stunningly awful software evaluations

280 Insider Product Marketing Newsletter, November 2006
Creating Compelling Product Roadmaps, Part 4
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Product Managers
Stunningly Awful Remote Demos
280 Group licenses Product Manager’s Toolkit to Intel IT

280 Insider Product Marketing Newsletter, September 2006
Creating Compelling Product Roadmaps, Part 3
Developer Program Toolkit
November Product Management & Product Marketing Training
Recommendation: 4Marketeers.com
You’re Going to Call Her What? Part 2

280 Insider Product Marketing Newsletter, August 2006
Creating Compelling Product Roadmaps, Part 2
Developer Program Toolkit Now Available
November Product Management & Product Marketing Training
SVPMA September: Brian Lawley Compelling Product Roadmaps
You’re Going to Call Her What?

The 280 Insider Product Management Newsletter, June 2006
Creating Compelling Product Roadmaps, Part 1
Product Roadmap Toolkit Now Available
Cool Product & Hot Companies Blog
SVPMA July: Adobe Acrobat
Getting the Most our of Focus Groups, Part 2

280 Insider Marketing Newsletter March, 2006 
Running Successful Beta Programs Part 4
Marketing Fun: Ad Slogan Generator
Cool Products, Hot Companies Blog
New Product: Beta Program Toolkit
Getting the Most Out of Focus Groups

280 Insider Marketing Newsletter February, 2006 
Running Successful Beta Programs Part 4
Marketing Fun: Ad Slogan Generator
Cool Products, Hot Companies Blog
New Product: Beta Program Toolkit
10 Steps to Global Launch Success Part 2

280 Insider Marketing Newsletter September, 2005 
Running Successful Beta Programs Part 3
Marketing Fun: The Engadget Retroencabulator
Ten Steps to Global Launch Success

280 Insider Marketing Newsletter June, 2005 
Running Successful Beta Programs Part 2
Marketing Fun: Corporate Gibberish & Bullfighter
Product Manager’s Toolkit
Google AdWords Booklet
Content-Free Buzzword-Compliant Vocabulary List

280 Insider Marketing Newsletter May, 2005 
Running Successful Beta Programs
New Booklet: Google AdWords Tips & Strategies
Product Manager’s Toolkit V1.5
Brian Lawley speaking at AIPMM conference

280 Insider Product Management Newsletter April, 2005 
Marketing Courage
Working With Difficult Engineering Teams Part 3
Book Review: Confidence

280 Insider Marketing Newsletter February, 2005 
Writing Benefits For Your Features
Working With Difficult Engineering Teams Part 2
New! Product Manager’s Toolkit v1.5
Hot Companies: GamesGrid

280 Insider Product Management Newsletter January, 2005 
Google AdWords Strategies: Part Four
Working with Difficult Engineering Teams
SVPMA & AIPMM Product Manager’s Toolkit
280 Group Services
280 Group Product Management Training

280 Insider Marketing Newsletter December 2004
SVPMA & AIPMM Members: Special Offer
Google AdWords Strategies Part 3
The Gold Feature MRD Technique
Hot Companies: JotSpot
280 Group Product Management Training

280 Insider Marketing Newsletter September 2004
Product Manager’s Toolkit
Google AdWords Strategies Part 2
NorCalBMA Presentation: Product Reviews
How to Become a Great Product Manager

280 Insider Product Management Newsletter August 2004
NEW! Product Manager’s Toolkit
Google AdWords Strategies
Bull Market ebook Featuring 280 Group
Marketing & PM Tools: Inspiration Software Product Review

280 Insider Marketing Newsletter June 2004
The 280 Group Has Moved
Book review: Software Product Management Essentials
280 Group in Seth Godin’s FREE Bull Market Ebook
Using Themes To Focus Product Releases

280 Insider Product Management Newsletter 3.16. 2004 
AIPMM Product Marketing & Product Management Conference
Companies to Watch: FireTide
Books to read: Product Marketing Handbook for Software
New from 280: QuickSurveys

280 Insider Product Management Newsletter 1.13. 2004 
The Hidden Costs of Offshoring
Companies to Watch: SocialText
Training Product Managers To Use New Software & Tools

280 Insider Product Management Newsletter 11.20.03
Books to read: Now, Discover Your Strengths
Announcements: Accept Software Partnership
Evolving Product Planning Technology
Companies to watch: LinkedIn

280 Insider Product Management Newsletter 10.23.03
Marketing Trends: Product Promises
Books to read: In Search of Stupidity
Silicon Valley 4.0 Conference
Companies to watch: Plaxo

280 Insider Product Management Newsletter 10.10.03
What’s hot in Marketing: Google and Search engine optimization
Books to read: Purple Cow by Seth Godin
Opinion: Branding industry standards
Companies to watch: Omniva Policy Systems