The relationship between the Product Manager (or PM team) and the Sales force is one that is filled with great potential for all parties and also prone to frequent misuse or abuse.  Frankly, it is a complicated relationship that should be governed by some shared rules of engagement and some good commonsense about when to throw the rules out in support of getting the job done.

I have a great degree of respect and empathy for the individuals on both sides of this relationship—I’ve been in both roles and managed both teams.  Product Managers need to be in the market engaged with clients in order to grown and learn. Sales Reps naturally benefit from showcasing the "expert" with current and prospective clients. 

However, these mutual needs can quickly become unbalanced without some over-riding rules governing the relationship.  I’ve been in too many meetings where the semi-well-intentioned Rep will kick-off a sales call with some witty banter and then turn to the unwitting Product Manager and say, "John is here to tell you why our product is so great and how our next version will bring you to the promised land."    Alternatively, I’ve spent too much time sorting out the confusion over a Product Manager’s well intended but misperceived comments to a client. 

Suggestions for Creating an Effective Product Manager/Sales Team Relationship:

  • First, the role of the Product Manager in the organization should be clearly spelled out and visible.  I encourage PM teams to work with their cross-functional constituents to develop and promote a "Product Management Charter" that outlines their role and key accountabilities.  This chartering exercise can prove valuable in building bridges, soliciting ideas and in ensuring that current and new PMs truly understand their role and what others expect of them. 
  • Hopefully, the sales team has a clearly identified sales process model.  It is important for this model to spell out when and where it makes sense to formally engage PM members in the selling process.  Additionally, this process model should define what is expected of the PM at this time.  If the model does not have that level of granularity, this is a great opportunity for the leaders of these functions to collaborate and bake in the proper approach for engaging Product Management.
  • Product Managers should not generally be used as sales support.  Nonetheless, Product Managers can and should support the sales effort through input and/or presentation on product vision/direction.  This includes active participation in components of an RFP and/or elements of presentations or presentation development.  The regular use of Product Managers as sales support underscores a problem with organizational structure, resources, process or all of the above.  The Product Manager cannot properly execute his/her role and responsibilities from a sales support capacity.
  • Product Managers want and need to be in front of customers.  They need context on the use of their products, input on futures and feedback on performance.  I’ve observed situations where a well-intentioned Product Manager is backed into a selling-situation by a current customer and improper commitments made without the involvement of the sales relationship owner.  To avoid this problem, customer contact visits or calls should always be attended by the relationship owner from sales.  This good practice helps avoid a great deal of potential for miscommunication and heartache. 
  • Alternatively, I’ve watched as overly protective sales representatives or managers restrict Product Manager access to clients in the name of not wanting to cloud the selling process.  There is certainly a time when it does not make sense to add variables to an already complex selling situation, but if "restricted access" is the operating style, it is time for the respective team leaders to sit down and revisit their rules of engagement.

The bottom-line:

There is tremendous potential for value-creation from an effective Product Manager/Sales team relationship.  Through effective collaboration, the Product Manager gains critical context for their offerings and develops unique insights into customer needs.  The Sales professional gains a valuable participant in the selling process at the right time and for the right reasons: clarification, direction and vision.  But like any relationship, if one party fails to play by some common-sense rules, the relationship degrades and even becomes counter-productive.  Focus on clarifying the roles and rules and this potentially powerful relationship will pay dividends for years to come.