From “product definition” to “efficiency cost optimization.”
Editor’s note: This article is from WeChat public account “Liuyanfeiyu” (ID: liufeinotes ), the author Liu Yanfei.
Talk about the changes of product managers at any time.
About the points, there are two kinds of product managers, one is to do demand mining, it can also be called product definition, from 0 to 1, model innovation, etc. This kind of is to find huge experience difference space when new elements arrive. The other is to focus on efficiency costs, from experience, from interaction, from growth, from problem disassembly, from project advancement, to achieve product efficiency cost optimization, without changing product models and business models.
Explain the two types of product managers first.
From the perspective of the development of the times, the first category of product functions requires not only the level but also the opportunity. Since the development of the Internet, new elements have indeed been inexhaustible and intensive. From a broad perspective, the core is the three key new elements of “Internet”, “Mobile Internet/Smartphone” and “Mobile Payment”. The result is that there is a huge gap in experience when each new element comes.
The most well-known product managers Zhang Xiaolong and Yu Jun, and even early in-depth participation in product definitions, Ma Huateng, Zhou Hongyi, and Jobs are all such product managers. At the same time as they caught up with the trend of the times, they seized the huge experience space of redefining the products of “social”, “information acquisition” and “smartphone”. In terms of the value of the contribution, the biggest one is not the interface experience, nor the interaction details, but more based on the product model under the deep understanding of the user.
Because there are not many opportunities to define a product model, we see that more than 95% of product managers on the market are in the second category.
These product managers are generally industry experts (social, travel, takeaway, education), or a module of experts (growth, marketing, experience) that do not redefine the product, but rather Clear core product models, combined with their own understanding of the industry, to find more optimization space, and seek more low-cost product strategies.
Early product managers are almost all so-called web product designers, APP experience product managers, and more straightforward is the interface designer, focusing on the content of the interface presentation level. Good interface presentation can enhance the appeal of products during this period. Many products have similar product models, and products with good experience will easily stand out and reduce.User cost.
The concept of “products” has grown in depth since the transfer of Internet products from simple information services to the provision of more offline services. Taobao not only does the two sides match, but also does the consumer service and logistics system, as well as takeaway and travel. At this time, the strategic product manager came into being, and more attention was paid to “using the strategy to improve the effect”. Whether it is the personalized recommendation of the e-commerce, or the matching of the taxi when the taxi is used, no, the product can be used, and the product will be Better use, or more “commercial value.”
Growth product managers, including the recent hot mid-level product managers, are also based on the background of the times, because there is not much room for “demand mining” and “poor experience”, so more products should pay attention to In terms of the efficiency of pulling and retaining these operations, the focus is on how to achieve business value at a lower cost.
The typical one is the product manager of the headline. They all have strong data beliefs (or it is difficult to do things efficiently in the company without data beliefs). They are repeatedly looking for faster and better ways to grow because In essence, the headline business is low-cost access to traffic and high-value sales advertising. Both of these data-driven and iterative products have achieved remarkable results.
It is worth mentioning that commercial product managers will be special. The commercialization of certain products is to explore new commercial products, such as Momo research live and small games, or many years ago, QQ invented QQ show and QQ space value-added services, more of a “demand mining” role. Nowadays, most of the so-called commercial product managers actually do advertising, which is an advertising strategy product manager, and some even just the advertising back-end product manager, obviously belong to the second category.
From the perspective of changes in the times, the type or function of product managers is such a change:
In the entrepreneurial bonus period that the three elements followed, most of the first-generation product managers did the demand mining, and once they were dug, these people became mostly successful entrepreneurs and even giant business owners.
After the dividend disappears, most product managers become screws. Even some product managers called CPO or VP in some companies are leading the product team to optimize the cost of efficiency rather than defining the role of the product.
The true definition of a product is actually an early product manager or founding team. Even with the strategic thinking of the US group, the product model is to find ready-made, product development and business team’s responsibility is to make the cost and efficiency to the extreme, and force the competitors.
In the entrepreneurial bonus period, the product manager can prove his ability by confirming the user’s needs. The marginal cost is very low, for example, to do QQ show based on QQ, orTo do Baidu Post Bar based on Baidu search is something that product managers can drive. Once successful, you can lay the ground.
In the era of screws, product managers are often not defined but optimized, and they become the same as the operational pursuit of business indicators, more to prove their capabilities with KPI, and in the project with operations, markets, etc. Fight for your decision-making power and voice. Or from another perspective, it is difficult for a screw product manager to independently achieve business goals without the cooperation of operations and business.
The two years have often been said by half-joking, the era of classical product managers is over. In fact, the role of “making definitions” disappears, all fade away from the aura, and become the same “doing business” role as operations (even sometimes Not as good as the operation).
Even if I am often told to sing and swear in the industry, I still have to insist on this. For a long time in the future, all industries need more than the same screw role to make products, and even some companies are called product operations or business managers, title is not important. .
Finally, give a few suggestions.
First, product managers need to be self-aware.
The product manager in the workplace, do not feel that he is the role of the product of change, is the striker, but accept that the current stage of the war has ended, to become an operator, to do logistics supply.
Second, product managers should have a self-examination.
See what you are doing, whether it really solves the business problem, or stay in the traditional sense of “APP product manager” or “functional product manager.”
The product manager has a high premium due to years of industry touting. If you find yourself having no value in the organization and have the opportunity to transfer jobs to solve business problems, don’t worry too much about whether you are a product manager.
In the next three to five years, the salary and treatment of product managers and market supply and demand will continue to cool down and return to rationality.
Third, to start a business, there is still a chance for demand mining.
For the product manager who still wants to be a product-driven entrepreneur, the next new element will definitely come. It is only when I am coming. I am somewhat pessimistic and unlikely to be at least three or five years old.
Some of the existing entrepreneurial opportunities are rarely product driven.
They will be in places that require patience, like consumer brands, supply chains, education, medical care… Space is big enough, but higher resource costs to explore and try, not as simple as pure online products It also requires long-term verification, and it is not easy to get results within a year or two.
This kind of entrepreneur seems to seldom claim to be a product manager?
I hope I can help you.