We track Product so you don't have to. Top Podcasts summarised, the latest AI tools, plus research and news in a 5 min digest.

Hey Product fans! 👋 

Welcome to this week’s 🌮 Product Tapas. If you’ve been forwarded this, it’s great to have you on board. You can sign up and check out previous editions here.

Let’s take a look at what’s on the menu this week 🧑‍🍳 

📰 Not Boring: Google's taken a step back with Gemini, halting its AI's ability to generate images of people amid diversity concerns. Meanwhile, they're still relentlessly launching looking to integrate it directly into Chrome. Instagram is trialling a new marketplace to blend brands with creators across 8 additional countries, while Uber is testing prepaid-item pickup for gig workers from local stores in India. We cover a neat solution from Yorba for those looking to tidy up their digital lives and news of Locker's recent funding success to help you organise your shopping desires…. and a whole load more.

📰 Time-Saving Tools & GPTs: Today’s time-savers cover examples to help with documentation, AI art creation, one-click design to code and writing. Oh and we also bring you a list of 40 AI-powered research tools 🚀 - short, sweet but jam-packed with useful links.

🍔 Blog Bites: After sifting through about 30 blogs and countless reports we bring you four of our favourites of the week. From exploring the multi-product journey with insights from an early Stripe PM to a breakdown of the top video call apps by Built for Mars, to how to optimise growth in marketplaces and finally a 101 on effective comparison tables - we’ve got you covered for case studies to actionable lessons.

🎙️ Pod Shots: We finish up with another from Lenny - the difference being it’s one I nearly didn’t listen to, but glad I did. Learn about setting up sales teams in startups and how to optimise the sales/product team dynamic.

Plenty to get stuck into - off we go! 🚀👇

📰 Not boring

• Google pauses Gemini’s ability to generate AI images of people after diversity complaints. Oof.

  • In other Google news (unsurprisingly) Google may build Gemini AI directly into Chrome

• Instagram launches its marketplace to connect brands and creators in 8 new countries

• Samsung is bringing Galaxy AI features to more devices

• New product Yorba launches to help you manage and declutter your online life

• Locker “Pinterest for online shopping” secured $2.5m round ($9m valuation) to help you organise your shopping links into virtual wish lists and collages

• Apple says the iPhone 15’s battery got better — but won’t say exactly how

  • and in other Apple news, they’re shuffling the leadership team for their Audio products

• Uber testing prepaid-item pickup for gig workers from local stores in India

• Uber Eats to begin self-driving robot deliveries in Japan

• Nvidia posts record revenue, beats expectations and declares AI ‘tipping point’. Not bad for a $1.5tr business 👀 

• Tinder announces it’s expanding its ID Verification to users in US, UK, Brazil & Mexico

• Twilio begins operational review of activist-targeted business unit Segment ahead of sell-off

• Track your life and trend your success with an intuitive heatmap calendar app from Yearly (iPhone only)

• Gemini 1.5 (Google’s latest ChatGPT rival) is supposedly significantly better at recalling specifics from long docs. Superhuman.ai tells more:

Want even more news?? View more here → 

📰 Time-Saving Tools & GPTs

Short and sweet today covering PRDs, images, a Google docs alternative and research tool. That said, that’s slightly misleading as the 1st link has 40 (!) tools to peruse 👇

• Wonder: has pulled together a list of 40 AI Powered desk-research tools 🔥 

• delibr: aims to be your copilot for PRDs - “Go from idea and feedback to a crisp document linked to Jira tickets with the help of a generative AI assistant”

• Prompt Hunt: aims to help you create AI art in seconds

• Locofy: helps you go from design to code in 1 click 👀 

• ButterDocs: Launches a “Google Docs alternative for serious writers and teams”. Its aim is to help you run a more productive writing process with a built-in notes app, outlining board, tools for focus, and collaboration

🍔 Blog Bites

We’re mixing up the order today, so you get to see some of the awesome article links in the email without them getting cut off by your email client. Pod shots follow at the end!

Case Study: Lessons on Going Multi-Product from an Early Stripe PM

Great interview with Tara Sheshan who shares nine lessons for going multi-product. She was the PM on Radar, Stripe's first monetized product outside of core payments, and she helped scale Billing and Treasury from 0 to 1 as a product lead and GM. 

Case Study: Which is better; Zoom, Teams or Meet?

I’m pretty sure Peter Ramsey has a 100% hit ratio on breakdowns and articles. Built for Mars never misses. Like not once. And here we are again with another excellent, easy-to-read (and amusing) breakdown of the 3 leading video call apps. 100% essential reading IMO.

Learn: The Best Way to Drive Demand in Marketplaces is Hiding in Plain Sight

You can read the full article here

Learn: How to Create Comparison Tables for Products, Services & Features

Consistency in content, scannability, and a simple layout are some of the most important qualities of successful comparison tables - read this article to dig deeper into the ins, outs and best practices of creating them.

🎙️ Pod Shots

Product and sales often have a health/unhealthy tension. In startups, it’s easy to get distracted building things to the demands of the sales team - which doesn’t always scale. BUT they’re also the window to your customers so it’s essential you understand how to work with sales. This episode is a great one filled with loads of actionable nuggets - and at least it’ll help product managers better understand the sales side of the business, so definitely recommend you check out the summary below.

🤖 Building a world-class sales org

🎙️ Listen to the full episode here 

📆 Published: February 18th, 2024

🕒 Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes. Time saved: 119 minutes🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 

🎙️ Hiring Your First Salesperson

When considering hiring your first salesperson, it's crucial to have closed the initial 10 customers as founders. This hands-on experience provides valuable insights into the market and customer needs. Additionally, if more than 20% of your time is spent on sales, it's time to create leverage by bringing in sales reps. The goal is to find individuals who can effectively communicate the value of your product to potential customers.

🔍️ The Importance of Two Sales Reps

Lemkin emphasises the significance of hiring two sales reps initially. These reps should be individuals you would personally buy your product from. They need to understand the product inside out and be able to articulate its value proposition effectively. By conducting thorough interviews and observing how candidates present the product, you can identify those who possess the necessary skills and passion for sales.

⁉️ When to Hire a VP of Sales

Before hiring a VP of Sales, ensure that you have two successful sales reps hitting their quotas consistently. The VP of Sales should be someone who is willing to be hands-on and actively engage in customer interactions. Lemkin stresses the importance of finding a VP of Sales who is passionate about selling and not just focused on managing processes. This individual should be willing to lead by example and actively participate in sales activities.

🖊️ Setting Up the "Sell Me This Pen" Exercise

During the interview process, candidates should be given the task of selling the product, similar to the "Sell Me This Pen" exercise. This exercise helps assess the candidate's ability to understand the product and effectively communicate its value. Candidates should be encouraged to watch explainer videos or webinars about the product to gain a deeper understanding. By observing how candidates approach this task, you can gauge their sales skills and product knowledge. Lemkin also stresses the importance of this not being set up to trick or catch-out candidates - something equally as relevant in product case study interviews.

🙃 The Role of Honesty and Problem-Solving in Sales

In the B2B sales world, honesty and problem-solving are key components of successful sales strategies. Sales reps should focus on understanding the customer's needs and offering solutions that address those needs effectively. Lemkin highlights the importance of being transparent with customers and guiding them towards the best solution, even if it means recommending a competitor's product. By prioritizing problem-solving and customer-centricity, sales reps can build trust and credibility with potential clients.

🧠 What can I do with this as a founder or PM?

OK so this is a great 1010 on B2B sales in startups. How is the relevant to you as a founder or PM?

Customer-Centric Product Development

• Solving Customer Problems: Emphasise developing solutions that address specific customer needs and pain points, leading to products that resonate well with the target audience.

• Customer Engagement: Build strong relationships with customers by understanding their challenges, being transparent, and genuinely offering solutions to their problems, which can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Theme 2: Strategic Team Building and Management

• Hiring Passionate Team Members: When building a sales or product management team, prioritise candidates who are not only knowledgeable but also genuinely interested in solving customer problems. This leads to a more customer-centric development process.

• Transitioning to Leadership Roles: Wait until a solid sales foundation is established before hiring higher-level positions like a VP of Sales. Ensure they remain actively involved in customer interactions to align sales strategies with product development efforts.

Theme 3: Aligning Sales and Product Strategies

• Cohesive Strategy Development: A hands-on approach by sales leadership in customer-facing activities ensures that sales strategies are in tune with product development, driving a unified approach to business growth.

• Problem-Solving Mindset: Adopting a problem-solving approach in both sales and product development can enhance the effectiveness of the product, meet customer needs more accurately, and contribute to the overall success of the business.

Conclusion

Building a successful sales team in the B2B SaaS industry requires a combination of strategic hiring, hands-on leadership, and a customer-centric approach. By focusing on problem-solving, honesty, and effective communication, sales teams can drive success and build lasting relationships with clients. Lemkin's practical advice and insights serve as a valuable guide for founders and sales professionals looking to elevate their sales strategies in the competitive SaaS market.

If these sound like they resonate dig in more below.

Want to quickly know more? Just ask the episode below👇️ 🤯 
or if you prefer, 🎙️ Listen to the full episode here 

📅 Timestamps:

• [00:01:29] Building a sales team.

• [00:17:12] Hiring the right sales rep.

• [00:21:30] Early sales team importance.

• [00:26:43] Hiring a VP of Sales.

• [00:37:35] Selling solutions, not products.

• [00:44:32] Hiring Sales Reps Successfully.

• [00:51:35] Sales team scaling strategies.

• [00:59:31] B2B to B2D transition.

• [01:02:27] Hiring a stretch VP of sales.

• [01:10:02] Product involvement in sales.

• [01:19:41] Balancing Product and Sales Priorities.

• [01:21:52] Customer success challenges.

• [01:24:55] Dark side of upselling.

• [01:29:22] Sales strategies and resources.

• [01:32:35] The importance of free trials.

• [01:36:29] Product-led growth and freemium.

Please, one last thing - share the love!

• ONE: Get one person to sign up and get access to our curated selection of Product GPTs; handpicked from our review of over 15,000 GPTs (and counting)

• FIVE: Send this to five people who sign up and get our free Product Maturity Audit

• TEN: Get three 1:1 coaching/mentoring sessions with me.

That’s a wrap.

As always, the journey doesn't end here!

Keep exploring, keep questioning, and most importantly, keep growing in your product journey.

Please do share to help us continue to grow and let us know what you would like to see more or less of so we can continue to improve your Product Tapas. 🚀👋

Alastair & the Product Tapas Team 🍽️.