What is the single most important skill / expertise for a relatively junior PMM to cultivate that separates the good from the (potentially) great?

I think Messaging / Positioning / Storytelling are absolute must-haves, but then - in true Product Marketing fashion, you have to clearly identify your edge. What’s your core differentiation on the market?

I personally love skills such as

• Customer facing skills (if you come from a sales/ CS background)
• Being able to go deep into the tech - you can build demo, not just decks
• If you have an intimate knowledge of the customer journey, you can work on adoption programs
• If you like teaching then Enablement will be your BFF
• etc.

The single most important skill is to deeply understand and feel a sense of ownership over how your company makes money and where the problems are in the marketing-SDR-sales funnel. Or in the self-serve funnel, depending upon your business model.

PMMs are drawn to the function generally because it is really fun to be an awesome product expert and storyteller. Oftentimes, PMMs will showcase to me the volume and quality of their content work in interviews. What I am looking for, however, is for you to show me IMPACT.

I want you to think of yourself as a GTM architect or mini-GM, who is responsible for the success of a product line through all channels - demand gen, the website, SDRs, sales, etc. Meet with those leaders. Understand their function. Deeply internalize the metrics they track, Orient your work to improve those metrics. 

In an interview for a Sr. PMM role, I want you to tell me what the top 2 problems in the business were that you helped to fix. For example not enough top-of-funnel momentum for a given product line, and poor MQL to SQL conversions.

I want you to show me that you worked with Demand Gen to analyze the top-of-funnel problems. Not winning for key search terms? You helped them define the search terms they should be winning. No one clicking on ads? You helped them with better ad copy. Getting lots of clicks on ads but poor conversions to leads? You helped them by swapping in an asset that led to better conversions.

I want you to show me that you worked with SDR leadership to find out why MQL to SQL conversions were so low. Under-performing SDR sequences? You helped by creating more compelling copy and CTAs. SDRs not equipped to handle objections? You helped with talking points and enablement. Losing deals to competitors? You embedded competitive positioning earlier in the buyer’s journey (i.e. on the website, the blog, in ads), and you enabled the SDR team on differentiators.

You will stand out for me if you show me how your awesome storytelling and product expertise has resulted in business impact.

Stakeholder management is the most important skill/expertise for a junior PMM, and it will set them apart. Stakeholder management is the umbrella term I use that encompasses:

• Cross-functional team communications

• Cross-functional team management

• Transparent, timely, and concise communication

• Timely follow-ups

• Getting stakeholder buy-in

Ultimately, like in most careers, cultivating relationships and aligning people around a single objective are powerful tools that will help a PMM progress in their career.