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2008-2009 Product Management and Marketing Survey Results

Every year, Pragmatic Marketing conducts a survey of product managers and marketers in technology companies. This session will review the results of the 2007-2008 survey and discuss current titles and job responsibilities, compensation, and the scope of activities product managers and marketers are performing as part of their role in today's competitive environment.


Watch 2008-2009 Product Management and Marketing Survey Results








About the Presenter

richRich Nutinsky is a recognized thought-leader in the area of industry analyst relations. With 18 years of experience in the software industry and with 15 years in product management he has launched several successful software products using the Pragmatic Marketing Framework.

Prior to joining Pragmatic Marketing, Rich served in various product management positions for companies such as Arasys Technologies where he was Vice President of Product Management and Development. He also engaged with market leaders such as Microsoft, AT&T, DuPont, NEC, GE and Siemens, where he worked with top level executives on improving their product strategy, product management, and marketing processes. Rich has helped companies bring numerous products to market domestically and internationally, through both direct and indirect channels. Rich attributes his success to his extensive background and experience, which has given him a deep understanding of the business processes that support the product lifecycle in the technology segment.



Opinion?

Posted by Alford Frost at 2009-04-03 06:10 PM
How about options & equity as compensation? Tech vs not - this same trend for Pdt Mkting?

Question

Posted by Paul Rogers at 2009-04-03 06:10 PM
Were there any indications of a correlation between how new product management department is to an organization against how much product managers are paid?

correlations

Posted by Steve Johnson at 2009-04-05 04:39 AM
We didn't see any correlations with payment for old versus new. Instead, we see that product managers are compensated for their skills and technical expertise. However, companies that are just implementing product management are doing so for a reason. The old ways are no longer working; they want more consistent successes and see product management as the solution.

Question

Posted by Vineet Goel at 2009-04-03 06:10 PM
For existing PMs, how much of an impact can ""getting an MBA"" bring - on compensation and being more effective overall?

MBA's matter

Posted by Steve Johnson at 2009-04-03 11:52 PM
We did a writeup on this in 2005. The numbers have changed but the results have stayed the same. Master's degrees translate to about 20% more in compensation. The perception by hiring managers is that a Master's degree--usually an MBA--makes for a product manager who has better business analysis skills. And 44% of product managers do! This shows a continuing trend to hire business-savvy over technical-savvy.

See the article at http://www.pragmaticmarketing.com/publications/survey/2005/does-a-masters-degree-make-a-difference

Recommendations?

Posted by Michael Rosales at 2009-04-03 06:10 PM
I have been a product specialist in the past. Meaning that I had responsibilities that directly contributed to the development and launch of a prouduct, The title of PM, I have never had. How do I convince potential employers that I have the skills set and sound education to be a sucessful PM? Do you recommend a specific approach?

use the framework

Posted by Steve Johnson at 2009-04-05 04:39 AM
I suggest that you highlight the portions of your proven skills as they relate to the Pragmatic Marketing Framework. And for title, I'd list it as "Product Specialist (known as the Technical Product Manager on the Pragmatic Marketing Framework" (that is, if that's what your skills correspond to). Print off a copy of the framework and use it in your interviewing. You may also want to consider signing up for our Practical Product Management seminar and becoming Pragmatic Marketing Certified. You'll have the credentials even if you don't have the exact title. As Rich pointed out, companies use hundreds of different titles for the product management role.

Roles and Responsibilities

Posted by Amy Robinson at 2009-04-03 06:10 PM
Do other companies have problems distinguishing between Product Manager strategic responsibilities from Director of Product management strategic responsibilities?

titles are a mess

Posted by Steve Johnson at 2009-04-05 04:39 AM
When we look at activities we see product managers doing product marketing, we see product marketing managers doing product management. And you're right: we see Directors doing the work of product management too. We take the approach that activities matter and titles don't. We developed the product management triad to highlight these activities and assign some typical titles to those who perform the activities.

Gender Compensation

Posted by Andrew Shepard at 2009-04-03 06:10 PM
Could the change in gender compensation be related to the change/trend in companies responding....or is there a corelation between gender and other driving factors like technology or CPG?

The Recession

Posted by Larry McKeogh at 2009-04-03 06:10 PM
Any data on likelihood for PM/PMM to be susceptable to layoffs during recessions?

the recession

Posted by Steve Johnson at 2009-04-05 04:39 AM
Of course, we are seeing layoffs in the industry. In many cases, we're seeing many companies cut compensation across the board rather than laying off individuals. Everybody takes a 10% pay cut instead of 10% of the folks getting fired. As we've said for years, product managers should be proving their worth in the business areas--rather than the technical--of the job. And if your executive team cannot quickly say "product management is the expert on the market," you might find yourself in an uncomfortable position. We have experts in the product in development; we have experts in selling in sales. What is your expertise? Let's hope your executive team knows it too.

Salaries by job title

Posted by Cory Mann at 2009-06-11 07:02 PM
As your sample size dwindles when looking at each job title, and averages get skewed, it would be useful to see the median (midpoint) or mode (most frequent) responses. Any chance you could share those data? I'd be very interested to see those compared to the highs & lows you presented.

Thanks!