Pragmatic Marketing Framework
The proven blueprint of successful market-driven organizations.
The Pragmatic Marketing Framework provides a standard language for your entire product team and a blueprint of the key activities needed to bring profitable, problem-oriented products to market. The best way to learn about the framework? Take our courses, where we’ll teach you practical ways to implement all of these strategies. But for a sneak peek, click on any of the boxes below to bring up a description.
Market
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Market Problems
Discover problems in the market by interviewing customers, recent evaluators and untapped, potential customers. Validate urgent problems to show their pervasiveness in the market.
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Win/Loss Analysis
Understand why recent evaluators of the product did or did not buy and what steps they took in the buying process.
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Distinctive Competencies
Articulate and leverage the organization's unique abilities to deliver value to the market.
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Competitive Landscape
Identify competitive and alternative offerings in the market. Assess their strengths and weaknesses. Develop a strategy for winning against the competition.
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Asset Assessment
Inventory your assets (technical, skills, services, patents, other) and determine ways that they can be leveraged.
Focus
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Market Definition
Map needs with target markets and analyze the market segments to actively pursue. Ensure that the targeted segments are large enough to support the current and future business of the product.
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Distribution Strategy
Determine which channels best align with your markets' buying preferences.
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Product Portfolio
Integrate products into a coherent portfolio of products focused on the market. Manage the portfolio like a "product" (business plan, positioning, buying process, market requirements and marketing plan).
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Product Roadmap
Illustrate the vision and key phases of deliverables for the product. The roadmap is a plan, not a commitment.
Business
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Business Plan
Perform an objective analysis of a potential market opportunity to provide a basis for investment. Articulate what you learned in the market and quantify the risk, including a financial model.
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Pricing
Establish a pricing model, schedules, guidelines and procedures.
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Buy, Build or Partner
Determine the most effective way to deliver a complete solution to an identified market problem. Where you have gaps in your offering, analyze whether to buy, build, or partner to complete the solution for your market.
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Product Profitability
Monitor and analyze key performance indicators to determine how well the product is performing in the market, how it impacts the company operations, and ultimately, how it contributes to profit.
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Innovation
Focus your teams' creative spirit on solving market problems by leveraging your organization's distinctive competencies.
Planning
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Positioning
Describe the product by its ability to solve market problems. Create internal positioning documents that will be used to develop external messages focused on each key buyer or persona.
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Buying Process
Research and document the buying process your target personas use to select a product. Understand the barriers that buyers encounter during their selection process.
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Buyer Personas
Define the archetypical buyers involved in the purchasing of your products and services.
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User Personas
Define the archetypical users of your products or services.
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Requirements
Articulate and prioritize personas and their problems so that the appropriate products can be built.
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Use Scenarios
Illustrate market problems in a "story" that puts the problem in context. Use scenarios are one component of requirements.
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Stakeholder Comm.
Manage proactive communications with relevant stakeholders from strategy through execution.
Programs
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Marketing Plan
Articulate the strategies and tactics for generating awareness and leads for the upcoming fiscal period, including key programs and events with measurements and goals.
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Customer Acquistion
Define the specific plans and budgets for selling products and services to new customers.
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Customer Retention
Define the specific plans and budgets for ensuring customer loyalty as well as selling products and services to existing customers.
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Program Effectiveness
Measure and tune product marketing programs to ensure alignment with corporate goals.
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Launch Plan
Ensure that all departments are prepared for new product releases and all items are completed to launch the product externally.
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Thought Leadership
Create and deliver thoughtful information (webinars, blogs, eBooks, etc.) to influence customers, buyers, industry specialists, research analysts, key editors in the press and other third parties.
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Lead Generation
Develop a lead generation process that is designed to generate and nurture qualified leads with an objective to turn prospects into satisfied customers.
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Referrals & References
Identify customers who are willing to give testimonials, be featured in case studies, or agree to be a reference account.
Readiness
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Sales Process
Align your organization's selling process to the buying process, describing the key personas' information needs for each step in the process.
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Collateral
Create collateral for buyer personas focused on a specific step of the buying process.
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Sales Tools
Create tools for salespeople focused on a specific step of the selling process.
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Channel Training
Design and deliver training programs to help the sales channels focus on how to sell the product, not how to use it.
Support
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Presentations & Demos
Produce standard product presentations and demo scripts that can be used by the sales team in a typical sales process.
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"Special" Calls
Deliver product information to qualified buyers in support of existing sales efforts.
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Event Support
Provide product and market expertise for events such as conferences, tradeshows, webinars and seminars.
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Channel Support
Provide ongoing support for the sales channel. Look for opportunities to make support more repeatable.
Select an activity to see a description.
Identify competitive and alternative offerings in the market. Assess their strengths and weaknesses. Develop a strategy for winning against the competition.
Illustrate the vision and key phases of deliverables for the product. The roadmap is a plan, not a commitment.
Focus your teams' creative spirit on solving market problems by leveraging your organization's distinctive competencies.
Articulate and prioritize personas and their problems so that the appropriate products can be built.
Ensure that all departments are prepared for new product releases and all items are completed to launch the product externally.
Align your organization's selling process to the buying process, describing the key personas' information needs for each step in the process.
Produce standard product presentations and demo scripts that can be used by the sales team in a typical sales process.
Inventory your assets (technical, skills, services, patents, other) and determine ways that they can be leveraged.
Illustrate market problems in a "story" that puts the problem in context. Use scenarios are one component of requirements.
Create and deliver thoughtful information (webinars, blogs, eBooks, etc.) to influence customers, buyers, industry specialists, research analysts, key editors in the press and other third parties.
Create collateral for buyer personas focused on a specific step of the buying process.
Deliver product information to qualified buyers in support of existing sales efforts.
Manage proactive communications with relevant stakeholders from strategy through execution.
Develop a lead generation process that is designed to generate and nurture qualified leads with an objective to turn prospects into satisfied customers.
Create tools for salespeople focused on a specific step of the selling process.
Provide product and market expertise for events such as conferences, tradeshows, webinars and seminars.
Identify customers who are willing to give testimonials, be featured in case studies, or agree to be a reference account.
Design and deliver training programs to help the sales channels focus on how to sell the product, not how to use it.
Provide ongoing support for the sales channel. Look for opportunities to make support more repeatable.
Articulate and leverage the organization's unique abilities to deliver value to the market.
Integrate products into a coherent portfolio of products focused on the market. Manage the portfolio like a "product" (business plan, positioning, buying process, market requirements and marketing plan).
Monitor and analyze key performance indicators to determine how well the product is performing in the market, how it impacts the company operations, and ultimately, how it contributes to profit.
Define the archetypical users of your products or services.
Measure and tune product marketing programs to ensure alignment with corporate goals.
Understand why recent evaluators of the product did or did not buy and what steps they took in the buying process.
Determine which channels best align with your markets' buying preferences.
Determine the most effective way to deliver a complete solution to an identified market problem. Where you have gaps in your offering, analyze whether to buy, build, or partner to complete the solution for your market.
Define the archetypical buyers involved in the purchasing of your products and services.
Define the specific plans and budgets for ensuring customer loyalty as well as selling products and services to existing customers.
Discover problems in the market by interviewing customers, recent evaluators and untapped, potential customers. Validate urgent problems to show their pervasiveness in the market.
Map needs with target markets and analyze the market segments to actively pursue. Ensure that the targeted segments are large enough to support the current and future business of the product.
Establish a pricing model, schedules, guidelines and procedures.
Research and document the buying process your target personas use to select a product. Understand the barriers that buyers encounter during their selection process.
Define the specific plans and budgets for selling products and services to new customers.
Perform an objective analysis of a potential market opportunity to provide a basis for investment. Articulate what you learned in the market and quantify the risk, including a financial model.
Describe the product by its ability to solve market problems. Create internal positioning documents that will be used to develop external messages focused on each key buyer or persona.
Articulate the strategies and tactics for generating awareness and leads for the upcoming fiscal period, including key programs and events with measurements and goals.
Select an activity to see a description.
Identify competitive and alternative offerings in the market. Assess their strengths and weaknesses. Develop a strategy for winning against the competition.
Illustrate the vision and key phases of deliverables for the product. The roadmap is a plan, not a commitment.
Focus your teams' creative spirit on solving market problems by leveraging your organization's distinctive competencies.
Articulate and prioritize personas and their problems so that the appropriate products can be built.
Ensure that all departments are prepared for new product releases and all items are completed to launch the product externally.
Align your organization's selling process to the buying process, describing the key personas' information needs for each step in the process.
Produce standard product presentations and demo scripts that can be used by the sales team in a typical sales process.
Inventory your assets (technical, skills, services, patents, other) and determine ways that they can be leveraged.
Illustrate market problems in a "story" that puts the problem in context. Use scenarios are one component of requirements.
Create and deliver thoughtful information (webinars, blogs, eBooks, etc.) to influence customers, buyers, industry specialists, research analysts, key editors in the press and other third parties.
Create collateral for buyer personas focused on a specific step of the buying process.
Deliver product information to qualified buyers in support of existing sales efforts.
Manage proactive communications with relevant stakeholders from strategy through execution.
Develop a lead generation process that is designed to generate and nurture qualified leads with an objective to turn prospects into satisfied customers.
Create tools for salespeople focused on a specific step of the selling process.
Provide product and market expertise for events such as conferences, tradeshows, webinars and seminars.
Identify customers who are willing to give testimonials, be featured in case studies, or agree to be a reference account.
Design and deliver training programs to help the sales channels focus on how to sell the product, not how to use it.
Provide ongoing support for the sales channel. Look for opportunities to make support more repeatable.
Articulate and leverage the organization's unique abilities to deliver value to the market.
Integrate products into a coherent portfolio of products focused on the market. Manage the portfolio like a "product" (business plan, positioning, buying process, market requirements and marketing plan).
Monitor and analyze key performance indicators to determine how well the product is performing in the market, how it impacts the company operations, and ultimately, how it contributes to profit.
Define the archetypical users of your products or services.
Measure and tune product marketing programs to ensure alignment with corporate goals.
Understand why recent evaluators of the product did or did not buy and what steps they took in the buying process.
Determine which channels best align with your markets' buying preferences.
Determine the most effective way to deliver a complete solution to an identified market problem. Where you have gaps in your offering, analyze whether to buy, build, or partner to complete the solution for your market.
Define the archetypical buyers involved in the purchasing of your products and services.
Define the specific plans and budgets for ensuring customer loyalty as well as selling products and services to existing customers.
Discover problems in the market by interviewing customers, recent evaluators and untapped, potential customers. Validate urgent problems to show their pervasiveness in the market.
Map needs with target markets and analyze the market segments to actively pursue. Ensure that the targeted segments are large enough to support the current and future business of the product.
Establish a pricing model, schedules, guidelines and procedures.
Research and document the buying process your target personas use to select a product. Understand the barriers that buyers encounter during their selection process.
Define the specific plans and budgets for selling products and services to new customers.
Perform an objective analysis of a potential market opportunity to provide a basis for investment. Articulate what you learned in the market and quantify the risk, including a financial model.
Describe the product by its ability to solve market problems. Create internal positioning documents that will be used to develop external messages focused on each key buyer or persona.
Articulate the strategies and tactics for generating awareness and leads for the upcoming fiscal period, including key programs and events with measurements and goals.
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Download the Pragmatic Marketing Framework Definitions.
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