The product function is critical and a huge driver for business success within ad tech and mar tech companies. Innovative businesses such as Silverbullet see its product division as a key department that unlocks the company’s ability to scale as well as continue to provide solutions which our customers will value.

This is precisely what makes hiring for the role oftentimes complex and difficult to meet the right candidates.

In this article, we explore the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ in applying for a role in product.

What do Product do?

Product is a broad function within a business and can cover everything from engineers to product marketing. However, no matter where an individual resides within the product team, their work will cover a few key areas.

The main focus of a role in product is to help determine what features need to be built or upgraded to enable users to seek access to solutions that matter to them. In practice, this role involves several activities such as user research to understand users’ problems and needs, working with engineering and design to build solutions, and keeping aligned with customer-facing and marketing teams to take the products to market.

Working in a product facing role requires versatility. The role is required to be comfortable with all aspects of product development, such as engineering, design, analytics, marketing, and research. It’s crucial in a product focused role to align various teams on what the best decisions for clients and features are.

Discovering a career in Product.

Here’s our top tips for seeking a product-facing role.

• Get yourself clued up on the state of the market Learn how to speak the language. Get up to speed about the industry you are within, and ensure you understand all the relevant terminology. The (m)adectn industry is one that never stops changing, so it’s always a good idea to continue reading and listening to content and news about what is going on. Products are informed by the needs of the customer, and the needs of the customer are determined by the state of the marketing, so being well-versed will serve you well.
• Listen and absorb This tip is arguably one for any role. One of the most important traits any great product expert should obtain is incredible listening skills. Not just in the listening to what clients want but listening with empathy and true understanding of the business outcome they are seeking. Also, the ability to listen y=to your peers and continue to learn and absorb information is key. You should never stop learning.
• Organisation and prioritisation. Anyone who sits in a product function often gets bombarded from all sides of the business: requests from clients, questions from employees, instructions from the boss, and a hundred tasks to juggle and decisions to make. Being organised and having the ability to prioritise is key. You can’t make everyone happy. The hardest part is deciding which initiatives take priority over others, even if all the ideas or asks are deemed important. Identify and to the extent possible quantify the business value for every initiative you take on and prioritize accordingly.
• Understanding code It will come as no surprise that a product role is a technical role. Product experts who know how to write code are a rare breed and are in extremely high demand…because they’re better able to lead the developers who will build their products.
• Teamwork and leadership – the perfect blend. Taking on a product role at any level of seniority should open the opportunity to showcase leadership skills. Consider external courses or training on how to be a strong leader to help you garner some confidence and skills in how to manage situations and teams. Always seek to help others be successful, and make your team and colleagues look good. It’s all about teamwork.
• Have a problem-solving mindset. Product experts are problem solvers with vision and must be able to talk and think analytically and with technical proficiency. If you don’t come from a technical background, stick close to people who do and ask them questions. You should always strive to never ne the smartest person in the room, so surround yourself with other experts.

An exciting future.

Undertaking a sales role in adtech and martech is a really exciting career – especially during a time where the digital revolution is changing and adapting as we step out of the pandemic. You have the opportunity to make a difference, and to be part of a client’s journey as they seek to transform their digital marketing strategies. So why not explore our open opportunities today.