The AIM Institute

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Some thoughts on Scott Burleson's "The Statue in the Stone" are certainly worth sharing. It has been a great read! Scott Burleson's "Statue in Stone" makes a significant contribution to the Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) Theory by situating it within the broader innovation landscape. By referencing other concepts such as the Kano Model and Ries & Trout’s thoughts on Positioning, Scott helps to define a place for JTBD philosophy in the innovation ecosystem. Scott therefore avoids the common trap of management books of inadvertently implying everything that has become before needs to be replaced, and enhances the credibility of JTBD as a result.   Moreover, Burleson advances the JTBD approach by evolving Tony Ulwick's "Desired Outcomes" into "Error Statements" - a concept that interestingly echoes Six Sigma's reductionist approach. This might surprise those who view innovation exclusively through a creative lens. His Yin and Yang metaphor elegantly illustrates the innovation process: the Yang represents creative concept development and testing, while the Yin embodies the more analytical task of defining error statements, which might be characterized as a left-brain activity.   Burleson effectively challenges the simplistic "lightbulb moment" innovation narrative, demonstrating that true innovation is a nuanced, multifaceted discipline requiring both creative and systematic thinking. #JTBD #JobsToBeDone #InnovationStrategy #ProductDevelopment #BusinessBooks #SixSigma #InnovationManagement #ProductInnovation #BusinessThinking #ScottBurleson #BusinessStrategy #InnovationCulture #ProductMarketing www.statueinthestone.com

I hope you find this interesting and thought provoking. Recently I have asked Perplexity to compile a comparison table of sales skills desired by sales professionals and their customers.  Here's what I got as a result. "This comparison reveals several interesting discrepancies: 1. Emotional Intelligence and Empathy: These skills are highly valued by customers but not as prioritized by sales professionals. 2. Negotiation and Prospecting: Sales professionals consider these skills essential, while customers do not prioritize them as much. 3. Social Selling: Customers appear to value this skill more than sales professionals do. 4. Objection Handling: This skill is considered important by sales professionals but not highlighted as a priority for customers. It shows that both groups agree on the importance of communication, active listening, problem-solving, relationship building, business acumen, product knowledge, and presentation skills. However, the discrepancies in other areas suggest that sales professionals may need to adjust their focus to better align with customer expectations, particularly in areas such as emotional intelligence, empathy, and social selling" Here is my contribution to the Perplexity research. What about probing skills? Often undervalued by the majority, these skills are perceived as less critical than listening skills, and there is generally less proficiency in probing compared to listening. Probing skills are more significant differentiators than listening when distinguishing between those who claim to be the most successful sellers and the average sellers. Similarly, probing skills are more significant differentiators than listening when contrasting those who exceed their sales quotas with those who do not. Consult The AIM Institute White Paper for research that connects probing skills with sales success. Reach out to me if you want to grow business with your customers by understanding their needs better than your competitors. #customercentricity #sales #training #voiceofcustomer #success

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗯: There are often many stakeholders at their customer... they don't know who these stakeholders are... stakeholders are too busy to meet with them... AND 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱! Key Account Blueprinting is like New Product Blueprinting, except you prioritize the needs of a single key account. This lets you reap 3 benefits: 1) improved business retention 2) more business at this account 3) improved pricing... because you can improve the products and services the customers value the most. Check out the three-step process for Key Account Blueprinting in the attached slide show. You can download the entire white paper from the last page. Click this hashtag, #newproductblueprinting and hit 𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪 to see all my posts. #innovationmanagement #innovation #productdevelopment

Here's the full whitepaper on "Innovating in Unfamiliar Markets" https://lnkd.in/egrWQhAx And please note the slideshow below for a quick synopsis -

In the last post we looked at qualitative Discovery interviews. Now we'll look at quantitative Preference interviews. Turns out 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀... and yet relatively few B2B companies consistently conduct them. You need Preference interviews to generate a Market Satisfaction Gap chart, which 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱. This chart is described on Page 3 of the slide show below. Be sure to check out pages 4 and 5 of the slide show, which includes the results of our research showing the full power of Preference interviews. You can download the entire research report on the last page of this slideshow. Click this hashtag, #newproductblueprinting and hit 𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪 to see all my posts. #innovationmanagement #innovation #productdevelopment

🔹 Is a product manager the CEO of the Product? I say..."yes!" 🔹 ok - not literally but - this is a useful mindset. Here are the benefits: 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽: Taking full accountability means a product manager doesn't just follow a roadmap—they lead it. They care deeply about the product’s performance and the impact it has on our customers and the company. This accountability builds trust. 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽: As a bridge between teams, PMs facilitate collaboration and align everyone toward shared goals. When each function sees how its efforts connect to the product’s success, it drives faster, more effective development. 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: Balancing short-term wins with long-term strategy is key. By keeping an eye on future trends and technology, PMs must ensure that a product not only meets today’s needs but continues to thrive in the market. 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿-𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰: This is a PM's core job! They should be obsessed with understanding customer needs to create a product that resonates. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Every decision, from feature prioritization to resource allocation, has financial implications. Thinking like a CEO aligns a PM's work with the company’s financial objectives, driving sustainable growth. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Challenges are inevitable, but the CEO mindset instills resilience. It’s about staying flexible, pivoting when needed, and always finding solutions. It's funny that this concept is debated so often. It's obviously not literally true... BUT - it's a useful mindset for a product manager. Check out the slideshow for a bit more detail. Or, go to our website www. aiminstitute .com - where my latest article addresses the question, "𝑰𝒔 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝑬𝑶 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕?" #innovation #productmanagement #marketing _____________________ 🐺 𝗛𝗶! 𝗜'𝗺 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘁𝘁 ⚡️Energizing product teams with customer insight ⚡Providing training, project execution & advisory for leaders and product teams 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 #jobstobedone ? 🗿 Check out my book "𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐄" 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽? ☎️ Send me a message on LinkedIn 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀? 🤝 Connect with me 🔔 Ring the bell on my Profile Follow #productstuffbyScottB

I’m happy to share that I’ve obtained a new certification: New Product Blueprinting Certified Practitioner from The AIM Institute! Ready to get yours? https://lnkd.in/eZ3sa3aK

YOU TOO can become certified in New Product Blueprinting! Learn more at www.AIMInsitute.com

Product Managers should be 𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗱! While you will not make all the product decisions, you are a key voice. As the customer representative, you should have the final vote... and when you are bold, the engineering organization relaxes a bit. They need to know that “you got this.” Boring strategies are often boring because they are the uninspired regurgitation of past methods. Be bold! Create new strategies. Don’t be afraid to be a contrarian and question established “truths,” rules and methods. Product development is a constant series of decisions. To create value, the best routes are often the less-traveled ones. Remember that company leaders love to drop into product meetings to share their wisdom. Even though you know better about the customer, the competition and the business, they will question your decisions in these public forums. Stick to your guns. Do not be bullied. Granted, this carries an element of career risk. However, if you let uninformed company leaders torch the product strategies, you will not succeed. In a short time, people will know that you know your stuff, listen to you when you talk, and respect you for holding your ground. Develop a reputation for being bold. #innovation #productmanagement #marketing _____________________ 🐺 𝗛𝗶! 𝗜'𝗺 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘁𝘁 ⚡️Energizing product teams with customer insight ⚡Providing training, project execution & advisory for leaders and product teams 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 #jobstobedone ? 🗿 Check out my book "𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐄" 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽? ☎️ Send me a message on LinkedIn 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀? 🤝 Connect with me 🔔 Ring the bell on my Profile Follow #productstuffbyScottB