Re: Your position and Marketing

["Mutton, Sara" <s -dot- mutton -at- TECHSMITH -dot- COM>]

At this company, I am part of every product management team.  In short,
I think it helps me in my capacity as TechWriter.  Having a say in how
the features are portrayed and making sure that their/mine idea of
the product is accurately expressed is a big bonus.  I don't have to
compensate for what sales people say and neither does our development
team, since they are part of the marketing end as well.

I sometimes grumple about having yet one more meeting to attend, but
the time is not wasted if it helps co-ordinate our small company in
the process.  Since our process is dynamic and creative in such meetings,
the time and a extra effort is worth it: sometimes developers have
really cool marketing ideas and techwriters are more aware of our
target.

If my input was not listened to or I felt like a cog -- as I have felt in
other companies, I would view a position on the marketing team as
a pain.

My 2 bits.

Sara

      <TECHWR-L -at- VM1 -dot- ucc -dot- okstate -dot- edu>
From: Gretchen Toth <glt -at- ICONOVEX -dot- COM>
Subject:      Your position and Marketing
Comments: To: TECHWR-L -at- VM1 -dot- UCC -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
To: Multiple recipients of list TECHWR-L <TECHWR-L -at- VM1 -dot- ucc -dot- okstate -dot- edu>

Techwhirlers-

I am not looking for a deep thought on this, just wondering
if at any point you have been asked to be part of the
marketing for a product or if you are required to be
part of that process.

Reason I'm asking-- a week and half ago I was called to be
part of a 'team' for a yet-to-be-developed product.  We
were to decide the name, the audience, market plan, price,
the look of the interface.  Right now I am working on several
little projects and was less than enthusiastic to be called
for this, mostly because I _do not_ like thinking up catchy
names and slogans and all that.  On the other hand, another
perspective for where to market a product doesn't hurt (I keep
my eyes peeled for places to mention our software and steer
the sales folk from places where they wouldn't be well
received), and I do see the benefit in having input for the
product interface (that whole 'They Must Let Us In' thread, I
believe?).

How would you feel if out of the blue you were asked you to
be on a 4-person team for the marketing of a new product?

Gretchen


<><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Gretchen L. Toth
Technical Writer
The Iconovex Corporation
gretchen -dot- toth -at- iconovex -dot- com
<><><><><><><><><><><><><>


Sara Jane Mutton
Technical Writer
Techsmith Corporation
3001 Coolidge Road, Suite 400
East Lansing, MI 48823 USA
s -dot- mutton -at- techsmith -dot- com
http://www.TechSmith.com/
Voicemail: (517) 333-2100x168
FAX       :  (517) 333-1888