ProductMarketing.com

On endless hold

Seth Godin writes: "The simple way to win the skirmish over the do not call list is this: Whenever a telemarketer calls, answer with enthusiasm and put them on hold. If we spread the word about this strategy, the industry will give up. With tiny margins, they can't afford the loss in productivity if only 10% of us are able to put the callers on endless hold."

Quote of the day

"Product managers are charge of whipping up all the other departments and getting them to work together. This is to make sure that the product gets pulled forward by a coordinated team of horses, rather than torn apart by horses running in different directions."--from All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald S Passman.

The perfect programming environment

Joel has a new office with what seems to be the perfect programming environment. Read more... and tell your facilities people to read it too.

Customer service

Customer service translates into brand preference. We know this but few businesses seem to actually do it. Fast Company profiles how a tire business differentiates itself from the rest using customer service. Read the full article....

Failure

Acknowledging the failures of the largest merger in U.S. history, the board of AOL Time Warner Inc. voted Thursday to remove the letters "AOL" from the company's name.

A new critical security hole

Microsoft today warned computer users about a new critical security hole in its Windows operating system that could allow an attacker to gain control over a computer, delete data and install unwanted programs.

Lots of work to do...

Forrester has been doing web site reviews for the past few years, testing for usability and grading test sites on specific site characteristics. Grades for each characteristic range from +2 (strong pass) to -2 (strong failure), with maximum and minimum possible scores of +50 and -50. In their latest review of some 375 web sites, Forrester found that site managers still had quite a lot of work to do. The average score was a dismal -1.5.

Spammers

Reviled by Internet users, scorned by Internet service providers, and hounded by antispam activists--spammers are apparently seeking comfort in numbers. Since the beginning of the year, over 150 junk e-mailers have joined The Bulk Club, an online service that offers tips, tools and a community for spammers, according to a membership list accidentally left exposed at the club's website.

Support

Daniel Shefer gives a tour of techniques that product marketers can use to better support the sales effort. Read Shortening the Sales Cycle.

Positioning

Before your next positioning session, check out The Visual Thesaurus. Based on the ThinkMap platform, it shows words and definitions, letting you navigate their synonyms graphically.

Packaging

McKinsey Quarterly reports: Many companies have tried to get more from their sales efforts over the past ten years by packaging their goods as solutions: integrated offerings of products and services. But too many companies are trying to sell solutions when all they really have are product bundles that represent little added value. Real solutions are highly integrated, add value greater than the sum of their parts, and are difficult for customers—and competitors—to disaggregate.