Before launching an offer on the market, a product manager must follow a more or less structured path depending on the organization. But whatever these stages, it must be able to clearly present its offer to different audiences. How can these stages be best managed?
Among other supports, the concept is the key document which constitutes in many organizations the passport to an offer. The attention paid to its writing is absolutely crucial so that the value proposition that the product manager wishes to exploit is understood by everyone. We will not return to various technical aspects that we have detailed previously (Best practices and pitfalls of concept writing), we will rather discuss the general framework which makes this support the best or worst of the product manager's allies.
Presenting a new offer thanks to a concept is basically no different from any project defense exercise, it is essential to:
Be direct and concise,
Generate strong ideas,
Be understandable to everyone,
Be prepared to respond constructively to questions or objectives.
Between direct and concise “What is well conceived, is clearly stated, and the words to say it come easily” they say. In addition to the fact that a concise speech is more digestible for your audience, it is also a sign that you have worked on your subject, that you have mastered it sufficiently to deliver the essentials clearly. Paradoxically, this conciseness takes time. A long concept is a sign of unfinished business. Your concept itself must fit on a PowerPoint slide (150 words maximum, less than 1000 characters) and include the insight(s), the benefit(s), the RTB(s), a claim and possibly an illustration. Identify strong ideas Your product or service probably offers a large number of benefits. However, you will not be able to cite them all, as none really stands out. Once again your ability to clearly prioritize two or three key benefits is the guarantee of your mastery of market needs. Be understandable to everyone To present or defend your project, you have a potentially large audience in front of you, who are not necessarily experts in your market line. Whether they are R&D managers, marketers, financiers or test consumers, your concept must be understandable to everyone, regardless of their technical culture regarding the subject. Make a clear difference between what your concept should contain and the more complete information you will reserve to handle requests for additional information. The main thing is to take a first step, where the clarity of your concept makes you want to know more, rather than a speech that is too hermetic or technical. Do not assume that your interlocutors share the same vocabulary as you. Don’t use jargon and don’t force your interlocutors to try to interpret your concept or read between the lines. If necessary, restrict the themes your concept addresses, but be extremely clear on those you have selected. This “passport” that is the concept must be understandable to everyone. Be prepared to respond constructively to questions or objections If you have been able to be concise and clearly prioritize the benefits of your concept, which everyone, whatever their profile, will have been able to understand, you will then have attracted the interest of your interlocutors who will then be able to ask you for additional information. Or, if necessary, raise objections. Anticipate some of these objections. If you have correctly carried out the work of maturing your concept, you will have been able to put yourself in the place of your various interlocutors (consumers, financiers, r&d, marketers, etc.) and therefore prepare the key elements of your answers when these questions are asked. If you do not have an answer, do not necessarily try to be “creative” in real time, prefer to note the objection and calmly study your answer to revise your copy if necessary.
If this concept passport is a concise document, obtaining a truly satisfactory version can take time and require real experience. To arbitrate is to accept certain renunciations (benefits which we will not talk about for example) and this requires having previously secured your choices (therefore having a good knowledge of the needs of the market, see Broad or targeted positioning, the product manager's dilemma). Being understood by everyone requires a significant capacity for perspective, and it must be recognized that when a product manager works intensively on a project he can lose this perspective. The concept, the meaning of which he will naturally perfectly understand when he rereads it himself, may be perfectly incomprehensible by another product manager who works on another category, and therefore by an internal selection body. Imagine in this case how much it will be difficult for the consumer or end customer to understand the benefits that we are trying to present to them. This is why in substance, as in form, the concept cannot be an exercise carried out in extreme urgency, and must be the result of a thoughtful process. Some tips: Start working on your concept from the start of your project,
Write (and keep) a long version of your concept which integrates all the insights, benefits and RTB elements that seem to make sense to you,
Prioritize and then select the elements of this concept that seem key to you (in the light of your decisions based on studies, research and discussions): this will be your version to present,
If necessary, correct the components of this concept during the project while ensuring that it is always correctly articulated and intelligible. For each substantial modification, have it reread by someone who does not work on your project to have an outside opinion,
Always ask yourself: are my announced product benefits the best response to the consumer insights mentioned? Compare yourself to competing offers but also to product categories that can be substituted for your product. Repeat this exercise every time you modify your concept.
Before formally presenting your offer to a selection body or before testing it as part of a study, regularly pre-test your speech internally or with stakeholders and agree to be challenged. Not only will your speech be more solid but above all your offer will be better positioned.