This article is based on Eyal’s brilliant talk at the Product Marketing Summit in Tel Aviv, 2023. PMA members can watch the talk in its entirety here, and head to their membership dashboards to check out even more amazing OnDemand content.
Hi there! I'm Eyal, the VP of Product Marketing and Strategic Alliances at Cato Networks. Today, I’m going to share my tried-and-tested strategies and KPIs for building a top-notch product marketing team.
KPIA bit about Cato networks
First, for context, let me give you a brief intro to Cato Networks.
Founded in 2015, we've grown rapidly and now boast close to 800 employees. Despite our startup label, we're no small operation. We have robust financial backing, a high valuation, and already sell at over $100 million in annual run rate to more than 1,600 customers. This kind of growth and scale has influenced how we’ve structured our product marketing team.
PMM roles and responsibilities
Now, about my team. It's more diverse than just product marketing. Half are dedicated to that, while the other half focuses on security strategy, which encompasses thought leadership, PR, and media.
I also manage pricing – a fun aspect that, interestingly, falls under marketing here rather than product management.
My approach to building the PMM team has been somewhat unconventional. It's tailored to Cato's unique selling domain, competitive landscape, and our specific buyer persona. I wouldn’t say it’s better or worse than others; it's just what works for us.
The “split-brain” concept
Each PMM team member operates with what I call a "split brain." They champion our brand in their respective regions, spanning North America, Europe, and APAC. They also support sales with objection handling, competitive scenarios, and requests for proposals (RFPs). However, we're strict about only contributing a maximum of 10% to any RFP. It's a slippery slope, and we've set boundaries.
