How to get along with sales as a Product Manager

When I find myself at odds with Sales, it’s often because we seem to be working toward different goals: Product builds long-term value, while Sales needs to close deals right now. How to fix this?

The traditional advice of “just align goals” or “Sales should sell what Product already built”…

…has not worked for me.

No wonder, really.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8FjHdzpXZDo

Just put yourself into the sale’s shoes.

👉 If they don’t sell, you don’t get to keep your users and… job
👉 They will not follow the product goals, their manager doesn’t care
👉 They need to make the sales, sometimes with “whatever it takes” push
👉 Very often they are closer to users and best understand what they need

You need to be in alignment and support one another.

Here’s what has worked for me:

1) Regular comms
I proactively share roadmaps and priorities with Sales so they understand why we’re building what we’re building. The weekly or biweekly catch-up also helps me understand what would help them sell and what the leads are asking for.