Welcome back, fellow travelers on the path of slightly-below-average sales achievement. This week, we’re tackling a topic near and dear to the heart of every sales rep who’s ever looked at a feature list and thought, “… Seriously?”
I’m talking about the product roadmap. That glorious, often-mystical document that promises a brighter future. The thing we’re told will “unlock new markets,” “delight customers,” and “revolutionize the way we sell!” It’s usually presented with a flourish, maybe a webinar, maybe a fancy PDF, definitely a lot of buzzwords.
And then you actually look at it.
See, as sales folks, we have… specific needs. We’re the ones talking to customers every day. We hear the same requests, the same pain points, the same “If only you had X, I’d sign the paper right now!” We meticulously gather this feedback and dutifully submit it. We hope.
What does the roadmap usually deliver?
Oh, it’s full of awesome stuff! Just… awesome stuff that often seems to exist in a parallel universe. A universe where our customers don’t live.
Instead of that crucial integration with the CRM everyone uses? We get a blockchain-powered feature for… reasons? Instead of the desperately-needed reporting that would actually show useful data? We get a UI refresh that moves the “Save” button three pixels to the left. Instead of that one tiny tweak that would unblock a dozen stalled deals? We get a new AI-powered module that predicts… something. (We’re still not entirely sure what.)
The features are often presented like they’re the answer to all our prayers. “Imagine,” the Product Manager says, with a gleam in their eye, “how much more effective you’ll be when you can [insert complex, vaguely-useful feature here]!”
We try to imagine. We really do. We politely nod. We ask clarifying questions. We desperately search for the one use case where this new thing might actually help close a deal.
Meanwhile, in our heads, we’re thinking: “So, about that simple API integration…?”
It’s not that we don’t appreciate innovation. It’s just that sometimes, it feels like Product Management lives on a different planet. They’re driven by… different metrics. They get excited about… different things. They might even talk to customers, but maybe those customers are… theoretical?
The Average Sales Guy learns to adapt. You learn the art of the spin. You say things like, “While we don’t have X yet, our amazing upcoming feature Y will completely revolutionize how you think about [vaguely related concept]!” You sell the vision. You sell the potential. You sell the things that are on the roadmap.
You learn not to ask too many direct questions about the things that aren’t on the roadmap.
And you keep submitting those feature requests, year after year, knowing that maybe, just maybe, one day, they’ll build that simple thing that would actually help you hit quota.
Until then, you embrace the absurdity. You find the humor in the disconnect. You realize that, in the grand scheme of things, the roadmap is just another obstacle to overcome. Another challenge to navigate. Another Tuesday in sales.
That’s just life for the Average Sales Guy.