How do you align with stakeholders?

1 Identify your stakeholders

The first step is to identify who your stakeholders are and what their roles, goals, and expectations are. You can use a stakeholder map or a RACI matrix to categorize them based on their level of involvement, interest, and influence. For example, you might have executive sponsors, product managers, sales leaders, customer success managers, developers, designers, and analysts as your stakeholders. You should also prioritize your stakeholders based on their impact and urgency, and tailor your communication and engagement accordingly.

2 Establish trust and rapport

The next step is to establish trust and rapport with your stakeholders. This means being transparent, honest, and respectful in your interactions, and showing that you understand their needs and challenges. You can also use empathy, humor, and storytelling to connect with them on a personal level and build rapport. You should also seek feedback, input, and validation from your stakeholders regularly, and acknowledge their contributions and achievements. Trust and rapport will help you foster a positive and collaborative relationship with your stakeholders.

3 Communicate clearly and consistently

The third step is to communicate clearly and consistently with your stakeholders. This means using the right channels, formats, and frequency to share information, updates, and insights. You should also use simple, concise, and jargon-free language to avoid confusion and ambiguity. You should also align your communication with your stakeholder's preferences and expectations, and adapt to their communication styles. For example, some stakeholders might prefer email, while others might prefer video calls or Slack messages. Communication is key to keep your stakeholders informed, engaged, and aligned.

4 Collaborate effectively and efficiently

The fourth step is to collaborate effectively and efficiently with your stakeholders. This means setting clear goals, roles, and responsibilities for each stakeholder, and ensuring they have the resources, tools, and support they need. You should also use project management software, collaboration platforms, and shared documents to organize, track, and document your work. You should also facilitate regular meetings, workshops, and brainstorming sessions to discuss progress, challenges, and solutions. Collaboration is essential to leverage your stakeholder's expertise, insights, and feedback.

5 Influence and persuade

The fifth step is to influence and persuade your stakeholders. This means using data, evidence, and logic to support your arguments, recommendations, and decisions. You should also use emotional appeal, social proof, and authority to persuade your stakeholders to buy-in to your vision, value proposition, and messaging. You should also anticipate and address any objections, concerns, or questions that your stakeholders might have, and show them the benefits and outcomes of your product marketing strategy. Influence and persuasion will help you gain your stakeholder's approval, support, and advocacy.

6 Measure and improve

The final step is to measure and improve your stakeholder alignment. This means collecting and analyzing feedback, data, and metrics to evaluate your stakeholder satisfaction, engagement, and alignment. You should also identify and celebrate your wins, and learn from your failures. You should also seek opportunities to improve your stakeholder relationship, communication, collaboration, influence, and persuasion skills. Measuring and improving will help you optimize your stakeholder alignment and achieve your product marketing goals.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?