By Marty Cagan · svpg.com · LinkedIn
Marty Cagan argues that the most important thing a product manager can do is get ideas in front of real target users, since that is where real learning happens. He addresses two kinds of gatekeepers who try to stand in for end-users: internal marketing teams and customer-side representatives, often from IT. His core point is that no one else can represent the end-user, because insiders are too close to the problem and too knowledgeable to see it as customers do. He recommends treating gatekeepers as facilitators rather than adversaries, inviting them into sessions, and recruiting users directly when access is blocked. The advice matters because products designed without direct user contact rarely fit real needs.
01Key takeaways
- Treat direct end-user contact as the most important activity a product manager performs.
- Explain to gatekeepers that the need for direct access reflects a limitation of people, not a criticism of them.
- Invite marketing and customer representatives into interviews and tests to build shared understanding.
- Insiders are too close to the problem to represent users, so do not substitute their opinions for user research.
- When blocked, recruit users directly from outside the restricted customer, screening candidates carefully.
02Key sections
- Why direct user access is essential
- Cagan frames direct engagement with end-users as the core of product learning and a prerequisite for building products customers love.
- Two kinds of gatekeepers
- He identifies internal marketing organizations and customer IT representatives as the two common groups who try to speak for users.
- Reframing the conversation
- PMs should explain that wanting direct access is not a judgment of gatekeepers, since neither side can truly represent the end-user.
- Using gatekeepers as allies
- Marketing and customer representatives can supply user data and scheduling access, and should be included in interviews and testing.
- When access is still blocked
- If internal marketing resists, push leadership to modernize customer research; if customers refuse, recruit matching users directly, screening carefully.
03From the post
“A partnership dedicated to teaching best practices to product teams and product leaders”
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.