<![CDATA[The Product Briefing]]>After 20 years building products at Google, Sony, Facebook, and NBC Universal, and several successful startups, Steve Saper breaks down what it actually takes to build better products and drive growth in the age of AI. 

Frameworks. Expert conversations. Practical how-to's.   

]]>pm-33.comRiverside.fm (https://riverside.com)Sat, 11 Apr 2026 03:09:48 GMTThu, 05 Feb 2026 20:28:30 GMT60Steve Saper<p>After 20 years building products at Google, Sony, Facebook, and NBC Universal, and several successful startups, Steve Saper breaks down what it actually takes to build better products and drive growth in the age of AI. </p><p></p><p><i>Frameworks. Expert conversations. Practical how-to's.</i>   </p>episodicSteve Sapersteve@b33.techno<![CDATA[Product Positioning ]]>The conversation covers the framework for crafting a successful sales pitch, based on April Dunford's book 'Sales Pitch: How to Craft a Story to Stand Out and Win'. It explores the key elements of the framework, the reasons why most sales pitches fail, and the importance of positioning and value demonstration in the sales process.

Takeaways

  • Sales pitches often fail due to 'feature vomit', where too many features are presented without a clear value proposition.
  • Positioning and value demonstration are crucial in sales, as they help prospects understand the unique value of a product and its impact on their business.
  • Crafting a successful sales pitch involves understanding the prospect's worldview, demonstrating the product's value, and aligning with the prospect's buying criteria.

Chapters

  • 00:00 The Framework for Crafting a Successful Sales Pitch
  • 08:00 The Gap: What Matters and What Gets Promoted
  • 13:30 Anchoring Features to Value
  • 19:49 The Impact of Positioning on Sales Decisions
  • 25:06 The Effectiveness of the Framework

https://www.aprildunford.com/

https://x.com/aprildunford

https://x.com/ssaper

]]>2195a9ca-bc78-461f-9947-f3f30240ad37Wed, 11 Mar 2026 04:39:55 GMT<p>The conversation covers the framework for crafting a successful sales pitch, based on April Dunford's book 'Sales Pitch: How to Craft a Story to Stand Out and Win'. It explores the key elements of the framework, the reasons why most sales pitches fail, and the importance of positioning and value demonstration in the sales process.</p><p></p><p>Takeaways</p><ul><li>Sales pitches often fail due to 'feature vomit', where too many features are presented without a clear value proposition.</li><li>Positioning and value demonstration are crucial in sales, as they help prospects understand the unique value of a product and its impact on their business.</li><li>Crafting a successful sales pitch involves understanding the prospect's worldview, demonstrating the product's value, and aligning with the prospect's buying criteria.</li></ul><p></p><p>Chapters</p><ul><li>00:00 The Framework for Crafting a Successful Sales Pitch</li><li>08:00 The Gap: What Matters and What Gets Promoted</li><li>13:30 Anchoring Features to Value</li><li>19:49 The Impact of Positioning on Sales Decisions</li><li>25:06 The Effectiveness of the Framework</li></ul><p></p><p><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.aprildunford.com/" target="_blank"><b>https://www.aprildunford.com/</b></a></p><p><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://x.com/aprildunford" target="_blank"><b>https://x.com/aprildunford</b></a></p><p><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://x.com/ssaper" target="_blank"><b>https://x.com/ssaper</b></a></p>no00:13:1313Product Positioning full<![CDATA[What Makes Great Product Managers in 15 minutes]]>76% of product managers hit a career ceiling within 2-3 years. They ship features, work hard, get positive feedback - and don't get promoted. Here's what actually gets PMs promoted: Research from 400+ top product managers via Lenny Rachitsky's podcast. 📋 Career Self-Assessment: [Google Form link] 📊 Full Research Report: [Blog link] 🎙️ Lenny's Podcast: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com --- TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - The Product Briefing / Lenny Series Intro 0:08 - Hook: The Career Ceiling (76% of PMs) 0:50 - Research Methodology (6,413 chunks, 42 themes) 1:40 - The Problem: Why Most PMs Get Stuck 3:10 - The 3 Capabilities Framework 3:45 - Capability #1: Strategic Articulation (Can you explain WHY?) 5:15 - Capability #2: Cross-Functional Orchestration (Lead without power?) 7:00 - Capability #3: Outcome Ownership (Can you talk about money?) 8:45 - Enterprise Context: Different Language, Same Capability 9:30 - How to Apply This Tomorrow (4 Steps) 10:15 - Closing + Resources --- RESEARCH CREDITS: • Data Source: Lenny Rachitsky (@lennysan) - Lenny's Newsletter & Podcast 321 episodes analyzed, 400+ PM interviews Twitter: @lennysan Newsletter: lennysnewsletter.com • Analysis: Steve Saper & PM33 AI Research Pipeline 6,413 content chunks processed 42 discovered themes about PM careers --- RESOURCES: • Career Self-Assessment Scorecard (Google Form): https://pm-33.com/career-assessment • Lenny's Podcast (All episodes): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/podcast --- ABOUT THE PRODUCT BRIEFING: The Product Briefing is a video series synthesizing insider knowledge from the world's leading product minds. The Lenny Series analyzes 321 episodes of Lenny's Podcast to extract patterns, frameworks, and career insights that create unfair advantages for product managers. ABOUT STEVE: Steve Saper is the founder of PM33, a PMO intelligence platform for product managers. Previously led product at Accenture, Sony and RedBull, transforming RedBull TV from cost center to revenue generator. Currently building PM33 in public and sharing product frameworks learned from 15 years in product management. Follow Steve: Twitter: @ssaper LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ssaper Website: pm-33.com Follow Lenny: Twitter: @lennysan Newsletter: lennysnewsletter.com #ProductManagement #CareerAdvice #ProductManager #LennyRachitsky #PMCareer #ProductLeadership #PMPromotion #ProductFrameworks #PM33 #TheProductBriefing ``` Tags: product management, career advice, product manager, Lenny Rachitsky, PM career, how to get promoted, product leadership, PM skills, product frameworks, PM promotion, strategic thinking, cross-functional leadership, outcome ownership, PM33, Steve Saper, The Product Briefing, product manager skills, career growth, PM research

Takeaways

  • Product management skills
  • Promotion criteria

Chapters

  • 00:00 Introduction to Product Briefing
  • 07:19 Reality of Product Managers
  • 15:01 Capability Two: Cross-Functional Orchestration
  • 24:04 Application and Self-Assessment
]]>68e362d3-d862-49d9-a791-c5d6d7b4c940Wed, 11 Feb 2026 05:49:16 GMT<pre><code>76% of product managers hit a career ceiling within 2-3 years. They ship features, work hard, get positive feedback - and don't get promoted. Here's what actually gets PMs promoted: Research from 400+ top product managers via Lenny Rachitsky's podcast. 📋 Career Self-Assessment: [Google Form link] 📊 Full Research Report: [Blog link] 🎙️ Lenny's Podcast: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com --- TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - The Product Briefing / Lenny Series Intro 0:08 - Hook: The Career Ceiling (76% of PMs) 0:50 - Research Methodology (6,413 chunks, 42 themes) 1:40 - The Problem: Why Most PMs Get Stuck 3:10 - The 3 Capabilities Framework 3:45 - Capability #1: Strategic Articulation (Can you explain WHY?) 5:15 - Capability #2: Cross-Functional Orchestration (Lead without power?) 7:00 - Capability #3: Outcome Ownership (Can you talk about money?) 8:45 - Enterprise Context: Different Language, Same Capability 9:30 - How to Apply This Tomorrow (4 Steps) 10:15 - Closing + Resources --- RESEARCH CREDITS: • Data Source: Lenny Rachitsky (@lennysan) - Lenny's Newsletter &amp; Podcast 321 episodes analyzed, 400+ PM interviews Twitter: @lennysan Newsletter: lennysnewsletter.com • Analysis: Steve Saper &amp; PM33 AI Research Pipeline 6,413 content chunks processed 42 discovered themes about PM careers --- RESOURCES: • Career Self-Assessment Scorecard (Google Form): https://pm-33.com/career-assessment • Lenny's Podcast (All episodes): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/podcast --- ABOUT THE PRODUCT BRIEFING: The Product Briefing is a video series synthesizing insider knowledge from the world's leading product minds. The Lenny Series analyzes 321 episodes of Lenny's Podcast to extract patterns, frameworks, and career insights that create unfair advantages for product managers. ABOUT STEVE: Steve Saper is the founder of PM33, a PMO intelligence platform for product managers. Previously led product at Accenture, Sony and RedBull, transforming RedBull TV from cost center to revenue generator. Currently building PM33 in public and sharing product frameworks learned from 15 years in product management. Follow Steve: Twitter: @ssaper LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ssaper Website: pm-33.com Follow Lenny: Twitter: @lennysan Newsletter: lennysnewsletter.com #ProductManagement #CareerAdvice #ProductManager #LennyRachitsky #PMCareer #ProductLeadership #PMPromotion #ProductFrameworks #PM33 #TheProductBriefing ``` Tags: product management, career advice, product manager, Lenny Rachitsky, PM career, how to get promoted, product leadership, PM skills, product frameworks, PM promotion, strategic thinking, cross-functional leadership, outcome ownership, PM33, Steve Saper, The Product Briefing, product manager skills, career growth, PM research</code></pre><p></p><p>Takeaways</p><ul><li>Product management skills</li><li>Promotion criteria</li></ul><p></p><p>Chapters</p><ul><li>00:00 Introduction to Product Briefing</li><li>07:19 Reality of Product Managers</li><li>15:01 Capability Two: Cross-Functional Orchestration</li><li>24:04 Application and Self-Assessment</li></ul>no00:15:1912What Makes Great Product Managers in 15 minutesbonus<![CDATA[3 Questions for Product-Market-Fit]]>CREDITS:
• Framework: Todd Jackson - Partner at First Round Capital
  LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/toddj0
  Twitter: @tjack
• Interview: Lenny Rachitsky - Lenny's Newsletter & Podcast
Twitter: @lennysan

---

RESOURCES:

• PMF Survey Template (Google Forms): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Y2efNHOKliqWjpVs6CWjM-RwNRpp9BDDvG7SiwEdOuA/edit (PLEASE MAKE A COPY)

• First Round PMF Method (Free Program): https://pmf.firstround.com

---

ABOUT STEVE:

Steve Saper is the founder of PM33, a PMO intelligence platform for product managers. Previously led product at Sony and client, transforming client TV from cost center to revenue generator. Currently building PM33 in public and sharing product frameworks learned from 15 years in product management.

Follow Steve:
Twitter: @ssaper
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ssaper
Website: pm-33.com

#ProductMarketFit #PMF #ProductManagement #Startups #ToddJackson #LennyRachitsky #FirstRoundCapital #PMFTest

Chapters

* 00:00 The Product Market Fit Framework
* 07:17 Question 1: How Disappointed Would You Be? (Contd.)
* 12:22 Question 2: Percentage of Users Returning (Retention Curve)
* 19:21 Iterating Based on Results

]]>fb85e240-6700-4264-8730-fc6a08726dbfSat, 07 Feb 2026 15:26:52 GMT<p>CREDITS:<br />• Framework: Todd Jackson - Partner at First Round Capital<br />  LinkedIn: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://linkedin.com/in/toddj0" target="_blank">https://linkedin.com/in/toddj0</a><br />  Twitter: @tjack<br />• Interview: Lenny Rachitsky - Lenny's Newsletter &amp; Podcast<br />Twitter: @lennysan<br /><br />---<br /><br />RESOURCES:<br /><br />• PMF Survey Template (Google Forms): <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Y2efNHOKliqWjpVs6CWjM-RwNRpp9BDDvG7SiwEdOuA/edit" target="_blank">https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Y2efNHOKliqWjpVs6CWjM-RwNRpp9BDDvG7SiwEdOuA/edit</a> (PLEASE MAKE A COPY)<br /><br />• First Round PMF Method (Free Program): <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://pmf.firstround.com" target="_blank">https://pmf.firstround.com</a><br /><br />---<br /><br />ABOUT STEVE:<br /><br />Steve Saper is the founder of PM33, a PMO intelligence platform for product managers. Previously led product at Sony and client, transforming client TV from cost center to revenue generator. Currently building PM33 in public and sharing product frameworks learned from 15 years in product management.<br /><br />Follow Steve:<br />Twitter: @ssaper<br />LinkedIn: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://linkedin.com/in/ssaper" target="_blank">https://linkedin.com/in/ssaper</a><br />Website: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://pm-33.com" target="_blank">pm-33.com</a><br /><br />#ProductMarketFit #PMF #ProductManagement #Startups #ToddJackson #LennyRachitsky #FirstRoundCapital #PMFTest<br /><br />Chapters<br /><br />* 00:00 The Product Market Fit Framework<br />* 07:17 Question 1: How Disappointed Would You Be? (Contd.)<br />* 12:22 Question 2: Percentage of Users Returning (Retention Curve)<br />* 19:21 Iterating Based on Results</p>no00:15:56113 Questions for Product-Market-Fitfull