Joe Ryan, VP of Product and Revenue Strategy at LaunchDarkly, shares his career journey and offers invaluable insights into sales, product leadership, and monetization. He emphasizes the role of curiosity in driving his career and the importance of mastering both sales and product knowledge.

In this episode, Joe talked in depth about the complexities of aligning product and pricing roadmaps, discussing how a customer-centric approach is key to building a successful company. He breaks down the technical challenges of building a flexible billing infrastructure, managing product catalogs, and handling entitlements. Joe and Fynn explore the technical, organizational, and communication challenges of transitioning from a seat-based pricing model to a usage-based one, highlighting the necessity of staying close to customers and competitors while continuously adjusting pricing and packaging strategies.

Joe emphasizes the critical role of the CEO, CRO, and CTO in driving and supporting these changes. He also shares his vision for the future of feature management, including the potential of AI to simplify software development and empower non-technical individuals. Joe's experience in product & revenue strategy has given him a deep understanding of business and customer value. What he's achieved in transitioning LaunchDarkly to usage-based billing is highly instructive for operators and founders. Listen to gain actionable insights from an industry expert who had a first row seat to the building of LaunchDarkly.

Takeaways

• Curiosity is a driving force in career growth and success.

• Being able to sell and understand the product is a valuable skillset.

• Aligning product roadmap and pricing roadmap is crucial for success.Customer-centricity is key in building a successful company.

• Building a flexible billing infrastructure requires careful planning and integration of multiple tools.

• Managing product catalog and entitlements is a complex challenge.

• Stay close to customers and competition to understand their needs and adjust pricing accordingly.

• Pricing and packaging should be dynamic and constantly evaluated to maximize value for customers and the business.

• The CEO plays a crucial role in setting pricing and packaging strategies and unblocking obstacles. The CRO and CTO are key stakeholders in driving and supporting pricing and packaging changes.

• Feature management is an evolving category that helps organizations mitigate risk and optimize value delivery.

• AI has the potential to simplify software development and empower non-technical individuals to solve problems.

• Creating a product that is alive and responsive to market changes is essential for sustained innovation.

• The future of pricing and packaging lies in understanding customer value and delivering it in a way that is simple and valuable.

• The pricing role requires a deep understanding of business and customer perspectives.

Sound Bites

"Curiosity has been the driving force in my career."

"A product manager is a salesperson."

"If you lose sight of the customer, you don't really have a business."

"I just had this mission to fix this for launch, directly fixes for the company, but really fix it for the customer. Pricing is a huge lever on the business and you got to get it right."

Chapters

00:00 The Power of Curiosity in Career Growth

03:31 The Value of Selling and Understanding the Product

06:18 Aligning Product Roadmap and Pricing Roadmap

09:49 Building a Flexible Billing Infrastructure

22:19 Managing Product Catalog and Entitlements

24:36 Transitioning to a Usage-Based Pricing Model

26:19 Driving Change and Gaining Support

28:13 Identifying the Need for Change

30:27 Running a Successful Pricing Migration

32:30 The Role of Pricing and Packaging in an Organization

35:39 The CEO's Role in Pricing and Packaging

37:22 The CTO's Role in Pricing and Packaging

40:10 The Future of Feature Management and AI

43:56 Creating a Product that is Alive and Responsive

45:52 The Potential of AI in Software Development

48:24 Connecting with Joe Ryan