1. Building Growth Teams Flashcards
What was the main challenge BitTorrent faced when Pramod Sokke joined?
Growth of their desktop software had stalled and there was no mobile version.
What were the traditional departments at BitTorrent?
- Marketing
- Product management
- Engineering
- Data science
What was the focus of the BitTorrent marketing team?
Efforts exclusively at the ‘top of the funnel’ to raise customer awareness.
What role did the product marketing manager (PMM) play at BitTorrent?
Acted as the ‘voice of the customer,’ gaining insights into customer needs.
What discovery led to a significant increase in revenue for BitTorrent’s mobile app?
Users were unaware of the paid Pro version.
What was the result of adding a visual button to the app’s home screen?
An instant 92 percent increase in revenue per day from upgrades.
What was the ‘love hack’ that BitTorrent implemented?
Encouraging users to write reviews after downloading their first torrent.
How much did positive reviews increase after implementing the review prompt?
A 900 percent increase in four-and five-star reviews.
What was the primary challenge with siloed departments at BitTorrent?
Lack of collaboration between the product and marketing teams.
What feature did BitTorrent add to the Pro version to address user concerns?
A feature that turned off background file transfers when battery was low.
What was the result of the battery-saving feature?
A 47 percent increase in revenue.
How did the data analyst contribute to the BitTorrent mobile team’s success?
Tracked customer responses and helped evaluate experiment results.
What was the overall impact of the mobile team’s efforts at BitTorrent?
Revenue increased by 300 percent in a single year.
What cultural change occurred at BitTorrent due to the mobile team’s success?
Shifted from traditional silos to a collaborative growth-focused environment.
What did a McKinsey report highlight as a problem with departmental silos?
Silos slow innovation that drives growth.
According to research, what is more important to innovativeness than individual talent?
The ability to collaborate in networks.
What was the interaction frequency between employees in different business units?
Two similar employees in different units interacted much less frequently.
Fill in the blank: The app was only available from the _______.
Google Play store
True or False: The mobile team at BitTorrent operated without collaboration from other departments.
False
What did Annabell Satterfield emphasize in her role as PMM?
Driving growth throughout the funnel, including retention and monetization.
What is a common issue reported among business units regarding interaction?
There is very little interaction across boundaries between different business units
Two people in the same SBU interact about 1,000 times more frequently than those in different units.
Who is Professor Ranjay Gulati and what issue does he highlight?
He is a specialist on the silo problem and notes that lack of cross-departmental communication impedes customer-focused product development
His research indicates that knowledge is often siloed within organizations.
What is one proposed solution to the silo problem in organizations?
Creating cross-functional growth teams
This facilitates collaboration and understanding among different departments.
What roles should be included in a growth team?
Roles may include:
* Growth Lead
* Product Manager
* Software Engineers
* Marketing Specialists
* Data Analysts
* Product Designers
The specific makeup can vary by company and project.
What is the primary responsibility of a growth lead?
To manage the team and participate in idea generation and experimentation
The growth lead sets the course for experimentation and monitors team goals.
What skills are essential for a growth lead?
Essential skills include:
* Fluency in data analysis
* Expertise in product management
* Understanding of experimental design
Strong leadership skills are also crucial.
Fill in the blank: A good product manager is the ______ of the product.
CEO
This emphasizes the product manager’s responsibility over product features.
What contributions do product managers bring to growth teams?
They assist in breaking down silos and contribute to idea generation and experimentation
Their experience with customer surveying is vital.
Why are software engineers considered cornerstone members of a growth team?
They write the code for product features and can contribute creatively to the ideation process
Their involvement is crucial for effective growth hacking.
What role do marketing specialists play in growth teams?
They provide expertise that can lead to fruitful ideas for growth hacks
Their knowledge varies based on company needs, such as content marketing or SEO.
What is the function of data analysts in a growth team?
They collect, organize, and analyze customer data to generate insights for experiments
Having a dedicated analyst can greatly enhance the team’s effectiveness.
What is the role of product designers in growth teams?
They develop user interfaces and provide insights into user experience and psychology
Their design skills expedite the execution of experiments.
How do the size and scope of growth teams vary?
They can range from a few members at startups to many members in larger companies, with scopes that can be general or specific
Teams may be permanent or formed for specific tasks.
What should a company do when starting to form a growth team?
Bring over one or two individuals from different departments to get started
The team can grow over time as processes are learned.
True or False: Growth teams are always permanent fixtures in a company.
False
Some teams are formed for specific tasks and disbanded after goals are achieved.
What is a key aspect of growth hacking emphasized in the text?
The importance of experimentation and learning from failures
Regular failures are part of the growth experimentation process.
What is the composition of a growth team at Inman?
A data scientist, three marketers, and a Web developer.
Who leads the growth hacking process at Inman?
A marketing manager runs the process.
What are the four key steps in the growth hacking process?
- Data analysis and insight gathering
- Idea generation
- Experiment prioritization
- Running the experiments
What is the purpose of regular growth meetings?
To manage testing activity, review results, and determine the next hacks to try.
True or False: The growth hacking process is a one-time event.
False.
What analogy is used to describe the speed and precision of the growth hacking process?
A Formula One racing car making precision adjustments.
What type of feedback might a user experience designer collect?
Qualitative information about the types of features users find most valuable.
What is the significance of executive sponsorship for growth teams?
It assures the team has the authority to cross established departmental boundaries.
What was Mark Zuckerberg’s primary focus in the early days of Facebook?
Growth.
What initiative did Zillow’s CEO establish to focus on growth?
Zillow’s ‘Play,’ a recurring nine-to-twelve-month growth initiative.
What is the functional (or product-led) model of growth teams?
Teams report to a product management executive in charge of the product.
What is one example of a company that uses the product-led model?
Pinterest.
What is the role of a VP of growth in a stand-alone growth team?
To assure that an executive level employee has ownership of the team’s results.
Fill in the blank: In the independent-led model, growth teams have the authority to conduct experiments _______.
[across the full range of the company’s products]
What is a potential advantage of establishing independent growth teams early in a company’s development?
Fewer complaints against redistributing responsibility and headcount.
What did Facebook’s growth team advise the company to purchase?
Octazen, for its technology to help friend referral performance.
What is one of the tasks engineers might handle in a growth team?
Coding needed for an experiment.
What cultural shift did Zillow implement in response to competition from Trulia?
Making SEO a priority for all teams.
What type of dynamic is created by the collaborative nature of growth team meetings?
A 1+1=3 dynamic, amplifying expertise.
What is the purpose of the experiment prioritization step in growth hacking?
To determine which experiments to run based on potential impact.
What was the outcome of the growth team’s analysis of customer churn?
Identifying a feature that could be promoted to reduce churn.
What is a common reporting structure for growth teams in larger companies?
Reporting to a vice president or C-level executive.
True or False: Growth can be treated as a side project.
False.
What does the term ‘activation’ refer to in the context of growth teams?
The process of getting new users to engage with a product.
What independent division did Walmart create in 2011?
@WalmartLabs
Walmart acquired the innovation center Kosmix to establish this division focused on e-commerce.
What is the primary focus of @WalmartLabs?
Digital innovation initiatives for Walmart websites and mobile applications
This includes apps like the Savings Catcher.
Which two digital start-ups did @WalmartLabs acquire?
- Stylr
- Yumprint
Stylr is a mobile fashion search app, and Yumprint is a social recipe aggregator.
Why is backing from top management important for independent teams?
To navigate internal sensitivities and frictions
This is crucial for teams with independent authority.
What kind of resistance do growth teams often face when first established?
Cultural resistance
This includes preconceived notions about ownership of initiatives among various departments.
What was BitTorrent’s marketing team’s original intent?
To concentrate solely on user acquisition
Data analysis was primarily done at the request of product teams.
What challenge did Josh Schwarzapel face at Yahoo! regarding his growth team?
Pushback from the brand team and product managers
This was due to deviations from established style and voice guidelines.
What can growth experiments interfere with in a company?
Time or resources needed for established projects
This can create friction within teams.
What are some perspectives that can cause friction in growth teams?
- Engineers focusing on technical challenges
- Product managers obsessed with development
- User experience designers resisting changes
- Marketers focusing on vanity metrics
These differing priorities can lead to conflict within teams.
How can growth teams mitigate conflict?
- Shared goals
- Data-driven decision making
This helps align diverse perspectives and priorities.
What is the significance of data-driven experimentation in growth teams?
It helps counter dissent and provides rationale for decisions
Data-driven results are difficult to dispute, promoting a collaborative environment.
What should be avoided to ensure sustainable growth in a company?
Outsourcing core responsibility for growth
Growth is too important to delegate, as consultants may lack necessary authority.
What is a recommended starting point for implementing growth hacking?
Start with a small team focusing on one product or aspect
This allows for manageable experimentation and success before scaling up.
What can spark enthusiasm for growth hacking within a company?
A series of wins from a small team
Success in initial experiments can lead to broader adoption of growth hacking.
What should be ensured before launching ambitious growth scaling plans?
Determine if the product is a ‘must-have’
This assessment is crucial for sustainable growth.
What is the relationship between product quality and growth experimentation?
Rapid experimentation won’t lead to growth if the product isn’t loved
A satisfactory product may not sustain long-term success.
