For all the recognized importance of having a solid PLC process in place, to their detriment very few organizations actually do.

In my time as a Product Marketer, I’ve been at small and large organizations. And I can tell you that for all the recognized importance of having a solid PLC process in place, very few organizations actually do. Especially, smaller companies.  

Now, you might be thinking that lots of companies have managed to successfully launch their products, services and solutions and grow their businesses, in the absence of a PLC. And I would agree with you.

A formal, extensive PLC process isn’t that necessary for organizations that are so small (a handful of people) as not to have many employees or distinct departments within the organization, etc. In these companies, communication and collaboration are relatively easy given their size. It’s when the organization starts to grow in terms of offerings, the number of employees and overall operational complexity that the need for a well-defined PLC process begins to take root.

However, let me make four arguments here for any organization.

  1. Without a strong PLC process in place, the launches were likely problematic, rushed and delayed in many cases. In addition, the launch likely could have been more impactful as resources spent figuring out how to get to market could have been focused on having the greatest impact in the  market. The offering may not have even been all that fully baked before it hit the market. In these cases, the first customers become the first guinea pigs and likely, become your first customer satisfaction issues too.
  2. A solid PLC process across an organization aligns teams to a common go-to-market approach. In my experience, this results in bigger and more impactful launches as teams operate in coordination. From a Marketing team perspective, this means that the entire Marketing team is on board and operating in concert with the launch. As an example, I can recall a “Tier 1” launch my team dd where I could literally tell you the contribution of nearly every single marketer toward that launch. It was awesome and the launch became the company’s most successful launch in its history. 
  3. As the business grows, so too will the need for processes that help the business scale. A fast growing smaller or midsized company will begin to feel the pains of growth. A smart PLC, put in place early, means that the organization can scale more easily and successfully.
  4. Last, given it is my belief that a tremendous number of organizations simply don’t have a PLC or don’t have a well-defined and adhered-to PLC, I would make the argument that those companies that do have a competitive advantage. A PLC process manages risk to the organization and works to optimize its financial resources as well as minimize wasted efforts.