Product Hero #6 — Raphael Farinazzo
Be the best version of yourself.
Hello guys!
Friday, friday friday!
Did you see all #ProductHeroes? If not, you can take a look below:
@arthurklose: https://goo.gl/SjSr88 | Thiago Diniz: https://goo.gl/xfSSmA
Filipi Neves: https://goo.gl/PqTHDt | Demian Borba: https://goo.gl/r5ZTDA
Alex Ivonika: https://goo.gl/jYv5gU |
Liza Marques de Mello: https://goo.gl/5vyCIS
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Ok, let's start. The Product Hero from this week is…
Raphael Farinazzo!
I never met Raphael in person. But, we talk a lot in our group about Product (Really?), innovation, and Tech. He always gave examples and share a lot of ideas and concepts that apply to his job.
Raphael has done a lot in this life! He was Video Rental Store Clerk, Music Teacher, Ad Copywriter, Entrepreneur, Writer, Musician, Husband, soon-to-be Dad… and work with Product, Tech, and Marketing for the past six years.
“I’m pretty sure all my experiences have made me who I am.”
He is a Product Manager at Resultados Digitais (a SaaS company developing the largest Marketing Automation Platform in Brazil), responsible for 2 parts of the product: Traffic and Social Media.
In the future, he would like to start another company. He feels that his career as an entrepreneur is not over. Also someday he would very much like to be a voluntary Portuguese Teacher for poor communities. Let's start!
How do you explain your job to ‘normal’ people (like grandparents…)
I did it a few weeks ago. It was like this:
“You see Facebook? It does lots of things: you can publish posts, like, comment, send inbox messages, advertise etc. Up to now, there are still people working on it to make it better (eg. changing “like” to “reaction”), so people can do more with it.
I do the same in my company, except it’s not a social network, it’s a Marketing Automation Platform. My job is to improve the product so people can achieve success with it — selling more and more!“
Of course they wanted to know what is Marketing Automation, and it’s a bit harder to explain, but I managed to do it showing them how they are Leads and Customers themselves, for several online companies.
2. What’s your morning routine at work as a Product Manager?
I like to perform quick tasks: check/reply e-mails, a brief look at metrics, schedule meetings, operational tasks etc. The morning ends with my team’s Daily Meeting.
I prefer to do complex, long-time tasks in the afternoon, when I’m 100% awake!
3. Where do you get your inspiration? (links, books, activities…)
As a Product Manager and Marketer, I get tons of inspiration from other products, business models, UXs, UIs etc. I try to be a good user to be a good Product Manager. As a customer (but thinking as a PM), I learned a lot about how to deliver success and delight customers.
I also get inspiration from talking to customers. Mine are brave people doing their best to excel with Digital Marketing. It’s impossible not to have at least one good insight per conversation. Sometimes I schedule calls, sometimes I join a Customer Success call just to listen.
Do you want links? I read SVPG, Mind The Product, GrowthHackers and Intercom. I also like Seth Godin, Chris Dixon, Julie Zhuo, Ian McAllister, SC Moatti, Clay Christensen, Elon Musk, Reed Hastings and dozens of other Product Managers, Marketers and Entrepreneurs I follow on twitter, Medium etc. Sorry I can’t name them all, but they’re all great.
In general matters and life-related issues, I get tons of inspiration from González Pecotche, Ken Wilber, Socrates and Machado de Assis. I also like to read biographies: D. Pedro II, Beethoven, Einstein and other masters.
4. What’s your type of Product Manager?
I’m definitely a people person. I love listening, talking and observing people’s behavior. I like to negotiate and to work with diverse teams.
Don’t get me wrong, I love data too. I love digging into graphs and tables. I sometimes spend the whole day doing it. But I like to consider myself as data-informed, not solely data-driven.
Everything I do must make sense to people: my customers, my team, my coworkers, my bosses, everyone.
5. What was your biggest mistake/fail? And what you learned?
I’ve had failures as a Music Teacher, when I was 16–17, because I found it very hard to teach people that are not interested. That taught me about knowing my audience.
I’ve had failures as an Ad Copywriter, because it was very hard to write about things I didn’t believe. That taught me to put 100% of who I am in everything I do.
I failed as an entrepreneur, because I thought it would be easy. It wasn’t. That taught me to be prepared.
I’ve had failures on and on, and I keep trying to learn something from them.
6. Your tips to anyone who wants to be a Product Manager
Be a good user!
I recommend you to start looking for all the products you use and think of them as if you were the Product Manager. What jobs you want these products to perform for you? What problems are they solving? How could they be better?
Also you have to know a lot about Business, People and Tech. So find the one you suck the most and improve it.
Above all, talk to people. Not just customers, but everyone.
7. Who is your favorite superhero?
Ayrton Senna was my childhood hero.
I mean it!
He was on TV (when you’re a child, every superhero is). Plus he was brave, charismatic and technically excellent. He was always trying to overcome himself. It was a great inspiration for me.
8. Tell something about you that you like to share (or not)
When Ayrton Senna died, I got sick for a week. Bronchitis. Doctor said it was an emotional reaction.
9. What is your super power (besides being a product manager)
Cats love me. Not sure why, but they do.
I used to be able to play lots of Dream Theater songs on bass, but that super power is long lost.
10. Your final considerations
I learned that there’s no room for indecision. Set goals and make your best bets. And try not to put yourself in a situation where you can not change your course. As a general advice:
Be the best version of yourself.
Thanks for inviting me, Arthur!
If you want learn more with Raphael, take a look on his Medium: Raphael Farinazzo.
Thank you, Mr!
Just remembering that we have two new dates to the #ProductCourse:
São Paulo: September (17 and 18) that you can book here: https://goo.gl/aGk8ds
Rio de Janeiro: October (1 and 2): https://goo.gl/zQCyyt
