Special_ice
Special_ice

B2B vs B2C PM

How difficult is it to transition from a PM at a B2B startup to becoming a PM at a B2C one?

If anyone has done this recently, was there are any upskilling required? What is the sentiment when you apply for such roles? Is there a significant difference in pay?

21mo ago
BusyBeanie68
BusyBeanie68

Having been in this position a couple of years ago, here are my thoughts on this. These are generalized observations and there are definitely exceptions to these norms.

  1. There are some hard skill differences between B2B and B2C roles. Looking at funnel data and running AB experiments is almost bread and butter for any B2C PM. Similarly having a good design sense is paramount in B2C. On the other hand, B2B roles tend to be more technical and sales led. Note that platform products that serve internal customers are also B2B products in some sense.

  2. B2B companies are generally revenue and profit focused. B2C businesses are extremely competitive and also have crazy revenue multiples. Hence they tend to spend rampantly on hiring engineers and product managers.

  3. Both roles require PMs to do problem solving, stakeholder management, launching something from scratch, etc.

  4. It's obviously possible to solve for any of the skill gaps that you would have in your current role. But generally hiring managers tend to be risk averse and would like to see you demonstrate these skills in your existing role as well. You can try to do mock interviews with friends and peers in order to atleast 'interview well' even if you didn't get a chance to show some project with these skills. A lot of product interviews are general case rounds. So you might be able to crack it.

All the best.

Special_ice
Special_ice

Thanks! This was perfectly elaborate.

TrueSand32
TrueSand32
Swiggy20mo

Is there a difference in salary between the both?

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