Softgarden
www.softgarden.com
Industry
Recruiting & HR-tech
Hq
Berlin, Germany
Strategic Product Marketing: Unifying Vision, Data, and Execution for Impact
The challenge
A well-defined Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) isn’t just a checkbox, it’s the cornerstone of lasting growth, sharper market focus, and empowered teams.
Softgarden initially set out to capture market share broadly: every lead, every industry, every region. This approach carried hidden costs such as customer misfit, churn risk, and inefficient use of resources. Different teams interpreted the ICP through their own lens, creating strategic disconnects and diluting impact.
The solution
In conversation with CEO Kiril Mankowski and through structured strategic work, Softgarden committed to:
- Rigorously defining its ICP using stakeholder interviews and data-driven segmentation.
- Aligning cross-functional teams on a shared view of the ideal customer and buying journey.
- Operationalizing the ICP in day-to-day processes, lead scoring, enablement, and GTM motions.
- Tailoring go-to-market strategies by segment instead of applying a one-size-fits-all model.
- Building the discipline to say no to opportunities outside the ICP to protect focus and value.
The result
This work provided Softgarden with:
- Sharper focus on the right segments.
- Better alignment between leadership, product, sales, marketing, and customer success.
- Stronger prioritization, cleaner pipeline, and more relevant GTM motions.
- A scalable framework where strategy, data, and execution reinforce each other.
Defining the ICP: Where Focus Begins
When Softgarden first set out to capture market share, they took on all comers – every lead, every industry, every region. But, as Kiril acknowledged, this broad approach carried hidden costs: customer misfit, churn, and less effective use of precious resources. The breakthrough came when Softgarden committed to rigorously defining its ICP. Through carefully orchestrated analysis, including stakeholder interviews and data-driven segmentation, they surfaced two clear priorities:
- Large organizations (500–1,500 employees): This segment had proven traction and required high-touch, personalized engagement.
- Mid-market firms (50–250 employees): A segment ripe for growth, but needing a leaner, more scalable model.
This sharper segmentation brought new operational discipline. The clarity wasn’t just about whom to target – it was equally about knowing which business to politely decline.
Insight: Laser-focusing on who you serve and who you don’t empowers your teams, drives meaningful conversations, and eliminates wasted effort. Strategic clarity at this level lays the groundwork for all subsequent decisions such as go to market or product strategy.
Building Alignment: Turning Silos Into Cohesion
Strategic intent has limited impact if it doesn’t cascade beyond leadership.
Product, sales, marketing, and customer success often interpret the ICP through their own professional lens. Product teams might focus on user experience, while sales and marketing fixate on economic buyers and organizational pain points. This diversity is natural but can create strategic disconnects.
To bridge these gaps, B2B Practitioners facilitated structured, cross-functional workshops. These sessions enabled teams to articulate their perspectives and, more importantly, listen to those of their peers. Misalignments surfaced, conversations became more productive, and consensus on the ICP grew, serving as the unifying thread guiding execution.
Insight: When teams visualize the customer journey together and internalize what success looks like from every vantage point, strategic alignment becomes a lived reality, not an abstract goal.
From Insight to Action: Operationalizing the ICP
Many companies define their ICP and stop there; few translate it into their day-to-day operations as thoroughly as Softgarden. The difference was deliberate activation and iteration.
- Data informs every step: The team mined CRM data, analyzed deal histories, and interviewed both current customers and prospects. Details such as the average number of job posts by clients became meaningful signals for lead scoring and prioritization.
- Enablement matters: Training was hands-on and persona-driven. Sales and marketing teams role-played scenarios, learning to spot ICP-aligned leads quickly and engage with relevance and empathy.
- Iterate, refine, repeat: The ICP was treated as a living asset, adaptable as learnings emerged from the field and customer needs evolved.
Strategic focus did not remain confined to a document. Softgarden’s approach ensured their ICP was visible, actionable, and consistently refreshed.
Insight: Embedding your ICP in operational cadence via data, enablement, and continuous learning turns strategic vision into sustained competitive execution.
The Discipline to Say No: Protecting Focus and Value
For high-performing teams with ambitious targets, saying “no” to seemingly promising opportunities can feel counterintuitive. Yet this discipline is critical.
Working outside the ICP drains resources, distracts teams, and compromises the brand’s promise. Softgarden proactively empowered its teams to spot misaligned opportunities early and engage in direct, constructive conversations about fit. This concentrated collective energy on prospects most likely to benefit from their solution and become long-term partners.
Insight: Protecting your ICP means making tough but strategic choices. Encourage teams to practice discernment at every touchpoint, not just in the boardroom.
The results
By unifying vision, ICP clarity, and execution:
- Teams gained a shared understanding of who Softgarden is built for.
- Lead qualification and prioritization became more consistent and data-informed.
- GTM efforts by segment became more effective and scalable.
- The organization reduced wasted effort on non-fit deals and strengthened its positioning with the right customers.
Conclusion
Refining product marketing strategy is not a one-off initiative, but an ongoing commitment.
As reinforced through the work with Kiril Mankowski and the Softgarden team, enduring impact flows from:
- Defining your ICP early and honestly.
- Uniting all teams behind shared customer understanding
- Turning strategy into process and habit.
- Remaining agile as the market and organization evolve.
ICP clarity, team alignment, and a willingness to learn together form the foundation for the next phase of growth. Strategy in product marketing is less about grand gestures and more about persistent, collective focus, executed thoughtfully and revisited often.
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