Brian Lawley, President of the 280 Group and the Silicon Valley Product Management Association - Often, customer beta programs are one of the most critical factors in the success or failure of a product. Yet many times they are not well-planned and are executed at the last minute with a lack of resources and focus. An effective beta program can provide you with valuable information, such as whether your product is truly ready to ship, what features should be in the next release and how satisfied customers will or won't be with the product. If done right, it can also set you up for critical launch and marketing deliverables such as success stories, customer quotes and references for the press. As a Product Management professional who is responsible for the overall success of your product, it is important that you ensure that the beta programs you run are comprehensive and effective.

Presented by Brian Lawley, President of the 280 Group and the Silicon Valley Product Management Association, and a seasoned Product Marketing and Product Management veteran, this session will include practical information and tips about how to plan and run a more effective customer beta program with less effort. Drawing from his experience running over a dozen beta programs during his career, Mr. Lawley will share information about setting goals, what works most effectively, how to plan a beta program, what to expect from customers and how to get customers to be more active in helping to do the final testing on your product.