There are certain phrases that make a product manager cringe. For me, it is when customers refer to the process of submitting feedback as throwing ideas into a “black hole.” Ouch. I never want a customer to feel this way. This is one reason why our team at Aha! created a new goal this year: zero unreviewed customer ideas. Seriously.| www.aha.io
When is the last time you expressed gratitude to a co-worker? I am not talking about a quick “thanks” in an email. I am talking about taking a moment to tell them why you are grateful — for how they contribute to the team and how they make your own work better.| www.aha.io
What does it mean if someone calls you bold? It could be that your actions seem courageous. Or that you take risks and have a certain fearlessness to your character. But it does not necessarily mean you are thoughtful. Although it should. Because boldness requires listening and openness too — traits that are sorely needed today.| www.aha.io
Dozens of support articles. 58 marketing activities completed. And hundreds of screenshots. This is just a sampling of the work that went into the launch of Aha! for Marketing. Our team felt an enormous sense of accomplishment on the morning of the launch. And despite the fact that we all work remotely, folks still got together to celebrate — hopping on a video meeting to cheer as the new product went live.| www.aha.io
Something different. This is what my co-founder Dr. Chris Waters and I had in mind when we founded Aha! five years ago. We had spent nearly 20 years working in Silicon Valley and building breakthrough products at both large technology companies and smaller startups. And in plain terms — we were successful in lots of meaningful ways but we experienced a lot we did not like in the process.| www.aha.io
We are building a different kind of technology company at Aha! No venture funding, no offices, and no salespeople. A company that has been highly profitable from the start. We are proud of the value that we have created for customers and the team. And it fills us with gratitude when others recognize this as well.| www.aha.io
I recently shared some good news with you — Aha! was named Company of the Year in the Stevie Awards’ 2018 American Business Awards. I also shared that this recognition was a perfect moment for the Aha! team. It is humbling when others recognize your success. And I am excited to announce that we just won another prestigious award.| www.aha.io
“If only I had more hours in the day.” I bet you have wished for just this — maybe a few hours to finish up a task or 5 more minutes to proofread an email. Tempting, especially when you feel overwhelmed by multiple projects and impending deadlines. But finding more time is impossible. And time alone will certainly not make anyone more productive.| www.aha.io
I never imagined that I would talk with our company about a pandemic. But for many leaders, last week brought the unimaginable. It did for me on Wednesday, which I typically set aside for deep introspection and strategy. I spent that afternoon going through my own assumptions about the potential impact of coronavirus on the world, our company, our customers, and our team. Those reflections were the basis for a heartfelt conversation with the entire Aha! team last Friday.| www.aha.io
Difficult work is often the most rewarding. This is especially true for those in leadership roles. I am incredibly proud of our software and the high-growth business we built at Aha! — but I am even more proud of the leaders we have helped grow. I am amazed at how we have grown our leadership team entirely from within the company.| www.aha.io
T-R-M. You will hear these three letters often at Aha! — with teammates exclaiming things like, “Melissa showed some next-level TRM today, showing the customer new functionality that they needed before they even asked for it.” Or “I reported a bug to the engineering team and it was fixed within 10 minutes. Serious TRM!” So, what is TRM? It stands for The Responsive Method. It is the engine that powers us.| www.aha.io
In 2018 Aha! surpassed over 5,000 paying customers with an annual revenue of $40 million. Learn how we do it with a fully remote global team.| www.aha.io
Extreme openness. This was the original intention of the open-office design. Breaking down walls would also break down barriers — everyone could exchange ideas throughout the day. The organization would realize a hyper-state of transparency where the best ideas would always win. But I bet you have experienced a different reality with this floorplan.| www.aha.io
"What do you mean no salespeople?" When people find out that Aha! does not have a sales team, they are sometimes shocked — but always curious. The questions continue. "How do you manage to make money? Is Customer Success simply sales under another name? How do you convince product management experts to do this work?" The truth is that we do things differently at Aha! and we are proud of it.| www.aha.io
Super busy? Calendar overload? Brian de Haaff, Aha! co-founder and CEO, shares four questions leaders can use to prioritize the most impactful work and engage deeply with the team.| www.aha.io
Great work is about effort and achievement, not a location. Aha! teammates collaborate from all over the world and we are always hiring exceptional people. Find job openings in customer success, engineering, marketing, and other teams.| www.aha.io
Customer value is usually defined as the perception of what a product or service is worth. Company valuation is the process of evaluating the economic worth of a business. Unfortunately, customer value and company value were not highly correlated in most startups over the last 10 years.| www.aha.io