Product Marketing at Salesforce with Julian Walker
An Ex-Google PMM's take on product marketing.
Hi, I’m Henry, and today, I’m thrilled to chat with Julian Walker, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Salesforce, about his journey in product marketing and his role in positioning and messaging. Stick around till the end—Julian will share some valuable tips on how you can break into product marketing!
Let’s get started!
Meet Julian Walker
Julian is currently a Senior Product Marketing Manager at Salesforce, working on the Service Cloud product. His role focuses on positioning and messaging for customer service solutions. Julian’s career path into product marketing wasn’t direct—he started in retail marketing with brands like Guess Jeans and Adidas before pivoting into product marketing.
Julian’s Journey into Product Marketing
Julian didn’t initially set out to be in product marketing. After working in retail marketing, he went to grad school to explore his next steps. It was here that he discovered his love for product innovation, consumer insights, and storytelling. These three interests led him to product marketing. Through networking and a referral, he secured an interview at Salesforce and transitioned into a B2B-focused product marketing role, which wasn’t something he initially imagined but turned out to be the perfect fit.
Day-to-Day in Product Marketing at Salesforce
Julian's day-to-day work is centered around messaging and positioning for Service Cloud. His role spans a variety of tasks, from writing scripts and speaker coaching to managing video production and keynote presentations for major events like Dreamforce. His job involves collaborating with different departments like PR, product teams, and sales.
One of his most recent projects was designing a keynote presentation for Dreamforce, which involved working with IKEA and celebrity designer Nate Berkus. This project highlighted how product marketing involves creating compelling stories that showcase a product’s value to both internal teams and external customers.
Favorite Product Marketing Projects
Julian shared two projects that stood out to him:
Dreamforce Keynote: Julian was responsible for creating a live studio audience presentation to demonstrate Service Cloud’s capabilities, bringing in partners like IKEA and incorporating celebrity talent.
Service Closers Program: Julian worked with the sales team to identify stalled deals and implemented a program to help close them. This not only helped him learn about the sales cycle but also contributed to surpassing sales targets.
Messaging and Positioning: The Essentials
For Julian, the key to great messaging and positioning is knowing your customer. By putting the customer at the center of everything and addressing their pain points directly, companies can create more effective messaging. Especially in today’s fast-paced world, customers appreciate concise, clear messaging that focuses on solving their problems.
Bridging B2C and B2B Messaging
Julian, who comes from a B2C background, has always been intrigued by the emotional connection consumers have with brands like Nike or Disney. He’s been exploring ways to bring more emotion into B2B messaging, despite the fact that B2B buying decisions are typically more data-driven and require clear ROI justification.
What Julian Loves About Product Marketing
Julian loves the cross-functional nature of product marketing. He enjoys working across different teams—from engineering to legal—and bringing people together to execute on a unified strategy. However, the challenge of aligning various stakeholders, especially at a large and fast-growing company like Salesforce, can also be a con. As the company scales, keeping everyone aligned becomes more complex.
Tips for Breaking Into Product Marketing
Julian’s top advice for anyone trying to break into product marketing is to:
Be confident in your unique background and experiences.
Leverage your difference as your biggest advantage—whether you come from retail, manufacturing, or another industry, use that to your advantage.
Network and build connections that can help open doors, just as Julian’s connection at Salesforce did for him.
Conclusion
Julian’s journey from retail marketing to product marketing at Salesforce shows how diverse experiences can provide the perfect foundation for a career in product marketing. His focus on customer-centered messaging, cross-functional collaboration, and storytelling has allowed him to thrive in a B2B environment while staying true to his B2C roots.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, leave a comment below and let me know what other topics you’d like to see next. Until next time!
Ready to Break Into Product Marketing?
If you’re ready to break into product marketing, check out the Product Marketing School, where I’ll teach you everything you need to succeed. You’ll learn product marketing foundations, resume & interview prep, and product marketing skills to make a real business impact.
Plus, you’ll get 1:1 coaching with me and gain access to new and exclusive content not available on YouTube. Start your journey today and take your first step toward becoming the PMM every hiring manager is looking for!