S1:E16 - Nerds to Norms: Why real conversations still beat synthetic data in B2B product management

In this episode, we sat down with Mike Maynard, Chairman at Napier B2B PR & Marketing, to talk about why B2B is anything but boring. We dug into the complexity of buying committees and why product managers can’t afford to think only about a single “customer” in the room. Mike shared his perspective on synthetic personas, the limits of surveys, and why real conversations with customers matter so much more than data points on a slide. We also talked about respect — specifically, why product managers need to respect the problem customers are sharing, not just jump straight to the solution they ask for. And of course, we couldn’t resist exploring Mike’s “nerds vs. norms” framing and what it really takes to move a product across the chasm.

Key Takeaways

1. B2B decisions are complex and committee-driven — success means understanding multiple perspectives (engineers, CEOs, finance, InfoSec) and tailoring your approach accordingly.

2. Surveys often mislead — synthetic personas and data can support you, but nothing replaces real conversations with customers in context.

3. Respect the problem, not just the solution — product managers must look beyond what customers ask for, uncover the root issue, and bring all stakeholders’ voices into the room.

Questions for PMs

• How do you map and understand the full “buying committee” or decision-making unit in your product’s ecosystem?

• When was the last time you had a direct, in-context conversation with a real customer instead of relying on survey data?

• How can you create space in your product process to uncover and respect the true problem, even when stakeholders push a pre-baked solution?