@alanklement @ViableBen

One of the most expensive mistakes in salary negotiation is countering the wrong way. Most candidates negotiate on the phone. Big mistake. The winning move? Always counter via email. Why email beats phone calls: Most recruiters want quick "yeses" to close deals. Phone calls let them instantly shut down your ask. But a well-crafted email: ↳ Creates a paper trail ↳ Forces them to acknowledge your request ↳ Ensures your case reaches decision-makers ↳ Gives you space to make your complete case Here's what I learned from our recent Supra speaker session with salary negotiation expert Josh Doody about crafting the perfect counter-offer email. 👇 The counter-offer email should have 4 parts: 1/ Nice introduction + genuine enthusiasm "Thanks for the offer! I'm excited about the opportunity to join [Company]. The team's mission to [specific detail] really resonates with me..." 2/ The money maker: Your "Why I'm Awesome" paragraph. Make it long. Almost uncomfortably long. Break every writing rule about brevity. Include: ↳ Specific achievements with numbers ↳ Unique skills that few candidates have ↳ Direct experience relevant to their needs ↳ Projects where you've solved similar problems ↳ Revenue/cost impacts you've delivered ↳ Technology or domain expertise you bring ↳ Team-building and leadership examples The goal? Make them think "OK, we get it - you're perfect. What's the ask?" 3/ The counter-offer State your number clearly and directly Example: "You offered $500k total comp. I'd be more comfortable at $650k total comp." 4/ Close with clear next steps and maintain momentum: "Thanks for working with me on this. I'm confident we can find a number that works for both sides. Please let me know when we can discuss next steps." Pro tip: ↳Most recruiters aren't authorized to approve significant increases. ↳Your email will get forwarded to decision-makers. ↳ Write it knowing that VPs and hiring managers will read it. How do you structure your counter-offer email? --- Enjoy this? Follow @MarcBaselga for similar posts.

Are you interviewing at a private startup? Considering the current market, your equity compensation could be worth nothing. Let me explain why: In 2021-22, many startups raised massive rounds at super-inflated valuations and with multiples that made no sense. But in 2023, the macro environment changed, and many of those companies may never live up to those high valuations. If you’re interviewing at a company that raised in 2021-22, your comp equity might be based on an unrealistic valuation. And your equity grant might seem a LOT more generous than it is. Here’s an example: let’s assume the company’s valuation after its last round is $4B, and the 4-year equity grant they are offering you is worth $400k ($100k per year). But given the current market correction, you realize the company’s valuation should be closer to $600M. Now, your equity grant is only worth $60k ($15k per year). Suddenly, the offer changes from being attractive to significantly below market. So, instead of accepting the first offer you get, take time to understand the true market value of your equity. Here’s how: - Ask for the most up-to-date 409A valuation to see the most recent valuation. - Ask for financial data (i.e., ARR) and compare the valuation multiples with similar companies in the industry. If the multiples are higher than similar companies, the company valuation is probably unrealistic. - Investigate how much company shares are selling for in secondary markets using tools like Hiive. - A “down round” in 2023-2024 usually means the company valuation is more realistic and aligned with the current market. Despite having overinflated valuations, it’s an uphill battle to convince a company to increase its equity offer significantly. Most companies have compensation bands they need to follow. To avoid surprises after a long recruiting process, consider asking for the valuation and other financial data during your first recruiter call.

What's a VP of Product at a Series B company in NYC making these days? Base Salary: $250K - $300k Target Equity (Per Year): $210K - $350k Typical Grant (4-Year): 0.6% - 1% Question for the broader product community: • Is this data consistent with what you're seeing in the market? • What product role and (private) company size should we cover next? More details about the salary benchmark: • Level/seniority of the role: VP • Amount raised: $25M-$40M The ranges above come from a combination of sources: 1) Fair Offer 2) What I've seen from Supra members's offers 3) Exec recruiters. Just so you know, the equity numbers for seed stage by Fair Offer are way higher than I've seen in other places, so please take a look at the equity numbers I shared at the top of the post. To increase salary transparency, I will post Salary benchmarks for product leadership roles at private companies every two weeks. I also shared how to leverage Fair Offer to access these insights in the comments.

Searching for your next product leadership role but not sure where to look? Every two weeks, I'll be posting a curated list of open Product Leadership Roles at leading companies to help people who are actively looking for jobs. For context: I run Supra, a private community of high-caliber product leaders, so I have access to roles our community members are hiring for and jobs posted in our job-openings Slack channel. Here are the most interesting roles: Prefer to get the the roles via email 📧? Subscribe to this bi-weekly job listing here: 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝 / 𝐕𝐏 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 - Mochi Health is hiring a Head of Product - - Fairmarkit is hiring a VP of Product - - Serve Robotics is hiring a Head of Product, Hardware - - Square is hiring a Head of Product, Dashboard - - Hover is hiring a Head of Consumer Product - 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫/ 𝐒𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 - 6sense is hiring a Sr. Director Product Management - - Walmart is hiring a Group Director, Product Management - - Ironclad is hiring a Director, Product Management - - Dropbox is hiring a Director of Product, Web Experience - - Spotify is hiring a Director - Global Head of Consumer Product & Tech Communications - - Chime is hiring a Senior Director, Product - - Meta is hiring a Product Management Director, Codec Avatars - - Lyft is hiring a Director of Product, Driver Earnings - - Reddit is hiring a Director of Product, Ads, SMB - - Upwork is hiring a Senior Director of Product Management, Payments and Risk - - NVIDIA is hiring a Director of Product Management – Generative AI for Games - 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐏𝐌 / 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝 - Intuit is hiring a Group Product Manager, Technology Partnerships Integration - - Webflow is hiring a Senior Group Product Manager, Developer Platform - - Atlassian is hiring a Group Product Manager, Global Experiences Platform - - Google is hiring a Group Product Manager, Workspace Agents, Google Cloud - - Betterment is hiring a Group Product Manager, Investing - - Airbnb is hiring a Product Lead, Connected Accounts - - Hubspot is hiring a Group Product Manager, Engagement & Notifications - - Stripe is hiring a Product Lead, Risk - 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐥 / 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐏𝐌 - Adobe is hiring a Principal Product Manager - - Toast is hiring a Principal Product Manager- Toast Web - - TikTok is hiring a Product Management Lead, Performance Ads - - Amazon is hiring a Principal Product Manager, Tech - - Microsoft is hiring a Principal Product Manager - - Etsy is hiring a Staff Product Researcher, Payments - - Pinterest is hiring a Staff Product Manager, Modules - - Reddit is hiring a Staff Product Manager for Finance Applications - - DoorDash is hiring a Lead Product Manager, Payments Risk - 𝐓𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛𝐬 portal 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 +40 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 > If you know someone looking for a job or hiring, tag them in the comments or repost this post to help spread the word. Follow me (@MarcBaselga) to receive these job openings.

We just analyzed Supra's first Product Leadership compensation benchmarks. Here are 6 key comp insights that I found interesting: 1/ IC PM & GPM Pay Parity Signals Maturing IC Career Track Compensation packages for Group Product Managers and senior IC roles are comparable within our community, suggesting maturation of the IC PM career track. 2/ Series C+ Startups Match small/Mid-Cap Public Company Salaries For well-funded startups at Series C and beyond, base salary compensation is comparable to later-stage and public companies. 3/ Only 2% Work Fully In-Office Despite Return-to-Office Push Only 2% of participants reported working in a fully in-office environment, contradicting the perceived trend toward return-to-office mandates. 4/ Multi-Function Product Leaders See Higher Equity Product leaders who oversee multiple functions (Design, Ops, etc.) receive higher equity compensation, reflecting the practice of aligning strategic roles and broader scope with long-term incentives. 5/ Sign-On Bonuses are most prevalent for Senior ICs Sign-on bonuses were received by 26% of respondents, with higher frequency among senior IC roles, highlighting an opportunity for negotiation during job transitions. 6/ 46% of Supra's Product Leaders Manage Cross-Functional Teams Product leaders increasingly oversee functions beyond product, suggesting a shift toward broader organizational leadership roles. Want to get access to the full report? Reply with "Supra Benchmarks" on this post, and we will send you a version of the report.

RT @iamireneyu: "Your team is not technical enough" hits different when you're a product leader. Technical leadership looks different when…

As an early-stage Head of Product, your impact lives and dies with your founder's trust. After talking to product leaders in Supra, here are battle-tested tactics that actually work: 1/ Execute the Easy Stuff First • Fix those annoying bugs that bother the founder • Remove them from unnecessary message threads • Show you can deliver quickly on small requests 2/ Master Strategic Pushback • Disagree when needed, but come prepared • Ground your recommendations in customer insights • Make it clear how your approach serves users better 3/ Know Your Customers Better Than Anyone • Talk to more users than sales and the CEO combined • Spend disproportionate time understanding user needs • Use customer insights to drive decisions 4/ Be "Sneaky Good" • Execute flawlessly on tactical requests • Quietly build strategic foundations • Pick your battles wisely 5/ Understand Your Founder's Trust Variables • Use frameworks like the trust equation • Learn what they value in relationships • Adapt your style to match their preferences 6/ Make Customer Success Your North Star • Align all decisions with customer value • Demonstrate clear customer impact • Frame discussions through customer needs What other tactics have worked for you?

RT @iamireneyu: I had an absolute blast last week with @MarcBaselga & @ViableBen on the Supra Insider podcast last week. I've been an acti…

Recruiter: "Tell me your salary expectations?" Me: "Hmm - can I get back to you later in the process?" Recruiter: "We need a number to move forward." Me: "Ok, I'm looking for a $200k base or higher." 💥 Boom. You just made a big, expensive mistake. Here's why: By answering too soon, you've: ↳ Anchored the conversation to your number, not your value ↳ Potentially undervalued yourself ↳ Lost leverage before showcasing your full potential So what should you do instead? Take a pause and confidently say: ↳ "I'd like to learn more about the role before discussing compensation." Or: ↳ "I'm confident we can find a number that works if I'm the right fit." The recruiter will likely ask again. Don't cave. Repeat one of those two sentences, and sit in silence. This will feel awkward and challenging at first, but once you've done it once or twice, it will feel more natural. It also helps to practice this with a friend and record the conversation. By mastering this process, you're not just avoiding a mistake. You're setting the stage for an offer that reflects your worth. It could mean thousands more in your pocket. Every single year.

Most PMs are excited about AI making their teams more productive. But here's the paradox no one's talking about (credit to Tal Raviv): When everything moves faster, YOU become the bottleneck. Think about it: ↳ Design iterations that took days now take minutes ↳ Code that took weeks now takes hours ↳ What used to be a "quick prototype" is now production-ready The old excuses are gone: "Engineering needs two weeks for this" "Design is backed up" "We need time to validate" Now, it's just you, your judgment, and an endless stream of decisions. To thrive in this new world, you not only need to use the best AI tools. But you'll also have to master: ↳ Rapid context-switching ↳ High-stakes decision making ↳ Clear strategic thinking ↳ Emotional resilience Here's where it gets interesting: Those not getting leverage through AI will have to work harder than ever to keep up with the rest. The gap between highly leveraged PMs and the rest grows wider every day. --- Ben and I just released a new podcast episode with Tal Raviv and Joshua Herzig-Marx where we discussed: * The rise of AI prototyping tools (Replit, Lovable, V0) * Why most companies are implementing AI wrong * The future of Product Management in an AI-first world * How AI agents might reshape company structures * What makes an AI-native product different Epsidoe Link:

The best time to get your L&D budget approved? Right after you lock in your job offer. Most candidates make a common mistake: They try negotiating everything at once. Or worse - they completely forget about learning & development. Here's a ninja move that's worked consistently for Supra members: 1/ First, focus on core compensation + benefits ↳ Get your base, equity, and benefits sorted ↳ Keep the discussion focused and clean 2/ Then, once everything's settled, drop: "Oh, one more small thing..." ↳ Request coverage for specific L&D programs ↳ Frame it as investing in your growth ↳ Position it as a win-win Why this works: ↳ Shows you're growth-oriented ↳ Feels like a minor ask after big items ↳ Makes you stand out from other candidates ↳ Especially effective at startups without formal L&D budgets I've seen this work multiple times, particularly with high-caliber communities and exec coaching. Pro tip: Come prepared with specific programs you want covered. It shows thoughtfulness and makes the ask concrete. P.S. If you're changing roles soon and want to negotiate Supra into your offer, DM me, and we can explore if there's a good fit.

Here are my learning goals for 2025: 1/ Weekly time for deep learning ↳ Dedicating focused time to AI experimentation ↳ Finding use cases to reduce costs and boost team efficiency ↳ Building intuition for what AI can/can't do 2/ Doubling down timeless human skills ↳ Creativity ↳ Taste (developing stronger opinions) ↳ Empathy (deeper user understanding) ↳ First principles thinking 3/ Simplification everywhere ↳ Eliminating unnecessary complexity ↳ Reducing friction everywhere ↳ Decluttering work and life 4/ Higher leverage work ↳ Stepping out of operations ↳ Mastering delegation ↳ Building systems that scale ↳ Focusing on 10x initiatives 5/ Distribution and content creation ↳ Experimenting with new content formats ↳ Building in public ↳ Finding scalable ways to share learnings After running Supra for 2.5 years, I've learned that the best investment you can make is in your own growth. What are you focusing on this year?

I've been watching my podcast co-host Ben Erez crush it as a solopreneur. What he has accomplished in a year is incredible: • Replaced his full-time income in just 8 months • Launched successful courses that are making a difference • Built a 10K+ LinkedIn following • Published 40 podcast episodes • All while being super present as a dad His superpower? Crystal clear expectations and boundaries. A few examples: 1/ Calendar boundaries ↳ No meetings before 11am ↳ Deep work at coffee shops after daycare drop-off ↳ Blocking "decompression time" before family dinner 2/ Client boundaries ↳ Clear scope for advisory roles ↳ Defined communication channels ↳ Upfront expectations about availability 3/ Work boundaries ↳ Taking all of last August completely off ↳ No compromises on sleep (7-8 hours) ↳ Regular nature walks with his dog Watching Ben's journey from a first-row seat has taught me that setting boundaries isn't selfish. It's the foundation for sustainable success. What boundaries have helped you thrive? --- Ben and I just released a special edition of our podcast where we: • Reflected on our first 40 episodes • Shared our personal learnings from 2024 • Jammed on exciting product trends for 2025 • And shared our goals for 2025 Link to episode coming soon.

Slack's growth story is legendary. 500,000 to 6 million daily active users in just two years. But what's even more impressive? Users didn't just use Slack. They loved it. During a recent Supra talk, Slack's former Head of Growth Merci Victoria Grace revealed something fascinating about this success: It started at the top. Stewart Butterfield, Slack's founder, had an almost supernatural ability to see the product through fresh eyes. In every product review, he'd approach features like he was seeing them for the first time. He'd question everything: ↳ Why this button? ↳ Why that flow? ↳ Why these words? This wasn't just founder intuition. It was a learnable skill. And Merci discovered a way to teach it to her product teams: She taught them the power of role play. Here's how it worked: Instead of creating static user personas, product teams would literally become their users: ↳ Create a real character with genuine motivations ↳ Build their backstory and current pressures ↳ Experience the product through their emotional lens A real example from their sessions: "I'm Sarah, I run a small design agency. We have a huge deadline next week. My team just started using Slack, and I'm already drowning in notifications..." The magic? Teams stopped defending their features. They started experiencing them. This wasn't just another empathy exercise. This was about developing the same superpower their founder had - the ability to see their product with genuinely fresh eyes. Want to try this with your team? Gather your PM, designer, and engineer. Have them create and inhabit real characters. Use your product together. Pay attention to where emotions get stuck. What techniques have helped your team see your product through fresh eyes?

Big changes are coming to product management. Here are 4 trends I'm excited about in 2025: 1/ The rise of the builder PM PMs are moving beyond specs and starting to build. The barrier to creating software has never been lower. More PMs will launch side projects that could become real businesses. The line between PM and founder is blurring. 2/ Hyper-efficient product cycles AI-powered prototyping is accelerating iteration speed. More shots on goal = better products The bar for great products will rise significantly. 3/ The business-savvy PM Product leaders getting closer to revenue. ↳ Better understanding of marketing ↳ Deeper knowledge of sales ↳ Sharper positioning skills 4/ The rise of the super IC PM Delegating routine work to AI. Double down on high-leverage activities. Individual contributors becoming even more valued. Making the role more impactful (and more fun). @talraviv 😉 --- Ben Erez and I just released a special edition of Supra Insider where we: • Reflected on our first 40 episodes • Shared our personal learnings from 2024 • Jammed on exciting product trends for 2025 • And shared our goals for 2025 Link to episode coming soon 🙌

In today's product management landscape, a curious shift is happening. More and more product leaders are moving from management roles back to IC positions. And it's not just about the market - it's a deliberate choice. Several product leaders in our Supra community recently shared their perspectives on this trend. The days of pure people managers in product are fading. Even at larger organizations, managers are spending less time mentoring and more time steering while handling IC work. What's driving this shift? 1/ Market Realities Companies, especially early-stage ones, can't afford pure people management roles anymore. They need leaders who can execute, not just guide. 2/ Misaligned Incentives With compensation increasingly similar between senior ICs and people managers, the added stress and complexity of management roles are harder to justify. 3/ Expanding Expectations Be a player-coach, stay in the weeds, think strategically, push back on leadership, and speed up delivery. The demands on product managers have become unrealistic. 4/ Career Versatility Many are choosing IC roles to stay sharp and maintain their technical skills. The people management soft skills naturally transfer to any PM role. The consensus? The traditional management track isn't the only path to growth in product anymore. Many are finding more fulfillment and better market fit as senior ICs without compromising on comp. What's your take on the IC vs. management path in today's market?

What's a Director of Product at a Series E company in NYC making these days? Base Salary: $220K - $270k Incentive Comp (Bonus + Equity, Annualized): $150K -$220k Question for the broader product community: • Is this data consistent with what you're seeing in the market? • What product role and (private) company size should we cover next? More details about the salary benchmark: • Level/seniority of the role: Director • Amount raised: $100M-$150M The ranges above come from a combination of sources: 1) Fair Offer 2) What I've seen from Supra members's offers 3) Exec recruiters. Just so you know, the equity numbers for seed stage by Fair Offer are way higher than I've seen in other places, so please take a look at the equity numbers I shared at the top of the post. To increase salary transparency, I will post Salary benchmarks for product leadership roles at private companies every two weeks. I also shared how to leverage Fair Offer to access these insights in the comments. Activate to view larger image,

Me: "Hey, can we talk about my compensation?" Manager: "Sure, your review is next week. Walk me through your achievements." Me: "Well, I launched our flagship product, hit 90% of our KRs, and doubled revenue." Manager: "That's incredible work! Based on our bands, I can get you a 4% raise." Me: "Just 4%?" Manager: "My hands are tied. HR and Finance already set the budgets." If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. The problem? Most high performers make three critical mistakes: ↳ Wait for the annual review ↳ List their achievements ↳ Ask for a "fair increase" By then, it's too late. You've already: ↳ Missed the planning & budgeting cycle ↳ Lost your negotiating leverage ↳ Put your manager in a defensive position So what's the winning move? In a recent Supra session, salary negotiation expert Josh Doody shared this playbook: 1/ Start early Begin the conversation 5-6 months before annual reviews. This gives you runway to navigate the system. 2/ Map the comp landscape ↳ Know your band's range ↳ Identify flexible levers (often equity) ↳ Learn next level requirements ↳ Locate key decision makers 3/ Build your business case Make it uncomfortably long. Include: ↳ Revenue impact (with numbers) ↳ Cost reductions achieved ↳ Speed improvements delivered ↳ Additional responsibilities taken ↳ Team members now leading 4/ Gather third-party validation ↳ Cross-team feedback ↳ Client testimonials ↳ Stakeholder quotes ↳ Awards received 5/ Make it easy for your manager ↳ Focus on the flexible components ↳ Frame within existing tiers ↳ Show you understand the comp system ↳ Give them a clear path to yes 6/ Execute strategically First in person: ↳ State your target compensation ↳ Show your expanded scope ↳ Demonstrate next-level work Then the crucial step: Send a detailed follow-up email. Your manager will forward this up the chain. Make it compelling enough to stand alone. If they say "band maximum," don't give up. Ask for: ↳ Next band requirements ↳ Promotion timeline ↳ Specific milestones needed In internal negotiations, your job isn't just to prove your value. It's to help your manager navigate the comp structure to get you there. What compensation negotiation strategies have worked for you?

"I want to write on LinkedIn, but I don't know where to start." I hear this almost every week. They're accomplished professionals with valuable insights to share. But they're stuck. After helping dozens of friends navigate this journey and growing my own audience 6x in 12 months, I've noticed two common struggles: 1. Getting started 2. Staying consistent Here's my biggest realization: Your success hinges on what you do BEFORE you write: 1/ Plan in batches ↳ Block 2 hours every Sunday for weekly planning ↳ Create a content calendar for 60-90 days ↳ Build a bank of 20-30 topic ideas before starting 2/ Find your sweet spot Think of it as a Venn diagram: ↳ What you love writing about ↳ What your audience needs ↳ What drives results 3/ Master the hook ↳ Spend 40% of writing time on the first 2-3 lines ↳ This determines if people click "see more" ↳ Use short, punchy sentences ↳ Create tension or curiosity 4/ Format for scanning ↳ Keep paragraphs to 1-2 lines ↳ Embrace white space ↳ Break up text with symbols (→, •, ↳) ↳ Avoid walls of text Pro tips that few talk about: • Wait an hour before adding links LinkedIn's algorithm penalizes external links. Post first, add links later. • Repurpose your wins Your top posts aren't luck – they're data. Double down on what works. • Comments > Reposts Thoughtful comments on popular posts often drive more profile visits than your own content. Building an audience takes time. But having a system makes it sustainable. What other LinkedIn writing tips would you add?