What metrics count in B2B Product Management

From Chat GPT, need to elaborate further based one xperience

Traditional metrics like Daily Active Users (DAU), Monthly Active Users (MAU), and similar user engagement metrics are often used in B2C (Business-to-Consumer) product management to measure user engagement, retention, and growth. However, these metrics may not be as relevant or useful in B2B (Business-to-Business) product management due to several reasons:

1. Different User Behavior:

• B2C Products: Typically, B2C products rely on high-frequency engagement from a large user base. Metrics like DAU and MAU are crucial to understand how often users interact with the product, which directly correlates with revenue (e.g., through ads or in-app purchases).
• B2B Products: B2B products often have fewer users who might interact with the product less frequently but for longer and more significant sessions. The usage pattern is different as it may be more aligned with work schedules and specific tasks rather than daily casual use.

2. Focus on Business Outcomes:

• B2C Metrics: DAU and MAU primarily measure user engagement and stickiness, which are essential for consumer apps to grow their user base and increase revenue.
• B2B Metrics: In B2B, the focus is on business outcomes such as efficiency gains, cost savings, revenue generation, and return on investment (ROI). Metrics like DAU do not directly correlate with these outcomes.

3. Value of Each User:

• B2C Products: The value per user in B2C is relatively low, but the volume of users is high. Therefore, it's essential to track how many users are active daily or monthly.
• B2B Products: Each user or customer in B2B typically represents a significant revenue stream. Instead of tracking DAU, it's more important to measure how effectively the product is delivering value to these users.

4. Customer Relationship and Support:

• B2C Products: Customer support and relationship management are often scaled and automated.
• B2B Products: Customer relationships are more hands-on and involve dedicated account managers, support teams, and long-term contracts. Metrics should focus on customer satisfaction, Net Promoter Score (NPS), customer success, and retention.

5. Complexity of Use Cases:

• B2C Products: Use cases are generally straightforward and designed for the average consumer.
• B2B Products: Use cases can be complex, involving integration with other systems, customization, and specialized features. Metrics should therefore focus on adoption rates of key features, depth of usage, and successful completion of business processes.

Alternative Metrics for B2B Product Management:

1. Adoption Metrics: Measure how quickly and widely the product is adopted within the client organization.

   • Example: Number of active accounts or seats used compared to purchased licenses.

2. Engagement Metrics: Focus on how engaged the users are with the product features that deliver the most value.

   • Example: Depth of usage metrics, such as the number of core features used per user.

3. Customer Success Metrics: Track how successful customers are in achieving their business goals with the product.

   • Example: Time-to-value, reduction in manual processes, increase in efficiency or productivity.

4. Retention and Churn Metrics: Measure the rate at which customers renew or cancel their subscriptions.

   • Example: Customer retention rate, churn rate, renewal rate.

5. Revenue Metrics: Track financial performance and growth.

   • Example: Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR), Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR), Customer Lifetime Value (CLV).

6. Customer Satisfaction Metrics: Measure how satisfied customers are with the product and service.

   • Example: Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT).

By focusing on these alternative metrics, B2B product managers can better assess the health and performance of their products in ways that align more closely with the needs and behaviors of their business customers

Thoughts on Kerala Islam

Again, one thing sort of fortified in my mind about how South Indian Muslims particularly in Kerala are different from their Northern counterparts.  The Islamization of Kerala mainly happened through the trade router as Arabs right through the Roman times had been travelling to the coast as part of the Indian ocean spice route. The doctrine to which Keralites would have been exposed would have been an unadulterated form which would have been closest to Prophet's time. The Cheraman Juma masjid "supposedly" to have been built in 629 AD predates even the first Arab conquest which took place of Sindh around AD 712. 

The later Islamic incursions which happened in from of Turkic invasion which heralded the Islamization in North India was far from a doctrinal or missionary conquest. There was various form of resistance put forward right through the time of Suheldev , Bappa Rawal, Prithviraj Chauhan Rajput against the Turkic horde, Vijayanagar against the Bahmans, the Rajput and Marathas again against the Mughals.

The way of Kerala coast getting Islamized through trading relations could also be seen in Indonesia and Malaysia were coastal kings started embracing Islam initially. It was not until Tipu Sultan when things actually changed for the worst. His violent repression and forced conversion in Kodagu and Malabar (North Kerala), altered the demography significantly. This also may have left a bitter taste for the non-converts and the recent converts as well, as the story of violence got engraved in lived memory. Coupled with that the fact Islam proselytizer in Kerala got introduced to a new flavor of spreading the religion i.e. through Violent methods, this got enmeshed with the 8th century association of a "Pure' desert Islam of the 7th Century. 

It is also no wonder that Kerala saw the most violent reactions during the Khilafat agitation of 1919-1921. Masquerading under the Guise of Anti-Zamindar revolt, Ali Musaliyar and his co-religionist wreaked havoc in the region, which resulted in forced conversions and migrations of thousands, until it was put down by the British.

There may be favored sentiments amongst specially the Kerala Muslims with the Arabs due to their over 1 Millenia association which parallels the impact Kerala born Sanatani seers they have had on the evolution of Sanatan Dharma in the subcontinent through Shankaracharya and his school of thought.

Kerala even hosted a live session with Hamas members like Khaled Mashal during the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. The majority of recruits to ISIS in the past have been form Kerala, PFI has its roots in Kerala which had its own vision document to conquer India.

But would have things be different if Kerala was not exposed to the violent Islamic conquest of 18th century by Tipu Sultan & it's so called "pure doctrinal" Islamic association would have still instilled the pursuit of integrating with the larger Islamic brother hood ?

Reference : Radicalization in India 

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The Mantra Connections

Again, my thoughts go back the very impactful reason of Mantra's propounded by Aurobindo while I was listening to Rajiv Malhotra's book - Being Different. As per the book, Every Mantra goes through a same process of invention or discovery akin to what it takes for an Einstein's E=Mc2. The latter being a real phenomenon which was given a mathematical formula by Einstein. The same is attributed to Mantra which gives shape and formula to a reality. The Mantra's were invented by different Seers who meditated in isolation over different times in our long civilizational history and experienced reality in those deep moments of observation which effected a process of Involution. The Mantra encapsulates the primordial sound experienced by the seers which is supposed to be the connection with reality which is then processed in the root sound which get converted to a subtler sound and finally the audible sound, which we here in today's day and age. The achieve the primordial sound is the apex goal of a spiritual being and only few great men and women have attained it in our land. But the process should be to chant mantras to chart the path of involution inwards which can be attained by moving backward from the audible to the subtle to the root and then to the primordial sound. 

Some things just seem to make sense once you first listen to them and the same happened when I again and again tried to wrap my head around the above thought. In essence at the crux lies in the fact that experiences are converted to vibration by the mantras which describe the experience. Mantra's either can be uttered or invoked in your thoughts which lead to vibrations which then affect the physiological construct and subsequently the biological form of the human.

A while back I heard again during a listening session about how Biology is nothing but Chemistry, Chemistry being nothing but Physics and Physics being nothing but Mathematics. It's well known that Vedic Mantras follow a Mathematical structure in terms of Gayatri Chandas , Anushtub Chandas, Trishtub Chandas and Jagati Chandas and many other attributes in term on Resonance, frequency, repetitio of Mantra in specific numbers like 108 Gayatri mantras. So, by that rationale it may well be that Mantra's may help unlock the connection with self if not reality or at best make self physiologically strong which may have a positive impact in other aspects of life.

Also, as per Aurobindo/Rajiv M even though Judaism and Islam have also invocation in Hebrew and Arabic, but the system is more developed and evolutionary in Sanskrit Grammar. Also, in the Abrahamic religions it's the god who knows the reality but in case of Santan Dharam and eastern religions the Mastering of Mantra's can itself help attain the truth or the reality itself.

अगर देखी होती वो तस्वीर

देखी पहली बार वो तस्वीर

जो सालों पहले क़ैद हुई थी,

उन हसरतों से भरे माहौल में

जब लगती थी गुस्ताख़ी

एक पल के लिए भी

आँख मिलाने की कोशिश।

और बातें जो हो सकती थीं,

पर नहीं हो पाईं एक,

अजीब सी झनझनाहट में गुम

जिसका उस उम्र को तजुर्बा ना था।

अगर देखी होती वो तस्वीर

कुछ सालों पहले,

और महसूस करते

वो ग़लतियाँ,

और बनाते फिर से वो रिश्ते,

पूरी करते वो रुकी हुई बातें।

तो क्या होता सफर,

क्या होता समा,

और क्या होती ज़िंदगी,

जो अब खोजे हुए हैं

एक अंजान मक़ाम।

The assertiveness

It was interesting to listen to Manu Pillai's unbiased take on the evolution of Hinduism. As per the conversation and a fact which is also stated by writers like Ram Swaroop and others, Hinduism was an evolutionary religion. The early practitioners of Vedas and more ritualistic aspects fused with the plethora of local gods/goddesses which were worshiped as local hero, gods of gardens or forests. The Vedic fold assimilated by accommodating or adapting to some of the practices (an example being Karthikeya fusing with Lord Murugan) and also asserting some of its intricacies like the hierarchical system.

Propellors and Rowers

This comes for a comment I posted from my (incognito alternate) account in Reddit in response to the raging debate about working for 90 hrs or 70 hrs per week.

It is a pretty decent argument one that makes sense for a country like India where you need a get lot of people into the employment fold and make them contribute to the growth. But will we really get growth if all or majority of folks are forced to work for umpteen hours?

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This might still hold ground if companies actually work towards creating a culture which makes work your passion and people get so transfixed in their work that they dont realise how time just passes by (being in flow state). But alas that is a Utopian aspiration. Its true for those 1 % of 'propellers' in every company. You dont need every one to work for 90 hours as there is no incentive for everyone( not money one) to work for a company like L and T , not everyone is absorbed by the stimulation of going about solving a problem in n different ways right through the weekend or brainstorming and looking for different strategies to grow business. For majority , work is just an avenue to earn money so that they can spend on things they like doing e.g. learning new language, touring places with family, learning a new recipe in the weekend , working on health routines to even a mundane thing like just relaxing at home and watching movie and contribute to the economy in thier own little way. Rather focus on cultjvating future 'propellers' that 1 or 2 % in the company who align with companies objectives and lofty goals. Just do that. Work life balance equation is different for different people. For the 'propellors' a purposeful work balances life whereas for the rest a puposeful life balances the work. Give the latter that space.

Principles and Framework

How successful people like Elon Musk and other top enterpenuers , top minds are able to do context switch into diametrically different businesses ?

Having applied thier mind deep into their businnesses they have been embedded with principles and frameworks which can be implemented in other businnesses due to which they are able to do context switch better.

Learning for the day. BTW need to check TRIZ framework as well.