Product: Knowledge

Want to launch your product with confidence and avoid costly mistakes? Product: Knowledge brings you behind-the-scenes conversations with successful entrepreneurs, bestselling authors, and product marketing experts who share their hard-won insights and practical strategies.Each episode dives deep into the real challenges of bringing products to market — from pricing and positioning to building customer loyalty and breaking into new markets. Host Laurier Mandin, founder of Graphos Product and author of "I Need That: Creating and Marketing Products People Are Compelled to Buy", draws on 30+ years of product launch expertise to extract actionable advice you can apply to your business today.Whether you're:An entrepreneur preparing to launch your first productA CMO looking to optimize your go-to-market strategyA product leader expanding into new marketsOr simply fascinated by what makes some products soar while others flopYou'll discover proven frameworks, real-world case studies,

Product: Knowledge is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 40 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Product: Knowledge, a business show with 40 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #40

  How to Sell (Literally) Tons of Product

  Mar 24, 202611 min

  Episode Summary What does it actually take to sell tons of product … not as a metaphor, but by the truckload? In this episode of Product: Knowledge , Laurier Mandin shares real-world product marketing case studies where slow or stagnant sales turned into explosive growth. In one case, a barbecue product went from zero sales to 180 tons sold in just a few months . These examples reveal a consistent pattern: the products that win don’t rely on claims—they prove their value in ways buyers can immediately understand. This episode breaks down how to create that kind of proof, why it works, and where even successful products can fail. What You’ll Learn Why “show, don’t tell” is the most reliable marketing advantage How demonstration beats high-production advertising What skeptical buyers actually need to convert Why proof-based marketing scales faster than persuasion The hidden operational risk that can kill a winning product The one capability AI cannot replace in product positioning Key Case Studies A barbecue product scaled from zero to 180 tons sold A fishing lure that broke through a saturated category using visual proof Blendtec’s “Will It Blend?” as a model for demonstration marketing A premium pillow that combined emotional and technical differentiation A guitar device that built credibility through expert validation Core Insight The products that scale fastest remove interpretation. They don’t explain why they’re good. They make it obvious. Notable Quote “You can’t read your own label from inside the bottle.” Chapters 00:00 – Introduction: selling by the ton 01:11 – SearBQ: zero to 180 tons 02:04 – Why the original ad failed 02:19 – The demonstration breakthrough 03:02 – SmartFish: proof in a crowded market 03:52 – Why proof converts 04:00 – Blendtec and viral demonstration 04:56 – When proof isn’t enough 05:01 – Parallel Pillow: skepticism as strategy 06:04 – BzzzzKill: credibility and community 06:49 – The failure behind success (economics) 07:44 – What AI cannot do 10:02 – The shared pattern behind winning products Links & Resources Product marketing insights: https://graphosproduct.com Daily Need Feed emails and buy Laurier Mandin’s book, “I Need That”: https://lmandin.com

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  Episode #39

  Words That Make Wins for Product Teams, with Ali Rakhimov

  Oct 14, 202530 min

  Product manager, entrepreneur, and author Ali Rakhimov joins Laurier Mandin to talk about how better communication can make even the most ambitious products take flight. From building payment kiosks for K–12 schools to leading multimillion-dollar initiatives at Macy’s, Ali shares how simplicity, idioms, and “stupid” questions can cut through complexity and bring teams together. This conversation dives into how to keep innovation alive, avoid “boiling the ocean,” and use AI as a force for clarity, not chaos. Episode Highlights: 00:02:00 — From the classroom to product leadership: How Ali’s early years in K–12 shaped his management style. 00:04:40 — Building, failing, and pivoting: The scrappy road trip that led to a startup exit. 00:06:30 — The power of idioms: Why metaphors like “Elephant in the Room” and “Boil the Ocean” make teams communicate better. 00:09:00 — Asking the “stupid” question: Turning imposter syndrome into clarity. 00:12:10 — Focus vs. shiny-penny syndrome: How to simplify and ship without killing ambition. 00:16:00 — AI hype and reality: What teams get wrong—and how culture determines success. 00:21:00 — Learning curve to lifelong learning: From calculators to ChatGPT, adapting to new tools. 00:27:40 — Making pigs fly: How Ali proved the impossible possible in K–12 fintech. Links: Find out more about Ali Rakhimov and buy "When Pigs Fly": Ali.ink Subscribe to Laurier Mandin's daily emails and buy "I Need That": LMandin.com Learn about Graphos Product, read the blog and get all podcasts with transcripts: GraphosProduct.com

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  Episode #38

  The Psychology of Premium Product Pricing: What Makes Buyers Pay More

  Sep 25, 202511 min

  Why do some buyers eagerly drop thousands on a luxury item, then balk at paying a fraction of that for something useful and well-made? In this solo episode of Product: Knowledge , Laurier Mandin unpacks the Premium Buyer Paradox and explores the psychology behind premium pricing. From Dyson’s visible engineering, to Bang & Olufsen’s design-driven luxury, to Montblanc’s identity-making pens, you’ll hear how different brands justify their price tags and change buyer behavior. Laurier also shares practical tips on how product makers can earn the right to charge more—through quality, service, consistency, and customer delight. If you want to know what really makes buyers say yes to premium pricing, this episode is for you. Episode Highlights [00:00:25] The Premium Buyer Paradox — why someone will drop $100K on a Range Rover but complain your $50 service is “too expensive.” [00:01:59] Premium pricing isn’t decided, it’s earned. Louis Vuitton’s $1,500 handbags are backed by 171 years of brand-building, not just fonts and packaging. [00:02:55] The buyer’s price ceiling = desirability ÷ resources (money, time, effort, risk). Context changes everything. [00:03:57] The iPhone Affordability Index: 3 days of work in Luxembourg vs. 160 days in India for the same phone. [00:05:13] Dyson turned vacuums into engineering theater—visible performance made a $600 splurge at Costco irresistible, even to value shoppers. [00:06:34] Bang & Olufsen reframed speakers and TVs as design furniture, creating a luxury moat value shoppers won’t cross. [00:07:12] Montblanc pens transformed from writing tools to prestige markers—identity, not function, is what buyers pay for. [00:08:26] How to earn premium pricing: start with quality construction, offer an amazing warranty, deliver above-and-beyond service, nail packaging, and stay flawless in every detail. [00:09:22] Delight every customer and disappoint no one. That’s the only path to lasting premium status.

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  Episode #37

  The Missing Link Between Great Products and Great Sales, with Heather Inocencio

  Jul 8, 202543 min

  Building great products is only half the battle—the other half is building them with marketing success baked in from Day One. Too many product teams operate in isolation, creating features customers don't understand or positioning that marketing can't sell. Heather Inocencio has cracked the code on building product teams that inherently understand marketing needs. With over 30 years of product experience, she's transformed organizations at companies like The RealReal (driving revenues from $100M to $400M leading to a $1.6B IPO) and Haute Look (scaling to 4M members and a $270M Nordstrom acquisition). Now founder of The Product Consult, she helps brands bridge the critical gap between product development and market success through embedded, hands-on product management that levels up entire organizations. Episode Highlights: Heather's journey from MCI Telecommunications to fractional CPO work (01:52) Why product management was misunderstood in the early 90s and the "German to French" translation role (02:30) The shift from enterprise to high-growth startups and common optimization gaps (03:45) How The Product Consult's embedded approach differs from traditional consulting (09:16) The three-part engagement process: assessment, integration, and successful exit (09:16) Identifying the right clients: transformation needs vs. just "butts in seats" (10:30) Building product-marketing integration from acquisition through engagement (19:15) Overcoming sales team resistance and breaking down departmental silos (23:16) The critical role of aligned success metrics across all departments (24:19) Product manager-company fit: matching disposition and communication styles (32:11) The relief factor: making work easier, not harder, through optimization (36:56) One action product leaders can take tomorrow: individual team assessment (36:56) The Product Consult: theproductconsult.com Graphos Product: GraphosProduct.com Buy "I Need That" and get Laurier's daily Need Feed emails: LMandin.com

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  Episode #36

  Getting from DTC to Retail Without Wasting Time and Money, with Paul Jarrett

  Mar 4, 202547 min

  The path from direct-to-consumer to retail success is something many product makers dream about, but it's also where countless promising products have gone to die. Bad logistics choices, bloated inventory, and unnecessary costs can sink even great products before they ever reach a store shelf. Paul Jarrett, co-founder and CEO of Bulu, has created a unique solution to help brands bridge this critical gap. His company offers something rare in the logistics world: the ability to ship both B2B and DTC from a single inventory source, enabling brands to fulfill orders of any size to any destination. This flexibility allows small brands to compete with major players by offering retailers exactly what they need without minimum order quantities. From his journey starting in advertising to building subscription boxes to ultimately creating a logistics company, Paul shares invaluable insights on when brands should (and shouldn't) make the leap to retail, how to build relationships with buyers, and why inventory management is the make-or-break factor for success. Episode Highlights: Paul's background in advertising and path to entrepreneurship (02:00) The origin story of their subscription box business (05:00) Creating subscription programs for major brands like Disney and Crayola (10:00) How the pandemic forced a complete business pivot (12:00) Solving the B2B/DTC fulfillment gap that no one else addressed (15:00) Signs a DTC brand is ready for retail expansion (23:49) Common pitfalls that kill promising products in retail (25:00) Why inventory visibility is crucial for multi-channel success (31:00) Strategies for getting better shelf placement as a new brand (37:34) Three essential steps for DTC brands planning future retail expansion (41:21) Bulu website: bulugroup.com Paul Jarrett website: pauljarrett.com Graphos Product website: GraphosProduct.com Buy “I Need That” and get Laurier Mandin's daily Need Feed emails: LMandin.com

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