There are dozens of product management coaching services out there, with huge variations in prices that sometimes bear little relation to the quality of the coaching.
Use this guide to work out which product management coaching service is right for you. Here we’ve listed 5 of the best product management coaching services online, categorized into preferences and needs
- IGotAnOffer (Best overall)
- Bring the Donuts (For product leaders)
- Product People (Best in affordability)
- Product Labs (Best for new and aspiring PMs)
- Product Gym (Best package)
Before we get into our 5 picks, let’s first look at what product management coaching is and whether it's a worthy investment.
1. What is product management coaching?↑
Product management coaching is a type of coaching service wherein an expert in product management provides coaching, mentorship, and other types of support to a product manager or leader.
Product management coaching can cover various aspects such as skills development, leadership, and management, strategic thinking, or specific PM tools and methodologies like Agile.
2. Why hire a product management coach↑
Here are some situations where a product management coach can help:
2.1 You’re looking to transition into product management
If you want to get into product management but have no idea where to begin, a PM coach could help you with practical tips and actionable insights. They can look at your professional experience, point out gaps you can address by upskilling, and advise you on how you can leverage your transferable skills in the role you want to take on.
Choose a PM coach who has made a similar transition to the one you’re planning. They will have a very clear idea of what you need to do and outline challenges you can expect.
2.2 You need assistance navigating your new role
If you’re having a hard time navigating a complex problem or adjusting to your new PM role, a PM coach could help you get to the bottom of your troubles and guide you through finding a workable solution.
Being a PM comes with its own unique challenges, therefore a coach with vast experience in product management will be in the best position to give you highly relevant and actionable advice.
2.3 You need a refresher after taking a break from product management
If you’ve taken an extended break or sabbatical from your career, you will want to get up to speed so you can return to work with relevant knowledge. The product management industry is highly dynamic, and a coach can help you adjust faster and learn all the latest trends.
2.4 You need a sounding board for your ideas
When coming up with product ideas or developing a strategy, you might need a PM coach outside your organization who can give you constructive and objective feedback, as well as a broader perspective.
2.5 You want to level up your PM career
To apply for a more senior PM role, you need to brush up on and update your skill set. A product management coach can help you create an improvement plan that’s best suited to your situation and current level, whether that’s doing regular practice and feedback sessions with them or using additional courses or training.
3. How does product management coaching work?↑
There are different types of product management coaching out there. You can book single coaching sessions to address specific needs such as PM interview coaching, job search strategy, etc. There are also PM coaching services that offer multiple-session packages meant to address advanced career concerns, i.e. team management, portfolio management, etc.
You’ll also find PM coaching services on a retainer basis, which means having a coach on-call for any PM coaching needs. Others also offer team product coaching, meant for companies who want to address gaps in their product leadership training.
If you’re curious about general career coaching for yourself or your team, read our article, What is Career Coaching? for a more in-depth look. If you're looking into breaking into tech, check out our list of the best tech career coaching services to see good options.
4. What are the benefits of product management coaching?↑
In this section, our expert PM coaches, Anand, MJ, Himankini, and Dessy, gave us their insights on how aspiring, new, and experienced product managers can benefit from coaching.
4.1 A product management coach can help boost your confidence
Practicing with a PM coach and receiving regular feedback can help build confidence.
Having confidence is crucial at the interviewing stage. But it’s also equally important as you’re building your career and moving on to senior roles.
4.2 A product management coach can help you learn how to use feedback for self-improvement
If you’re a new PM, your coach can help you learn to interpret and incorporate feedback in your work.
“Receiving feedback can be challenging for anyone, but it is mission-critical for a product manager. Mentorship accelerates personal development by refining this skill.” MJ, ex-Meta PM.
This includes more experienced PMs as the further you progress in your career, the less likely you are to receive constructive criticism. Working with a coach can keep you aware of your blind spots.
4.3 A product management coach can help you improve on key PM skills
A PM coach can personalize an improvement plan for you, depending on where you are in your career.
“With a PM coach, aspiring and new PMs can develop product intuition and customer insight and refine practical skills like drafting PRDs, preparing presentations, and maintaining decision documents.” MJ, ex-Meta PM.
Meanwhile, if you’re a senior PM, you can get a coach’s input on how you can better mentor and develop product managers in your team.
4.4 A product management coach can help you brush up on your PM strategies, tools, and methodologies
Apart from helping you with your key skills, a PM coach can help you enhance your use of tools and methodologies and even learn new strategies.
“Learning the latest trends and tools makes you stand out. I coached an experienced PM who used new strategies from our sessions to lead a big project successfully, impressing their team and bosses.” Anand, Refersion VP of Product.
4.5 A product management coach will keep you accountable
If sticking to goals is something that you struggle with, a product management coach will help keep you committed to your goals with regular feedback sessions and check-ins.
4.6 A product management coach has broader insight into a specific company and the industry
If you’re applying to or starting out as a PM at a specific company, having a PM coach with experience in that company can give you real-world insight into their culture.
“With a PM coach, you can get insider tips on how to navigate a specific company process.” TikTok Sr. Product Lead, Dessy.
Even as an experienced PM, you can leverage your PM coach’s broader knowledge of what’s going on in your industry, providing you with perspective to use when making decisions.
4.7 A product management coach can help you broaden your network
Networking is a crucial part of advancing your PM career and is something your coach can help you with.
“Your PM coach can provide you with networking opportunities, by giving you access to a broader professional network.” Himankini, Meta PM.
4.8 A product management coach can help improve your quality of life
With the help of a PM coach, you can develop sustainable work practices to avoid burnout as a junior PM and enhance your decision-making skills as a senior PM juggling multiple responsibilities.
“Product management coaching offers more than just career advancement; it enriches both professional and personal lives. Aspiring, new, and experienced PMs find greater job satisfaction and life balance through guidance and support.” MJ, Ex-Meta PM.
5. How much does it cost?↑
The range of prices for product management coaching in 2024 can vary greatly. The most affordable option we can find starts at $85 for a 1-hour session, and the most expensive can reach up to an estimated $6,000 for a full PM coaching and training package.
Here are the price ranges for some of the product management coaching services we’ve recommended, along with a few more from other coaching platforms:
You can see that there is a real range of pricing available. We recommend that you consider your budget in relation to the long-term benefits you expect to get from the investment, and then make your choice - just make sure that you read the coach's reviews first!
6. 5 Best product management coaching services↑
To generate this list, we analyzed the customer reviews, prices and packages, ease of booking, and the roster of coaches for each company. Of course, it’s not an exhaustive one. We’re sure there are some more excellent product management coaches that we haven’t been able to include.
Nevertheless, if you want to save time doing your own research for a reputable PM coach, this list will give you some great options for online services.
Let’s take a look.
#IGotAnOffer Product Management Coaching (Best Overall)
Okay, we may be biased here, but a 4.95 average star rating from over 10k reviews is hard to ignore.
IGotAnOffer has many available coaches with extensive experience in product management in many of the world’s top-tier companies including Google, Meta, Amazon, and more. You can filter the list based on your target company, location, or service you need from your coach, whether it’s interview coaching, career coaching, leadership coaching, or mentoring. Click on a coach’s profile to see their hourly availability, and book your PM coach in a couple of clicks. Get a full refund if you’re not satisfied with your session.
When you’ve booked a coach, you can tell them what you want to focus on during your coaching session: whether it’s working on your PM skills, transitioning into product management, your next career steps, or whatever challenges or roadblocks you need help with.
#Bring the Donuts (Best for Product Leaders)
Ken Norton is a well-known figure in the product leadership sphere, with his blog Bring the Donuts one of the most consistently cited in product management. He also offers executive coaching for product leaders, drawing on his years of product leadership at Google, where he launched some of the company’s most successful products, including Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Mobile Maps, and more.
Based on the information on his website, he requires a minimum of 6-month commitment for his coaching, during which you’ll have 2 monthly sessions and unlimited async messaging in between sessions, among other activities. The rate, however, is not disclosed.
By the way, there’s no guarantee that Norton will take you on as a coachee. You’ll have to apply and answer a few questions, and based on your answers, Norton may schedule a free call to see if the two of you are a fit. If not, he will recommend a coach.
#Product People (Best Affordability)
Product People Limited is a UK-based product management consultancy founded in 2012. They offer coaching and training for teams and individuals, as well as source out interim PMs to help launch or develop new product teams.
Product People has a small team of expert PMs who have worked with the UK’s Ministry of Justice, BBC, Johnson & Johnson, Monzo Bank, University of Cambridge, Ometria, and several central government departments and Government Digital Service (GDS). While there are no independent ratings for the company available, you’ll find testimonials and case studies from clients on the website.
What we find so great about Product People is that they offer quite affordable rates for individual professional improvement. You can book a 1-hour session for $85 or if you’d like more in-depth coaching, you can purchase the 5+1 bundle for $425. It’s unclear how the subsidized rate works as there’s no additional information available on the website. The best way to know is to book a free intro call.
#ProductLabs.io (Best for Aspiring PMs)
ProductLabs.io is a product consultancy firm founded by product expert Daniel Harman (of Growth Friday). They have a small team of product experts with a combined decades’ worth of experience in product management. They offer individual and group coaching, intro to PM training courses for teams and founders, and consultancy for companies.
They describe their 1:1 product management coaching as designed for aspiring and early career Product Managers. It’s all online and customized to your needs and schedule, so you can fit it in during your free time from work. They also provide coaching to international clients.
As of the moment, it’s tough to find independent reviews of ProductLabs’ coaching, but the website has a list of the companies they’ve worked with plus snippets of reviews from previous clients. If you want to learn more, you might want to book a free discovery call with them.
#Product Gym’s Product Manager Program (Best Complete Package)
Product Gym offers product management, AI-assisted full stack, and QA engineering programs for candidates who want to improve their chances of landing jobs in these fields. Their highly-rated product management program gives users access to live and recorded classes and 20+ courses, all of which will help you learn your PM essentials at your own pace. Aside from these learning materials, the program includes resume review, interview, and salary negotiation coaching with top industry experts.
According to the website, the full suite of courses takes about 3 months to complete part-time. Graduates of the program attest that your success with it depends on your own commitment, meaning if you are fully engaged, it can help you land a PM job in 4 months or even less.
Because the program is highly sought-after, Product Gym is quite strict with its application, accepting about 10% of its applicants. If you’re from a non-tech background, former users say having performed PM duties in a previous role might help you get accepted into the program.
Book Product Management Coaching with IGotAnOffer
We hope you found our recommendations useful! We’ve made sure to include a range of good product management coaching platforms fit for different situations, but we believe IGotAnOffer is an excellent all-round option with a wider range of high-quality product management coaches than anywhere else.
So if you want to check out our product management coaching services, browse our platform’s over 80 PM coaches with experience at many top companies. Search by coaching service, industry, or company to get the right match for you. You can see the coaches' hourly availability and book your online session in a couple of clicks.
