We all talk about customer obsession, but here's where most PMMs fall short: workload. We carry so much ownership that carving out time for true customer insight feels impossible, yet without it, your ICP is a guess and your go-to-market strategy rests on hope instead of evidence. Today, we're unpacking how to stop talking about customer obsession and start building a voice of customer system that actually scales within the constraints of a busy PMM's reality.

Langley Barth joins us with an unconventional path from US Naval officer leading warships and ballistic missile defense missions to lead PMM at Intuit, where he's reimagining professional tax software for high-value firms. His foundation of empathy, discipline, and service has translated beautifully into championing customer voices. When he's not mentoring hundreds of military veterans or working at Intuit, you'll find him tending to his San Diego backyard mini orchard of 16 fruit trees and thousands of honeybees.

Lang reveals his structured approach to building scalable voice of customer systems that fit into already packed PMM schedules, including how he leverages AI tools like Google's Notebook LM to extract patterns from customer feedback and transforms insights into actionable strategies through cross-functional alignment. We also explore our messaging critique of Eight Sleep's compelling but stats-heavy approach to sleep technology marketing, discussing how brands can weave more storytelling into impressive performance claims.

LINKS

Eight Sleep (messaging critique): https://www.eightsleep.com

Connect with Langley:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/langleybarth/

Connect with Elle:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elle3izabeth/