Why Product Managers Lose Influence — and How to Get It Back

Ever feel like you're speaking product truths into a void while everyone else pushes their own agenda? You're not alone. But it doesn't have to stay that way.

In this 5 part series we will review the challenges and frustrations of being a Product Manager and how to overcome them. The examples you will read about are based on my observations at relatively large startup companies (200+ employees) but could be applicable to organizations of many other sizes. 

Product managers are meant to be the bridge between product, engineering, design, marketing, and leadership. But too often, PMs end up in the middle with little say in big decisions. You're expected to deliver results, yet don't always have the authority to make the calls that matter. That can feel frustrating—and exhausting.

This post explores why PMs sometimes lose their influence and what you can do to start gaining it back.

Why Product Managers Get Ignored

Let’s be honest. Influence doesn’t come with a job title. You can have "Product Manager" in your bio, on your email signature, and on your Slack profile—and still feel like your input isn't taken seriously. Here's why that often happens:

1. Vague or Misaligned Metrics

If you’re pushing for a feature or an initiative, but you can’t clearly show how it moves the needle for the business, you’re going to get tuned out. Stakeholders need to see the connection between your ideas and measurable outcomes like retention, revenue, or growth.

2. Lack of Trust

People follow people they trust. If your team doesn't believe you understand the customer, the technical landscape, or the business priorities, they're unlikely to back you up.

3. Flat Communication

Data and logic are important, but they aren’t enough. People are moved by stories. When your presentations sound like a list of Jira tickets or roadmap items, it’s easy to lose the room. You have to bring the "why" to life.

Rebuilding Your Influence

The upside? Influence can be earned. You don’t need to shout louder or fight harder. You just need to change how you communicate and connect.

1. Frame Ideas Around Outcomes

Any time you're proposing a new feature, improvement, or pivot, pause and ask: "What business problem is this solving?" Speak to outcomes that matter to your audience.

For example:

• Instead of saying, "Let's create a new onboarding flow with tooltips," say, "Right now, 40% of new users drop off by Day 3. If we reduce that by even 10%, we could see an additional $100K in revenue this quarter."

Use real numbers where possible. When you show that your work supports broader goals, stakeholders are more likely to listen and support you.

If you’re unsure about the numbers, team up with someone from data or finance. Getting even rough estimates can make your case much stronger.

2. Let Customer Insights Do the Talking

If you want to gain respect quickly, become the person who deeply understands the customer. Stakeholders may disagree with you, but they have a much harder time arguing with real quotes, stories, and patterns from users.

Instead of simply saying, "We think the onboarding is confusing," imagine walking into the room and saying:

"Eight out of the last ten users we interviewed couldn’t find the ‘Get Started’ button on the dashboard. Here's a short clip of what happened."

That kind of evidence cuts through opinions and makes problems feel real.

The more often you talk to users—through interviews, surveys, or user tests—the more confident and credible you become. Make it a regular part of your week, not something you save for big releases.

3. Show Small Wins That Matter

Don’t wait to ship something big to prove your value. Highlight small changes that deliver real impact:

• Did tweaking a button label increase sign-ups?

• Did reorganizing a form reduce drop-offs?

• Did your roadmap adjustments help the team finish early?

Share these moments. Not in a braggy way—just as a way of keeping everyone in the loop about what’s working.

You can even create a quick monthly update: a short note or slide with a few recent wins, customer quotes, or improvements. These updates remind people you’re focused on outcomes and that your work has a clear purpose.

Start a "Customer Learnings Recap" Session

One simple habit that can raise your visibility and build trust: run a short monthly session where you share what you’re learning from users.

Here’s how it works:

• Duration: 30 minutes

• Audience: Invite product, design, engineering, marketing—even leadership if they’re interested.

• Format:

  • 10 minutes of top insights from recent customer calls or research

  • 10 minutes connecting those insights to product or business problems

  • 10 minutes proposing next steps or areas to explore

These sessions don’t have to be formal. Keep them short, visual, and consistent. When people hear directly from customers and see how those insights turn into decisions, they start seeing you differently.

A Real-World Example

Take Rachel, a PM at a fast-growing SaaS company. She had solid instincts, but her initiatives kept getting pushed to the bottom of the list. Leadership wanted results, and they didn’t see the value in her latest pitch: reworking the onboarding experience.

Instead of giving up, Rachel changed her approach:

• She talked to 10 users and gathered specific feedback about where they were getting lost.

• She teamed up with a data analyst to show the drop-off points and how they were hurting trial conversions.

• She packaged everything into a short presentation with clear visuals and one clear ask: a sprint dedicated to fixing the first-time user experience.

She got the green light.

Not just because she asked again, but because she connected her work to user pain and business opportunity.

Soon after, she became the go-to person for insights, and her influence grew.

The Product Manager as a Trusted Guide

You don’t need to be the loudest voice in the room. You need to be the one who:

• Understands the customer better than anyone

• Knows how to tie product work to growth

• Builds trust with teams by sharing what works

That’s what real influence looks like.

And it doesn’t require permission. It starts with you changing the way you listen, frame, and communicate.

Try This This Week

If you're ready to build more influence, try one or more of these steps:

• Set up two quick user interviews or review recent customer tickets

• Rewrite one roadmap item with a clear outcome and business impact

• Share a small win from this past month with your team

• Invite your cross-functional partners to a 30-minute "Customer Learnings Recap"

Each of these steps helps you build momentum. Influence isn’t one big moment. It’s a series of small choices that remind people you care about what matters.

Now it’s your turn.

What’s one thing you’ve done that helped you earn trust with your team or stakeholders?
Share it in the comments. Your story might be exactly what another PM needs to hear today.

Smartware Advisors is a Product Development Copilot for your organization. We bring 30+ years of expertise in complex hardware and software integrated products which has produced over $5B in product sales. For Product Development guidance schedule a free strategy session.

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