Keren Wexler | Optimove | Product-Team Processes That Create Big Impact - Product Builder Podcast episode with Eyal David
00:44:13

Keren Wexler | Optimove | Product-Team Processes That Create Big Impact

Host: · Guest: Keren Wexler

In this episode

  • Good process doesn't slow a product team — it grows product managers: Product Reviews and Feature Reviews force strategic thinking, talking about trade-offs and connecting to metrics.
  • The most important PM skill is brain power (sharp analytical thinking) and the ability to separate major from minor — alongside a learning mindset and genuine passion for the domain.
  • When you enter an existing team from outside with low trust — first diagnose (a month or two of listening), then change; internal mobility is a strong, lower-risk path to grow PMs.
  • Real focus requires narrowing dozens of initiatives to 2–3 core ones (top-down) with bottom-up from the field — otherwise, when everything "fits", you can't prioritize.
  • Feedback is a work tool, not a weakness — but you come to it prepared: with an opinion, a case and a clear story, not "dumping" an unprocessed dilemma on others.

Listen to this episode

Listen on SpotifyListen on Apple PodcastsWatch on YouTube

Episode Description

Keren Wexler, Senior Director of Product at Optimove, on product, teams and decision-making — and the point where process stops being bureaucracy and becomes a force multiplier. Keren joined Optimove into an existing product team at a company that had grown a lot, with a challenge: build more structure without choking creativity. The conversation moves between the skills of good product managers (brain power, separating major from minor, learning and passion) and very concrete practices: product reviews, feature reviews, working with data and AI, prioritization, and a healthier view of feedback.

Chapters

  1. 00:00 · Who Keren Wexler is and moving from development to product
  2. 02:18 · What Optimove does and what retention marketing is
  3. 04:36 · Channel trends, consent and spam
  4. 06:41 · The enterprise market and the competition
  5. 09:41 · Which skills are critical for product managers
  6. 13:32 · Internal mobility as a way to grow PMs
  7. 15:08 · Joining an existing team from outside and building trust
  8. 16:37 · When a company grows: why you need more structure
  9. 19:53 · What was missing: metrics, discussion and trade-offs
  10. 21:10 · How to create team learning: presentations, workshops and FOMO
  11. 25:07 · Product reviews as a mechanism for strategic discussion
  12. 27:48 · Feature reviews that raise the level with Engineering
  13. 29:44 · How to narrow dozens of initiatives to 2–3 focuses
  14. 32:33 · AI as a trend changing retention marketing
  15. 36:11 · The thing that worked best in the process
  16. 38:48 · Golden tip: ask for feedback without arriving unprepared
Read the full transcript
Full transcript with speakers and timestamps

Selected quotes

“For me you need brain power — you really need someone sharp.”
— Keren Wexler
“In the end, major vs. minor is exactly knowing the 80 and where to stop.”
— Keren Wexler
“I really believe the person who is open to feedback and looks for the opportunities is the person with confidence.”
— Keren Wexler

Questions & answers

What is retention marketing and what does Optimove do?

Not acquisition (bringing in new customers) but retention: once the user is already in the app — how do you get them to stay, buy, engage and maximize lifetime value, mainly through relevant, personal campaigns across channels (email, SMS, push, social, embedded). The belief: the more relevant and personal the communication, the better it works — without becoming spam.

What skills does Keren look for in product managers?

First, brain power — sharp analytical thinking and the ability to connect different needs; then the ability to separate major from minor (knowing the 80% and where to stop in discovery). Beyond that: a learning mindset, real passion for the domain, and the "lunch test" — the ability to connect with people. Professional knowledge can be acquired; those traits are hard.

How do Product Reviews and Feature Reviews improve a product team?

A monthly Product Review per area forces PMs to lift their heads from the day-to-day and present analytics, customer insights and strategic thinking. A Feature Review before building a significant feature — with product and engineering — requires talking about motivations, KPIs, trade-offs and competitors, and engineers often change the plan with strong arguments. Both mechanisms raise the whole team's level of thinking.

How do you narrow dozens of initiatives to a few focuses?

The problem: with 20–30 initiatives and everything "fitting" one of them, you can't prioritize. Keren's solution: define 2–3 focus initiatives for a long period (top-down from product leadership), alongside bottom-up from PMs who know the customers — so most work is aligned to the focuses, but there's still room for things that emerge (like AI).

What is Keren's golden tip for PMs?

Actively seek feedback from as many sources as possible — even when it's hard and requires humility. But come prepared: with an opinion, a proposal and a clear story, not "dumping" an unprocessed dilemma on others and wasting their time. The person open to feedback and looking for opportunities is actually the one with confidence.

People & resources mentioned

People

Companies & orgs

  • Optimove
  • Pendo
  • Insert
  • Salesforce
  • Adobe
  • Oracle
  • Braze
  • Iterable
  • Bloomreach

Tools

  • SQL
  • AI (prototyping)
  • Figma Make
  • Lovable
Product management Process Retention marketing Product reviews Feature reviews Focus Feedback AI Optimove

Related Episodes