In this episode, we chat with Cisco Sara about what really drives success in Product Marketing – relationships.

From building trust across product and design teams to influencing without formal authority, Cisco shares real-world experiences and hard-won lessons on how strong internal relationships can make or break your go-to-market strategy. It’s an honest, insightful conversation about working in the messy middle, finding your voice, and partnering with empathy.

Whether you’re a PMM, PM, or just navigating cross-functional chaos, this episode will help you reframe collaboration as your biggest advantage.

Connect with Cisco

🔗 LinkedIn: ⁠linkedin.com/in/ciscosara⁠

📱 TikTok: @c15co

Connect with Us!

🎙️ Chloe’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chloeleatherdale

🎙️ Gemma’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gemma-a-jackson

📸 Instagram: @takingctrlpodcast

📱 TikTok: @takingctrlpodcast

Episode Breakdown

Meet Cisco Sara

• His path into product marketing
• The creative skills he brought with him — and what he had to learn on the fly

The Relationship Advantage

• Why internal relationships are the foundation of great product marketing
• How to build trust and influence in fast-paced product teams

Influence Without Authority

• Tactics for aligning with product, design, and engineering
• Navigating tricky feedback loops and staying collaborative under pressure

Showing Up With Empathy

• The soft skills that help you thrive in cross-functional roles
• Why relationship-building is a long game and totally worth it