May 30

Written by: Karen Lopez
Friday, May 30, 2008 10:48 AM

Ever wonder what Microsoft means when they give someone the title of product Evangelist? Jeff Sandquist of Microsoft discusses the product evangelist role at Microsoft.

You dodged my question, so I’m asking again: How do you reconcile the line between evangelist and apologist?
You’re equating evangelism with cheerleading. Evangelism is not cheerleading. It’s not about raising your arms up and saying “This is awesome!” Evangelists know where the warts are —they know the strengths and the limitations. The right evangelist understands what competitors are doing better, and understand our strengths.

You win no one by bashing a competitors’ product. A great evangelist knows that their credibility is everything — otherwise they’re a shill. I don’t feel like I straddle the line with being an apologist, because I’m not a cheerleader — I’d never say something is what we all know it actually isn’t.

All vendors have product evangelists, even if they don't give them that title. For many vendors, this is a role played by the Product Manager, but for others, it can be a clued-in sales or marketing person's job.

I like this idea of product evangelist not being a "fanboy" role, not being a cheerleader, and no being a "there are no warts in this product" role.
Who are the ERwin, ER/Studio, PowderDesigner, Telelogic, Rational Data Architect, Visible Analyst evangelists you've met?

Tags: