Customer Presentations

Last week, I attended Supercomputing 2024 in Atlanta. I was in numerous presentations to customers and prospective customers, sometimes actively presenting but more often listening to customers and to other people's presentations. Here are some reflections on my experience.

In sales presentations to customers, it is tempting for us to focus on our product or service. This temptation is compounded when we sell technology and when we are educated and experienced in technology. I have often fallen prey to such temptation. But at the end of the day, we all want our pitch to customers to be memorable and motivating growth in the relationship. A premature or excessive focus on product and technology might answer specific customer questions without educating you at all on how better to serve the customer. Worse, it may serve your need to show off your carefully prepared presentation without doing anything for the customer.

Popular sales methodologies help us develop memorable and motivating presentations that avoid common pitfalls in large-scale sales, especially to enterprise customers. These include Neil Rackham's SPIN Selling and Michael T. Bosworth's Solution Selling.

Where

In The Art of War, Sun Tzu emphasized that an understanding of terrain is a critical element of an overall battle strategy.

In business, "terrain" translates to the business environment and market trends, especially those faced by your customer. An understanding of these is a critical element of business strategy.

When presenting to customers, if you can concisely characterize the circumstances they are in, it will promote empathy and trust. It will help establish you as a visionary leader. Technologists sometimes dismiss such characterizations as "marketing fluff." Certainly, communications fall into the fluff category when they are irrelevant or patently obvious. However, insightful characterizations establish critical context for why your product, the customer's purchase, and this presentation are important, why all of this is not a waste of everybody's time. The best indicator of success is when the customer asks or intends to reuse your characterization (Let's face it: it is usually PowerPoint slides.) in their own communications.

In SPIN Selling, this is the "Situation," and the "Problem."

Why

If you enumerate the benefits and even business opportunities that customers seek in the current environment, it starts building a bridge to your product. Without mentioning your product, you can focus on the benefits it provides and the opportunities it supports.

In SPIN Selling, this is the "Implication."

What

If you already have an understanding of the customer's requirements, it's good to summarize or refer to it. But it never hurts to spend a little time elaborating requirements. (In software, a requirement that is fully understood is one that has already been met!)

Requirements that are common give the customer a feeling that they are within the bounds of rationality and reason in their industry. Requirements that are uncommon deserve special attention because they represent the customer's aspirations to differentiate from its industry competitors.

Requirements that your product meets allow you to project confidence in your presentation. Requirements that your product doesn't meet also deserve special attention. It is often possible to ask for relaxation or alteration of these requirements so that your product does meet them. If you have previously established the Where and Why, then it guides you and the customer in doing so. Furthermore, if your product really does not meet a critical requirement, then there is no point wasting everybody's time--better to part on good terms and pursue other opportunities.

When

The timeline and milestones leading to purchase give you a critical understanding of the opportunity and helps you understand the risks and net present value of the sales opportunity.

In SPIN Selling, this along with the What constitute the "Need"

Who

The more you know about your competitors, the better. Customers may use competitors as a reference when considering your product. It's beneficial to the relationship if you can discuss the tradeoffs (advantages and disadvantages) of choosing your product versus theirs. But don't give your competitors free advertising by talking about them too much!

(Last) How

Explain the features, design, and technology that is behind the competitive advantages and benefits of your product/service. Technology companies must sometimes expend significant resources on the research, design, development, and promotion of specific aspects of a complex product. It's tempting to gush over them, and a curious customer may even encourage that. However, if those aspects don't support the Where, Why, What, When and Who of a specific customer presentation, it's best not to waste time on them.