How To Run Powerful Product Update Presentations
Product presentations are key to Customer Success.
In particular when introducing new releases and updates of your products.
And one of the most effective strategies is to shift focus from features to business value.
This approach captures your audience's attention.
It’s also an opportunity for you to align product benefits with your customer's goals and challenges.
Digital transformation is accelerating and competition is intensifying.
So mastering this skill has become more important than ever for all customer success professionals.
According to a recent study by McKinsey, companies that excel at demonstrating customer value realization are 2.5 times more likely to achieve rapid revenue growth and 2.1 times more likely to maintain high customer satisfaction scores.
As Lara Barnes, SVP of Customer Success at Sitecore, emphasizes:
💡"Customer Success is all about the customer. As a leader, you represent the Customer in the organization."
Read my full interview with Lara Barnes
A Framework for Transforming Features into Value
, a renowned product positioning expert, and author, provides an excellent framework for mapping features to value in her book "Obviously Awesome". With over 25 years of experience as a startup executive and consultant, April has helped hundreds of companies position their products.
She also has an awesome newsletter
which you should also subscribe to get ahead.
Her three-step process can improve the way you communicate your product's worth to your customers:
Step 1: Map Out Product Capabilities
Begin by creating a comprehensive list of your product's features and capabilities.
This step involves documenting every aspect of your product, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.
For instance, a feature like "Custom Dashboard Builder" should be included in this list.
Step 2: Translate Features to Benefits
Once you have your feature list, the next step is to articulate what each feature can do for your customers.
This translation process bridges the gap between product specifications and customer outcomes.
Continuing with our example, "Custom Dashboard Builder" translates to the benefit of "Personalized data visualization adapted to your team's needs".
Step 3: Translate Benefits to Value
The final and most important step is transforming benefits into value statements.
This involves contextualizing the benefits within the customer's goals or problems they're trying to solve.
To uncover the real value, ask these questions:
How does this make our customer's life easier?
What problems does it solve?
Why should they care?
For our "Custom Dashboard Builder" example, the value statement could be:
"Help your team make data-driven decisions faster. Having all critical metrics in one customized view will save you hours of report compilation each week. It will also make sure everyone is aligned on key performance indicators".
Kirsten DiChiappari, VP of Customer Success at vCom Solutions, reinforces this approach, stating:
💡"If you can create opportunities for a customer to grow revenue, you've got their attention. If you can solve a problem for them, saving them time or money, and if you can do it faster or better than they could themselves, you've got their attention."
Read my full interview with Kirsten DiChiappari
Check out my SaaS Metrics Quick Guide for essential metrics and how to use them.
Improving Value Propositions with Customer Insights
To take your presentations to the next level, you can also combine this framework with targeted customer interviews.
Identifying your customers' top three pain points will help you laser-focus your entire presentation on solving these specific issues.
This approach creates a powerful connection.
It makes your customers feel like you've read their minds and built the product just for them.
For more on understanding customer needs, check out my guide on Customer Success Questions.
The Power of Personalization
When you align your value propositions with the exact challenges your customers face, you create a compelling narrative that resonates on a deeper level.
This personalized approach demonstrates your product's capabilities.
It also shows your understanding of the customer's unique situation.
For you, this means:
Adapting your presentation to each customer's specific use case
Highlighting features that directly address their known pain points
Providing examples of how similar customers have benefited from the new features
And recent research supports this approach.
According to Epsilon, 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences.
Furthermore, Accenture found that 91% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands that recognize, remember, and provide relevant offers and recommendations.
Learn more about personalization strategies in my article on Personalization in Customer Success.
Setting Up Value-Driven Messaging
Don’t overwhelm your customers with an extensive list of features.
Focus on communicating the real-life value your product brings to their specific situation.
To do this:
Involve cross-functional teams in the process to provide different perspectives on what customers care about.
Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, and Product teams to gather insights that enrich your value propositions.
Use success stories and case studies to show the practical applications of new features.
For tips on effective collaboration, see my guide on CS and Product Teamwork Tips.
The Impact of Value-Focused Communication
When you start communicating in terms of value rather than just features, you'll notice a marked difference in customer engagement.
This approach resonates more deeply with your customers.
It directly addresses their needs and challenges.
And this shift can lead to:
Increased adoption of new features
Higher customer satisfaction and retention rates
More productive conversations about product roadmaps and future needs
💡A study by Segment found that 71% of consumers feel frustrated when a buying experience is impersonal.
Focusing on value and personalization helps you exceed your customers’ expectations.
As Kirsten DiChiappari notes:
"Balance has to be real - not BS. If you lead with a great product, packaged in an exceptional customer experience, retention, renewals, and expansion should be strong enough to achieve operational goals."
For more on driving customer engagement, check out my article on Customer Engagement Tactics.
Practical Tips for Your Next Product Update Presentation
Start with a brief overview of the update.
Focusing on the "why", not the "what".
Use the three-step framework I mentioned to present each new feature or improvement.
Add customer-specific examples and use cases to your presentation.
Allow time for questions and discussion.
Encourage customers to visualize how they'll use the new features.
Follow up after the presentation with personalized resources and support to ensure smooth adoption.
As Nick Mehta, CEO of Gainsight, puts it:
"Customer Success 2.0 is about making CS an enterprise-wide priority. Every person in a company needs to be aligned around the customer, whether you're in Sales, Marketing, or CS. At the end of the day, it's value that matters—not churn. Value is the thing that mitigates churn and drives Net Dollar Retention."
For more tips on delivering effective presentations, see my guide on How to Run Presentations That Will Connect With Your Audience.
Setting up these strategies will help you transform your product update presentations from mere feature lists into powerful narratives that show ongoing value and drive customer success.
Your goal here is not just to inform.
But to inspire your customers to take action and reinforce your product's importance to your customers' business.
This approach based on value will capture their attention and increase long-term customer satisfaction and loyalty.
As Jason Lemkin, founder of SaaSTR, boldly states,
💡"Customer success is where 90% of the revenue is."
Also Kirsten DiChiappari wisely advises:
"The simplest strategy is to successfully deliver the product customers bought - as expected and when expected."
So, focus on value in your presentations, not features.
It will help you set the stage for faster revenue growth with long-term customer satisfaction and loyalty.
For more insights on customer success strategies, explore my Ultimate Guide for Customer Success Managers.
Part 2: Advanced Strategies for Customer Success Professionals (Premium Content)
Here’s what I’m covering in the 2nd part—exclusive to my premium subscribers:
Mastering Storytelling in Product Update Presentations
Quantifying Value for Stakeholders
Advanced Personalization Techniques
Handling Objections and Resistance to Change
Post-Presentation Engagement Strategies
Measuring and Reporting Presentation Success
Collaboration Tools and Techniques
Case Studies & Insights From Other Industry Experts
💡Looking for practical tools to implement these strategies? My Ultimate Customer Success Templates Collection provides ready-to-use templates for everything from customer onboarding to renewal planning. Don’t miss out!
Part 2: Premium Content
1. Mastering Storytelling in Product Update Presentations
…