I'm about to date myself here, but raise your (virtual) hand if you remember how hard it used to be to share files between different programs and computers. A Word document couldn’t be read by any other program — and woe to the fool who tried to open a PowerPoint on a Mac that had been created on a PC!
Thankfully, many aspects of file sharing have improved since the ye olden days, but easy file sharing is still a must-have for all sorts of business operations, especially when it comes to sales. If you’ve ever tried to attach a large file like a slide deck or a brochure to an email, you know that sharing content can still sometimes feel like we’re still living in the computer dark ages.
Yet content is vital to our sales processes. Research by Forrester shows that a vast majority of customers (82%) viewed five or more pieces of content from a vendor before deciding to make a purchase.
On the one hand, that’s good news for you: an educated customer is usually a better customer in the long term.
On the other hand, it means your sales team needs to be sharing content with prospects during every stage of the buying process — and that means they absolutely must have tools that allow for easy file sharing.
Showcase makes sharing content seamless
Because we built Showcase with sales professionals in mind, we understand how disruptive - and awkward - it can be to a great sales presentation to have to stop and share content with a prospect. Likewise, how draining it can feel to have to finish a day with a bunch of follow up emails.
That’s why we built easy file sharing features into Showcase. As long as your showcase (that’s what we call a collection of slides and files, bundled up into a slick, easily updateable presentation) is marked as shareable, you can share it with literally anyone with an email address.
Even better, you can share it directly from your Showcase app, so there’s no need to even switch programs to send the files to your client, prospect, or any other stakeholder. An email will be sent to the recipient with a button that links to the content. And don’t worry: even though you’re sending files through the app, if your prospect responds to the email, it will come directly back to your inbox. (You can check out what the delivery email looks like here.)
That big friendly 'View now' button that shows up in their email is your secret weapon: It means that your files will be viewable by your client or prospect regardless of their device, operating system, or the programs they have installed. If they can access the internet, they can see your files in all their original glory.
You can choose to send an entire showcase presentation or individual files — like a single slide, brochure, rate card, or proposal.
No zipping or unzipping, no worrying about compatibility, no fears that the end computer won’t be able to display your brand images or fonts. This is truly easy file sharing for you and your sales team.
When you’re not on your mobile device, you can also send showcases from the website on your computer using the Email Pitch feature — same easy file sharing but from your laptop or desktop instead of the app.
Track who has seen what with easy file sharing tools
Another huge benefit of sharing via Showcase is that you can track when a recipient has opened or downloaded the content you shared, or you can choose to receive an email notification when the recipient views files for the first time.
That eliminates the need for all those back-and-forth emails, text messages, or voicemails saying essentially, “Did you get that thing I sent you? Have you had time to review the thing?” — which is a waste of the sales team’s time and the customer’s.
Information is one of a salesperson’s best tools, and so knowing when a prospect has viewed the files you sent them can be a great trigger to follow up and ensure they don’t have any additional questions or concerns.
As they say, timing is everything, and knowing when your prospects might need another touch can be a super power for an engaged sales team to help them close more sales.
Want to take Showcase for a test drive and find out how it can streamline the process of sharing content with your prospects? Click here to register for a free trial, or book a demo today.