Tips for Presenting ERP Solutions Clearly

I was halfway into a demo with a couple of Directors. Their eyes shifted and posture slouched. I'd lost them. But kept going—walking them through one feature after another. Realized they weren't engaged because I hadn’t earned their attention. I was dumping features without connecting them to the problem they were trying to solve. That’s one example, but it's how my demos used to go 👆 Deals stalled. Win rates dropped. ................................................................. That's until I switched to a simple 5-step framework for presenting features on demos, which changed everything. The key difference, leading with the problem: 1. Frame the problem “Linda, you said it’s a pretty tedious process for your team to keep track of all your marketing campaigns for the month. The data is spread across a dozen spreadsheets, google docs, and emails.” • call out the problem • no product jargon • no buzzwords 2. Talk through the use case “So, when the business comes to you for a new product launch, you need to quickly start planning the campaigns. Which can be difficult given everything is scattered. You have to call sporadic team meetings to get updates, leading to product delays and potential lost revenue.” • you've uncover the use case via discovery • talk through how they’re getting the job done today 3. Show the feature “Let me show you how you can see all of this in one place and how you can cut your current process from 10 steps down to 3.” • walk through the feature • be crystal clear about what they’re seeing • it's your prospect’s 1st time seeing it, but your 100th 4. Articulate the outcome “This will help you launch your marketing campaigns 2.5x faster, meeting the business’ product launch dates.” • execs care about business outcomes • clearly state what it could look like with this capability 5. Ask a question “How do you see your team using this capability to solve for [X problem]?” • keep your prospect engaged throughout • lock in those micro-closes ……………………………………....... Have intention and purpose in your demos. Don’t be a feature dumper.

You can’t sell what people don’t understand. You might know your offer inside out. But if your audience can’t repeat it back to you in one sentence, it’s not clear enough. People don’t take action on confusion. They scroll. They nod. They forget. And it’s not their fault. Clarity doesn’t mean dumbing it down. It means making complexity feel obvious. Here’s how I help people go from “huh?” to “oh, I get it”: 1.) Essence → One sentence If you can’t describe your offer in a single, sharp sentence, it’s not ready. The best positioning makes people say “makes sense,” not “wait, explain that again.” 2.) Pain → Real-world impact Talk about the actual shift they’ll experience. Outcomes win over features every time. No one buys a process. They buy the result. 3.) Language match → Say it their way Your audience already has a way of describing their problem. Listen first, then reflect. Don’t teach. Speak in words they already use. 4.) Metaphor or analogy → Make it visual If your product were a tool or shortcut, what would it be? One strong visual unlocks understanding faster than long explanations. 5.) Mini proof snippet → Add weight Show one clear result, stat, or story. Proof turns clarity into credibility. One client result > ten claims. 6.) Clarity test → Say it to a stranger If someone outside your industry can repeat your offer, you’ve nailed it. Test clarity in the real world, not your head. 7.) Refine and repeat → Simplicity scales Every time you explain your work, simplify. Clarity compounds. Confusion resets. Repetition isn’t boring. It builds trust. Your offer might be brilliant. But if it’s not clear, it won’t convert. If this helped clarify your offer: DM “System” and I’ll send the full System Playbook. Or DM “story” for the storytelling version that builds trust through narrative. Clear ideas create confident action. Choose the one you need most. If you found this post helpful, repost it with your network. Follow Stevo Jokic for more content like this.

You might as well be speaking “Klingon” Just dropped from a meeting where the IT Director provided his update to the leadership team. The c-level folks and non-technical leaders had no clue what he was talking about… From my experience this is the #1 mistake technical professionals make when meeting with business stakeholders I'll be blunt… business stakeholders don’t care about your technical architecture diagrams, your configuration details, or how cutting-edge your solution is. They care about outcomes. They care about results. They care about impact. BUT most technical professionals go into meetings armed with technical jargon & acronyms and leave the room wondering why no one bought in. If you’re presenting to business leaders, here’s the reality check… you are selling and you’re not selling technology - you’re selling business value. I don’t like to present a problem without a solution – so let’s try this… Step 1 Start every conversation by answering this “How does this solve a business problem?” If you have a technical solution that reduces costs, increases revenue, mitigates risk, or makes life easier for users, lead with that. Everything else is just details that nobody cares about. Step 2 Translate technical features into business benefits. Instead of saying, “We’re implementing zero trust,” say, “We’re reducing critical risks to our top revenue producing critical business functions.” Step 3 Stakeholders want to hear about how your solution will reduce downtime, increase productivity, save $$$, or improve client satisfaction. Make your impact measurable and relatable. Step 4 Can you reframe your message using an analogy or better yet a story. Numbers are great, but stories are sticky and resonate. Frame your solution in the context of a real-world scenario, like something stakeholders can visualize and connect with. Step 5 No one likes a squeaky wishy washy technical expert. Take a position, back it with evidence, and be clear about the path forward. Confidence inspires trust. Stop talking about the “how.” Start owning the “why.” And STOP speaking “Klingon” When you shift your focus to business value, you’ll see interest, buy-in, alignment, and support. #ciso #dpo #msp #leadership

Have you ever felt the pressure of conveying complex ideas to an executive audience in just a few minutes? Here’s how to make every second count. Presenting to executives demands brevity & clarity – these kinds of audiences tend to value concise, well-structured information that facilitates swift decision-making. So, we need to communicate not just effectively but efficiently. One common pitfall corporate presenters make is overloading slides with text – which often dilutes the message and disengages the audience. Instead, we need to aim for minimal text — short, succinct bullet points that avoid complete sentences and simply provide the high level key takeaways. As a presenter, your job is to bring that information to life, rather than reading out paragraphs and long sentences. And remember to utilise visuals like metaphorical photos or graphics and graphs to reinforce your points. Before your next presentation, distil your core message into a single, compelling sentence, and start with that. Use this as the foundation to build a concise presentation, ensuring every slide aligns with that central idea. And try this CLEAR framework to keep you on track when you’re constructing your key messages with conciseness and clarity: 1. ✅ Command/Capture Attention: Start Strong: Begin with a compelling fact, question, or story to immediately engage your audience. Set Expectations: Clearly outline the purpose and key takeaways of your presentation upfront. 2. ✅ Limit and Simplify Content: Focus: boil things down to 3-5 main points that are most relevant and relatable to your audience. 3. ✅ Eliminate Jargon: Use Plain Language: Use clear, straightforward terms to ensure assimilation of your content. Define Necessities: If technical terms are essential but the audience doesn’t have a robust understanding of them, provide brief explanations. If there’s a gap in their understanding – fill it in! And spell out the acronyms just in case, unless you know everyone in your presentation will know what they mean. 4. ✅ Active Engagement: Encourage Interaction: Pose questions, even if they’re rhetorical. Invite questions: be open to discussion to foster collaboration. 5. ✅ Review and Refine: Rehearse Thoroughly: Practice your delivery to ensure smoothness and confidence. Seek Input: Get feedback from colleagues to identify areas for improvement and clarity. Implementing the CLEAR framework will help you deliver concise and impactful presentations that resonate with executive audiences. (And for more tips on constructing engaging presentations, I've put the Persuasive Presentation Template into my featured section for you.) And finally, I’d love to know… what's your strategy for keeping executive presentations succinct yet impactful? Kylie Hogan MONICA KADE Grant Dowsett - Business and Mindset Coach

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲. I didn't get it until a CEO cut me off mid-sentence. When I first presented to a CEO, I proudly brought a 30-slide deck. He reviewed slide 1, jumped to slide 30, then asked, "What do you need from me?" When I started to ramble, he cut me off mid-sentence. Twenty-six years and countless executive interactions later, I've learned that brevity isn't just preferred—it's the currency of influence at the top. My greatest challenges? Leading with background instead of conclusions, overwhelming executives with options rather than recommendations, and diluting messages with unnecessary detail. These mistakes cost me credibility early in my career. I think I've learned a bit since then ... 😉 And now, I'm an Executive myself - and finally understand why brevity is needed. So here are my learnings about the 𝗱𝗼'𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀: 𝗗𝗢... ✅1⃣ 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 State main point first. Answer the "so what" immediately. ✅2⃣ 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 Employ consistent formats. Make information instantly scannable. ✅3⃣ 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Present your preferred solution. ✅4⃣ 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 Express value in numbers. Connect to business priorities. ✅5⃣ 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Prepare backup data. Have supporting details ready. 𝗗𝗢𝗡'𝗧... ⛔1⃣ 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 Build up to conclusions slowly. Make executives hunt for key points. ⛔2⃣ 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Share thoughts in random order. ⛔3⃣ 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Present all alternatives equally. Get lost in detail. ⛔4⃣ 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 Use vague benefit statements. Present opinions as facts. ⛔5⃣ 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻 Share all information upfront. Dilute key messages with details. --- ▶ Follow Olaf Boettger for more    📄 Join my newsletter for tips on improving 1% each day, every day  (based on 26 years in Danaher and Procter & Gamble) 👉 Please repost if you find my tips on working with executive communication helpful.