THE CHALLENGE
When focusing on product differentiation alone is no longer enough
One out of every two cinemas in the world has a Barco projector. The majority of radiologists around the globe rely on Barco screens to study medical images. Sports arenas, museums, and music venues trust Barco’s visualization technology to bring dazzling, large-scale experiences to life.
But Wouter Bonte, Former Vice President of Global Sales for Barco’s Immersive Experience unit, could see the market was changing. Even as Barco continued to set the bar for quality, customers increasingly voiced needs that went beyond hardware alone.
The sales team needed to go beyond product expertise and learn how to engage clients in broader, more consultative conversations. That required the ability to pivot quickly, read the needs of each client, and adjust in real time.
“The business acumen of the salesperson at Barco needs to be stronger and more expansive than in the past,” says Wouter. “Our salespeople need to be able to talk about anything and really understand the needs across the whole business of the customer.”
To help sales teams adapt to this new reality, Barco turned to Showpad.
THE SOLUTION
Driving growth by enabling more dynamic sales conversations
Last year, Barco’s Immersive Experience unit introduced Showpad to 40 sellers — and according to leadership, the path forward was clear. Based on the results of the trial run, they’re now expanding the platform across the entire sales team.
The Showpad platform has allowed sales leaders across the globe to unify messaging by working from a common, trusted source of materials. The technology makes sellers more nimble in meetings, by being able to react in real-time and bring the strongest PDFs, brochures, or other assets into the flow of conversation.
Additionally, the platform’s integration with Barco’s CRM and its analytics on customer content use has helped the team tailor its approach to each client. For Wouter, these advantages — along with Showpad’s powerful AI functions — will be instrumental to helping the business unit achieve its goal of double-digit growth.
“With Showpad, the difference versus the past is they have a whole toolkit of things available that, at the moment when you feel the momentum is there, you can bring forward the right content to drive the conversation in the right direction,” Wouter says.
“The feedback is really positive — Showpad enables sellers to be faster and more accurate in their pitches with different types of customers.”
Wouter Bonte
Former Vice President of Global Sales for Barco’s Immersive Experience
THE IMPACT
Creating a more agile, synchronized salesforce
Wouter sees Showpad as a key enabler of both sales strategy and execution. At the management level, having Showpad as a single source of truth means decision-makers can quickly respond to shifts in the market. Whether it’s changing market winds or a competitor’s move, executives can galvanize their go-to-market teams, pushing updated messaging instantly and keeping sellers equipped with relevant responses.
This level of consistency ensures leaders worldwide can coordinate campaigns and sales resources. Sellers in the U.K. aren’t using different materials or narratives from those in the U.S. — they’re all working from the same playbook.
Showpad is also reshaping the way customer meetings unfold. In the past, Wouter identified two types of salespeople:
- The Instinctive Seller: This type was highly experienced and able to speak fluently about products and services without notes, but tended to miss opportunities where supporting materials could help seal the deal.
- The Systematic Seller: This type was detail-oriented and extensively prepared with glossy presentations, but sometimes rigid — struggling to adapt if a conversation veered away from the initial agenda.
Showpad has helped bridge these styles, giving sellers instant access to materials without disrupting the natural flow of a conversation. He says the platform empowers instinctive sellers with structured content when needed while providing systematic sellers with the flexibility to pivot mid-meeting.
“I want to have impact immediately when the market shifts, and with Showpad, you have that ability.”
Wouter Bonte
Former Vice President of Global Sales for Barco’s Immersive Experience
WHAT’S NEXT
Anticipating 10x productivity through AI and CRM integration
Looking ahead, Wouter envisions deeper CRM integration and increased use of Showpad’s AI capabilities as the next big arenas for progress at Barco.
Bringing together software like Salesforce with Showpad cuts down on the administrative burden for sellers and helps them queue up the right materials based on where clients are in the sales funnel. Wouter anticipates insights from Showpad meetings will soon be automatically shared across the organization through the CRM.
Meanwhile, he says his sellers are swimming in data: thousands of touchpoints that far exceed any one individual’s ability to analyze. With tools like Showpad’s Analytics AI, complex data processing happens behind the scenes, turning raw numbers into clear insights. As a result, Wouter anticipates a time in which a seller handling 20 accounts today may be handling 300 in the future.
“There are market drivers that trigger the sales team to challenge themselves, which I think is good,” Wouter says. “Showpad has given them tools to experiment with that and do it faster.”