Harman transforms sales conversations with content sellers can trust

THE CHALLENGE

Sellers couldn’t trust that their content was current

Harman’s sales teams were struggling with a basic but critical problem: getting the right content into sellers’ hands and keeping it up to date.

“We were really looking for a solution that would make it easy to distribute content and keep them automatically updated so they didn’t have to think about what the latest material was,” says Erik Tarkiainen, Former Vice President of Global Marketing at Harman International.

Without a centralized platform, reps had no guarantee that what they were presenting to customers was the most current version — and marketing had no visibility into what sellers were actually using.

THE SOLUTION

Automatic updates, organized content, and a two-way feedback loop

Showpad gave Harman something deceptively simple but hard to achieve at scale: content that automatically pushes to sellers so they never have to wonder what’s current.

“Now they can just walk in with their iPad, start Showpad, and they know that everything they need is going to be automatically organized and available for them,” says Tarkiainen.

But the value goes both ways. For marketing, Showpad created a feedback loop that didn’t exist before. Sellers can comment on content and flag what they need — giving marketing direct input on what to create, update, or retire.

“It’s giving me insight into what content people are using,” says Tarkiainen. “It’s also making it very easy for them to share with me what content they need.”

THE IMPACT

Better conversations with customers — and a foundation for deeper integration

With Showpad in place, reps show up prepared with organized and current content — and the confidence that comes with it.

“Showpad has really changed the dynamics of how we have sales conversations with customers,” says Tarkiainen.

Marketing now operates with visibility into content usage and direct seller feedback, creating a tighter alignment between what’s produced and what’s actually needed in the field.

WHAT’S NEXT

From presentation tool to integrated sales engine

Tarkiainen’s long-term vision goes beyond content distribution. The goal is to integrate Showpad into Harman’s broader customer planning, CRM, and lead management workflows.

“The long-term goal is that it’s really integrated as part of their customer planning and CRM and context system,” says Tarkiainen. “It’s not just a presentation tool — it’s an integral part of their lead generation, qualification, and nurturing process.”