Q: I didn’t get any questions at the end of a recent demo. The audience was quiet and respectful and our point of contact said “It’s an interesting product, you’ve given us a lot to think about.” But it’s been two weeks and I haven’t had any response to my two follow up e-mails and a voicemail.
A: It’s very likely that they felt your product was not a fit with their needs and being polite was the fastest way to get you out of the room. Avoid the temptation to demo to early by first getting agreement on what the key business is that they are looking for help on and then clarifying what are two or three capabilities they believe they need to address their needs. A crisp presentation that demonstrates those capabilities–and only those capabilities–should lead to a longer conversation.
Q: I didn’t get any questions during a recent demo, and two of the key audience members spent a lot of time e-mailing on a tablet or texting on a phone. What can I do when a prospects starts to multi-task?
A: If you have a whiteboard or flip chart ask them to sketch an answer to a question. If you open with a very brief intro that confirms their critical business issue and the capabilities they are looking for it’s less likely they will tune you out.
If you are not sure what business challenge they are looking for help with open with some questions of them about what they are using now, what their current workflow looks like, and where they are looking for help. Diagnose before you prescribe and you should be able to get their attention. If that does not work then you may be a “check in the box” that they have talked to enough vendors (also know as “column fodder” where they can compare your offering to several others including their first choice).
Another alternative for a large group is to offer a menu of features or capabilities and ask for a show of hands to prioritize what you should show first.
If it’s a senior person or decision maker who is tuning you out, you need to engage them. If it’s only one person in a group of five or six and everyone else is engaged I would not be as concerned. They may either be bored (in which case engaging them will help) or worried about another situation (sick child, major service outage, urgent text from their boss) in which case they may need to leave.
We partner with Peter Cohan to bring an open enrollment version of his “Great Demo!” workshop to Silicon Valley several times a year. The next “Great Demo!” workshop is October 9-10, 2013.
| Core Seminar & Advanced Topics October 9 & 10, 2013 Cost: $930 (Before Sep-8: $895) |
Where: Moorpark Hotel, 4241 Moorpark Ave, San Jose CA 95129
For out of town attendees: The Moorpark is located 400 feet from the Saratoga Ave exit on Hwy 280, about 7 miles from San Jose Airport and 35 miles from San Francisco Airport Hotels Near Great Demo! Workshop