I had a nice time at last night’s Cofounder Club. Dea Wilson, founder of Lifograph, invited me to talk about “Giving a Killer Demo.” We had a lively discussion upstairs at Procopio: starting with some introductions and then short demos by the attendees, then I gave a formal recap of the Great Demo methodology and how to apply it.
The key to a Great Demo is to “Do the Last Thing First” and get to the point immediately about the critical results that your software will deliver to the prospect. This is counter to many entrepreneur’s inclination to build up to a big finish after 15 or 30 minutes or longer.
But by starting with a illustration of the key deliverable and then demonstrating in as few steps as possible how to achieve this result, you ensure that senior decision makers are still in the room when you get to the “Ta Da!” They can ask questions about other capabilities that they are interested in or start a conversation about how they can get started.
The second most important element of a Great Demo is appropriate preparation and a specific and detailed understanding of your prospect’s situation:
- Job Title and Industry: this provides a context for understanding how they are measured, likely objectives, and what examples or illustrations may be relevant.
- Critical Business Issue: What is the major problem he/she has?
- Reasons: Why is it a problem or what is the problem due to?
- Specific Capabilities: What capabilities are needed to address the problem?
- Delta: What is the value associated with making the change?
- Date: Is there a customer critical date or event that needs to be met?
Upcoming Workshops
| “Great Demo!” Silicon Valley, CA |  |
If you are selling software to businesses, consider attending a Great Demo! workshops in San Jose. This is an excellent opportunity for individuals, small groups or for teams that have new hires.
We’ve found that these events are most productive when there are two or more participants from each organization (singletons are also fine). This helps to mimic real-life interactions as much as possible, both when preparing demos and delivering them in the role-play sessions.
Pingback: SKMurphy, Inc. » Thought Leadership: A Briefing For San Bruno Rotary
Pingback: SKMurphy, Inc. » Q: How to Apply Lean Innovation Methods Regulated Industries
Pingback: SKMurphy, Inc. A Great Demo Is A Conversation Driven By Mutual Curiosity
Pingback: SKMurphy, Inc. Ilya Semin of Datanyze on Value of Great Demo Workshop
Pingback: SKMurphy, Inc. Abigail Miller on Great Demo Workshop Benefits
Pingback: SKMurphy, Inc. Newsletter: Strategies for a Winning Sales Presentation
Pingback: SKMurphy, Inc. Ten Tips For New Product Demos - SKMurphy, Inc.