“Doing Discovery” SE Book Club – What’s YOUR Discovery Skills Level?

 

I joined Kintan Brahmbhatt, Co-Founder and CEO of Olto Labs, for this intriguing and enlightening discussion of discovery skills, methods, tips, and examples. We used the Seven Levels of Discovery Skills as our guide, exploring:

 

-       Uncovering Pain (the endpoint for most organizations’ discovery calls!)

-       Exploring Pain more deeply (plus a bit of tech stack)

-       Examining Impact (why is the pain important, who is impacted and how?)

-       Capturing tangible Value (value specifics, not vague generalizations)

-       Vision Reengineering (because prospects don’t know what they don’t know!)

-       Other dimensions of discovery, including “Burn Victims,” champion enablement, and the Technology Adoption Curve

 

You can find the recording here – enjoy!

https://www.linkedin.com/events/sebookclubwithpetercohan-olto7350680020169740289/ 

 

And here’s where you can find “Doing Discovery” as well as “Great Demo!” and my just-released collection of fun, engaging, life-lesson short stories “Suspending Disbelief”:

 

Doing Discovery

https://www.amazon.com/Doing-Discovery-Important-Enablement-Processes/dp/B0B8RJK4C2/

 

Great Demo! Third Edition:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9SNKC2Y/

 

Suspending Disbelief:

https://tinyurl.com/yc7rsrmy 

Diary of a Sales Engineer – Storytelling Episode!

 

From the fabulous Hosts:

 

“Stories are what make us human.
They’ve helped us pass down knowledge 

and values for generations.

Take the tortoise and the hare.
You already know the lesson, because stories stick.
They spark emotion. And emotion is what we remember.

That’s why we were hyped to bring Peter Cohan 

back on Diary of a Sales Engineer 🎙️

We dug into his new book, Suspending Disbelief: A Collection of Sales, Presales, and Marketing Stories (and Lessons Learned) 

.

He read a few of his favorites,  and we shared some big laughs along the way.

🎁 And yep, Peter’s giving away a SIGNED copy of the book to one lucky listener (details below)

 

YouTiube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8T8E2N7Fo4
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0GfIbZLw2KR9t9sfyYqwMI?si=ol68edgsSLO1LBptoF_L8w

This episode is light, deep, and packed with storytelling wisdom.
→ Listen in.
→ Learn something new.
→ And maybe win a signed book 👀

hashtag#ducklife hashtag#salesengineering hashtag#presales hashtag#storytelling hashtag#podcast”

Ass-u-me – A Short-cut Discovery Tragedy!

 

Not long ago, I was working with a high-level champion who had purchased and enjoyed our product at his previous company and wanted to implement the same at his new firm. He took care of much of the purchasing process: it was an easy sale.

 

But, because he had been through a successful implementation before, I assumed that he had prepared his team for the transition. This assumption was, sadly, incorrect! As a result, I ignored key portions of my own discovery process (including neglecting Transition Vision, VREs and related), and we both suffered as a result.

 

Moral: When you assume, you make an (ahem) donkey out of you and me…!

 

Learn more about doing more effective discovery here:

https://www.amazon.com/Doing-Discovery-Important-Enablement-Processes/dp/B0B8RJK4C2/

 

 

You’ll find 35 additional story gems in my new book, 

“Suspending Disbelief: A Collection of Sales, Presales, and Marketing Stories (and Lessons Learned)” 

https://tinyurl.com/yc7rsrmy 

 

If you missed some of these knowledge nuggets, you’ll find more patiently waiting for you at 

https://greatdemo.com/blog/.

In a “Bake Off?” Demo First!

When in a competitive “bake off” or similar situation 

where multiple competitors will deliver demos to a prospect, 

be first. 

 

Why? 

 

Two reasons!

 

1.     Being first takes advantage of the anchoring effect. 

 

The first time the prospect sees a capability,

it fixes that version as the anchor. 

All other versions from the other vendors 

will be compared to the first, 

with the first version setting the standard 

and often perceived as “best”

 

2.     Being first also leverages the primacy/recency effect,

where the first things seen by the prospect

are remembered the best.

 

And if you can’t go first, offer to go last, because: 

 

1.     That’s the next best position, 

taking advantage of the recency portion 

of the primacy/recency effect: 

You’ll be the last set of capabilities your prospect sees.

 

2.     You get to say that they truly “saved the best for last!”

A Late Majority Story: No Compelling Reason to Change!

 

 

Buck’s Restaurant in Woodside, California was renowned as a place where many Silicon Valley startups were founded. Stories of cocktail-napkin drawings sketched at Buck’s that resulted in new and disruptive products and new market categories abound.

 

When you were greeted at reception, the employee would not ask, “How many

are you in your party?” but rather, “Who are you meeting?” Truly a fabulous place!

 

Imagine my surprise when I happened to glance behind the counter at Buck’s cash register machine (today we’d call this a POS device: Point of Sale) and noted that it was running DOS (yes, DOS).

 

Amazed, on my way out I asked Buck, “Tell me, why are you still using a DOS-based payment system?” 

He said, “It works. No compelling reason to change…”

 

Moral: The Technology Adoption Curve strikes again!

 

 

Learn more about doing discovery across the Technology Adoption Curve starting on page 300 in Doing Discovery: https://www.amazon.com/Doing-Discovery-Important-Enablement-Processes/dp/B0B8RJK4C2/

 

If you missed some of these knowledge nuggets, you’ll find more patiently waiting for you at https://greatdemo.com/blog/.

 

AND you’ll find 35 additional story gems in my new book, “Suspending Disbelief: A Collection of Sales, Presales, and Marketing Stories (and Lessons Learned)” here: https://tinyurl.com/yc7rsrmy 

Next Tuesday August 5 – The SE Book Club – Doing Discovery!

“In discovery, people and organizations want you to understand their perceived uniqueness; 

with solutions, they want to be part of a group.”

 

Join us to explore “Doing Discovery,” charting new territory to help sellers differentiate and win!

 

Here are a few destinations to choose from in our live session journey:

 

- Wants vs Needs

- Probe Types

- Expansion Questions

- Uncovering Value

- Investigating Impact

- Why? Questions

- Biased Questions

- Diagnostic vs Biased Questions

- Empathy and Quid Pro Quo

- Outflanking Competition

- Vision Reengineering

- The Reverse Demo

- Trust and Credibility

- Avoiding “No Decision”

- Starting Discovery

- Summarizing and Summaries

- The Curse of Knowledge

- Executives

- Enabling Your Champion

- Groups Versus Individuals

- Communication Within Your Team

- Overactive Listening

- Burn Victims

- The Technology Adoption Curve

- New Products – Disruptive Products

- Expansion and Renewals

- Transactional Sales Cycles

- Discovery on the Fly

- Discovery Metrics

 

Join the expedition here!

https://www.linkedin.com/events/7350680020169740289/ 

 

Want to embark on your own voyage?

Get the book!

https://www.amazon.com/Doing-Discovery-Important-Enablement-Processes/dp/B0B8RJK4C2/

 

And let us know which topics you’d like to discover!

 

A Surprisingly Effective Alternative to Elevator Pitches: Provocative Questions!

Elevator pitches are sadly boring and ineffective. Here’s a story that led to a new way to catalyze sales conversations!

 

Many years ago (in a Silicon Valley far, far away), I joined a local group of salespeople, each from separate businesses. We met monthly to share challenges, ideas, and solutions. At the start of each meeting, we would all present our elevator pitches.

 

Everybody’s pitches followed the same formula: “I help organizations improve/fix/save/gain/ avoid/etc. ____” With 20ish salespeople in the room, we’d hear this same formulaic response 20ish times. It was excruciatingly boring, particularly when I heard myself offering the same weary phrasing, “I help B-to-B software companies improve their demos…”

 

So, I started experimenting. Each month I tried a new approach and carefully watched and listened to the responses from the group. One small improvement was to add a bit more color and a twist: “I help B-to-B software companies make their demos surprisingly compelling…”

 

Another iteration was, “I help B-to-B software companies put the ‘WOW!’ in their demos…”

 

After several meetings, I had a flash of insight: I realized that by asking a question, a response is required. That’s when I came up with, “Have you ever seen a bad software demo?”

 

At the next meeting, when it came to my turn, I gave it a try, asking “Have you ever seen a bad software demonstration?” The responses were intriguing…! Smiles, sad sighs, and people said things like, “Oh, hundreds…!” and “I’ve definitely done many myself…!”

 

I then followed with, “Well, my job is to make that problem go away. I help B-to-B software companies make their demos crisp, effective, and surprisingly compelling…”

 

And the Provocative Question method was born!

 

Now it’s your turn: What do you do?

 

 

Learn more about the value of Provocative Questions on page 253 in Doing Discovery: https://www.amazon.com/Doing-Discovery-Important-Enablement-Processes/dp/B0B8RJK4C2/

 

If you missed some of these knowledge nuggets, you’ll find more patiently waiting for you at https://greatdemo.com/blog/.

 

AND you’ll find 35 additional story gems in my new book, “Suspending Disbelief: A Collection of Sales, Presales, and Marketing Stories (and Lessons Learned)” here: https://tinyurl.com/yc7rsrmy 

What’s the Value of an Empty Database?

 How many Google Map or Yelp reviews do you need to convince you to try that new business?

 

 

“Torture the data, and it will confess to anything.”

– Ronald Coase.

 

 

Imagine walking into a restaurant and being seated. Your waiter hands you a menu, which you peruse. A moment later, the waiter returns and asks for your order:

 

“I’d like the rib-eye steak, please,” you request.

“Sorry,” replies the waiter, “fresh out.”

 

“I see…,” you reply, scanning the menu again. “How about the trout?”

“Hmmmm, looks like we’re out of that as well,” is the waiter’s response.

 

“OK, what about the moussaka?”

“Just served the last of it...”

 

“Minestrone?”

“Empty tureen…”

 

“Bread and butter?”

“The oven’s broken and the cow went home…”

 

You get the picture (with apologies to Monty Python’s Cheese Shop sketch).

 

There’s not much value in a restaurant that doesn’t have any food and, likewise, there’s zero value in an empty database!

 

Understanding the Database Breakeven Point enables faster adoption, happy users, and renewing, expanding, referencing customers.

 

How?

 

1.     Set and manage expectations: 

 

Use your experience with other customer implementations to help your new customers predict and manage their own situations.

 

2.     Fill the box before delivery:  

 

Deliver your database pre-filled with useful, relevant content, accelerating the process and reducing the time it takes to reach the Database Breakeven Point. 

 

3.     Collect and curate:  

 

Use existing content existing to fill the database faster.

 

4.     Focus on early wins: 

 

Identify and focus database growth on areas that will yield rapid wins for your customer such as Value Realization Events. 

 

Once your customer has reached breakeven, leverage these early victories to promote the database. Success breeds success!

 

 

Moral? 

Understand the importance of the Database Breakeven Point!

 

Here’s more on this intriguing, pivotal topic:

https://greatdemo.com/the-database-breakeven-point-never-stop-learning/