Add Critical Dates and Events to “Situation Slides”

To prepare for demos I recommend generating Situation Slides for each key member of a prospect’s team (those who will be participating in the demo). Previously, the element of time or time-specific constraints was not explicitly included on the slide – I’m now suggesting that this be added:

1. CBI (Critical Business Issue): What is the major problem he/she has?
2. Reasons: Why is it a problem or what is the problem due to?
3. Specific Capabilities: What capabilities are needed to address the problem?
4. Delta: What is the value associated with making the change?
5. Critical Date or Event: When does the change need to take place (and why)?

Here’s an example:

Job Title/Industry: VP of Sales, Mid-size Software Company
Critical Business Issue: Concerned about achieving quarterly numbers
Reason: Too many opportunities falter or fail as a result of demos
Specific Capabilities: Make presales' demos crisp, compelling and effective
Delta: Close 10% more business in the second half of the year
Critical Date/Event: Field training event scheduled for October 4

Critical Dates/Events place a time-based boundary on when a solution needs to be in place – and enables you to walk backwards from that date to define other key activities that need to be completed first (implementation, training, assessment, agreement completed, etc…).