[Warning: Shameless Self-Promotion Alert!] Great Demo! Audiobook Now Available

Yes, due to overwhelming demand, Great Demo! is now available in Audiobook format at Amazon.com, audible.com. and iTunes.  So now you can sit back and simply listen to some compelling ideas, riveting stories, and amusing anecdotes – without the strain of moving your eyes back and forth.  Audiobooks are terrific for those car drives from account to account and on flights when you don’t want to have to interact with the person sitting next to you!

Please note:  a professional did the voice-over for the Audiobook, as the author would not (or could not) do the reading himself…

Competitive Differentiation - Why Did They Buy From You?

The best sales teams go back to their customers well after the sale has been completed and ask, “So, what made you choose us [over XXX competitor]?”  The answers are sometimes what you expect, but often you learn surprising new information on how customers perceive you as a vendor.  This information should feed back into your positioning, Discovery conversations and other elements of your sales, implementation and follow-up processes.  What have you heard from your customers that differentiates your company lately?

Harvest this information and use it!

Better Than "Thank You For Your Time"

Here’s an interesting challenge and an elegant solution to it:  In my previous company I was VP and then President of a business unit and had sales people calling on me as the customer.  I noted that nearly all of these sales people stated conversations or presentations with phrases like, “I know you are very busy…” or “Thank you very much for your time…”  While these phrases are courteous, they sounded very pleading and anxious, and seemed to result in these sales people (unconsciously) placing themselves as subservient to their customer.  Not a particularly robust starting point!

One of my colleagues offered a terrific alternative that we began to use, with excellent success.  She suggested, “I’m glad we were able to invest this time together today…”, resulting in our sales team positioning themselves as equals to their C-level and VP customers,   Much stronger!

Recording Web Demos Reduces Hostile Questions

A Great Demo! Workshop participant noted recently that announcing that you are recording a Remote Demo (e.g., delivered via WebEx or GoToMeeting) reduces the likelihood of hostile questions from audience members.  Not surprisingly, these “hostile” audience members don’t want their nasty questions or sniping comments captured in the recording!