Other Vendors' Demos – Great Source for Learning

I’m occasionally surprised to find presales staff who have never seen another vendor’s demo – not even demos from a competitor…  (So, if you haven’t seen demos from other vendors, it is time to do so!)

For everyone, occasionally watching demos from other vendors is a terrific way to regain the customer’s perspective regarding demos.  I typically suggest that you watch demos from vendors where you actually have interest in their products – this helps to make the interaction as real as possible – be a customer.  Sign up for a demo from the vendor’s website and see how you are treated as a customer:

-          Do they just schedule a demo without asking any questions or doing Discovery?  What is the balance pre-demo experience like? 

-          How about the demo itself:

o   Was it engaging?

o   Did it address your interests?

o   Was it interactive – or a fire-hose delivery of features and functions?

o   Did you find your attention wandering – did you “check out”?  (And if so, how long into the demo did this take?)

o   What could have made the experience for valuable for you, as the customer?

-          And what happened post-demo – did they address any open issues or questions, for example?

What you learn you may wish to apply to your own demos and processes!