We Just Need a Prius, Not a Tesla...!

Just heard this nice revision of the old expression regarding “Buying it back”.  It used to be (in the U.S.), “We just need a Chevy, not a Cadillac…!” – now, you can hear the same idea communicated in a more up-to-date manner:  “We just need a Prius, not a Tesla…!”  Fabulous…

FYI – for those unfamiliar with the term, “Buying it back”:  this is where you have presented capabilities in a demo that the customer doesn’t perceive they need – and they say, “Either take those capabilities out, or give us a discount…”  That’s “Buying it back”!

Other contributions of the same idea are welcome (what do people say in the UK, on the Continent, in Australia, Japan, etc.?).

SkyTap – Consistent (Working!) Demo Environments…

I recently came across SkyTap, (www.SkyTap.com) an organization that provides cloud-based environments for development, testing, training – and yes, demos and POC’s.  I’ve had the chance to have a couple of conversations with the folks at SkyTap and to see a demo of the environment in action – it looks like an excellent solution to many of the demo environment challenges that we face.  

Very simply, it provides a consistent, stable copy of your demo environment (some might call it their “Gold” environment), accessible 24/7/365 from a web browser.  My understanding is that it is particularly useful for non-SaaS offerings (the more complex the environment, the more valuable it should be).   More information can be found here:  https://www.skytap.com/solutions/enterprise-sales-demos/. 

Any comments or experiences to share using SkyTap?  It seems like a really good thing!

“I’ll Call You At 3:00…” – Time Zone Cluelessness

Not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES last week I received email messages from vendors’ sales and presales folks that presented dates and times for a phone call – but without a time zone indicated…!  Here’s the first example, from a vendor trying to sell me software:

“I’m available at the following times:

·         Tue:  9, 10, 1, 3

·         Wed after 10

·         Fri: 2

…”

Please please please (please) list a time zone when proposing times for a call…!  Sheesh.

By the way, in all three cases the email “signatures” also lacked any indication of location, which would have at least given me (the recipient) a clue… 

[Extra credit quiz question:  how many time zones are there in the U.S.?}

[Warning: Shameless Self-Promotion Alert!] May 18-19 Great Demo! Public Workshop – Last Chance

We have just a few seats remaining available for our upcoming Great Demo! Public Workshop, scheduled for May 18-19 in Sunnyvale, CA (Silicon Valley).  Registration and additional information can be found here.

Public Workshops are excellent opportunities for individuals, small groups or for teams that have new hires.  The May session will be a 1.75-Day Workshop, with the first day focusing largely on core Great Demo! material and the second ¾ day addressing more advanced topics and techniques.