New Year, Refreshed Perspective: When Was the Last Time YOU Were a Customer?

Great Demo! is all about the customer’s perspective – what is the customer is looking for in the demo, what do they want out of the interaction. This suggests a recommendation:

For the Seasoned Presales Veterans:  Go be a customer.

Many presales practitioners have forgotten what it is like to be on the customer side of the table.  Regain that lost perspective by signing-up for a demo of a product you have some interest in – and see how you are treated as a customer.

Some things to note:

• How long before you are contacted by the vendor?
• What amount of Discovery do they do (or was it simply a few quick “qualification” questions)?
• Do they inflict a corporate overview presentation on you – and/or a product overview?
• Do they present a standard “overview” demo or really try to customize it to your specific situation?
• If they are presenting over the web, how much interactivity do they drive?

Now, contemplate your own organization’s demos – how different are they from what you just experienced?

For Those New to Presales:  Go be a customer.

Many presales folks that were hired fresh out of school (or a few years out of school) have never interacted with a vendor as a customer – and have never seen any other vendors’ demos. This makes it very hard for them to understand what it is like to be a on the customer side of the table.

So, give them homework.

Tell them, “Go find a software product you are potentially interested in and request a demo from that vendor’s website – and see what happens. Go through their process: how long before someone calls you, what do they ask about you, and what does the resulting demo seem like to you?”  

Summary:  People often report how surprised they are at what happens and how they are treated – it can be eye-opening.  Go be a customer…!