Monday, March 25, 2019

Finding Critical Business Issues


A recent Great Demo! Workshop graduate asked, “How can we find relevant Critical Business Issues [CBI’s] for prospects that have job titles that are unfamiliar to us?”

Excellent question!  This can happen frequently, particularly when moving into new markets, new verticals, or when launching new products. 

Try searching online for a job description for that specific job title and industry – what you find often provides wonderful information on that job title’s likely top level challenges (and therefore likely CBI’s) as well as descriptions of the role and responsibilities (good material for “Problems/Reasons” as well).

For example, you’ve been asked to present to a “Manager, Financial Analyst” in a large banking organization.  A quick search using “manager financial analyst banking job description” yields several excellent overviews, including:

Responsible for financial planning and modeling. Manages the financial analysis projects and statistical studies. Provides key financial analysis and management reporting by managing various monthly reporting processes. Provides guidance on investment and project decisions.“

And

Financial analysis managers are responsible for managing financial analysis activities for their organization, collecting information related to financial performance and consolidating it into complex company reports. They are in charge of actively contribute to organizational financial decisions based on their expertise and manage a group of financial analysts to reach all company goals in a timely manner. Financial analysis managers interpret raw financial data to recommend changes to business processes, participate in business meetings to present their progress to the financial analysis director or supervisor in their department, and use a personal computer with specialized software to make calculations and run analysis. They also build financial models to analyze possible business changes.
Financial Analysis Manager Tasks
  • Oversee and contribute to monthly, quarterly and annual budget preparation and evaluation.
  • Supervise and communicate ad-hoc analyses for special projects and executive requests.
  • Review forecasts from other departments and create bridge plans.
  • Create and present financial plans and overviews.
  • Direct forecasting and goal-setting efforts for financial plans.”

Based on these examples, one good CBI starting point might be “delivering reports, plans and overviews for specific projects and regular operations”.

It’s all out there on the web, apparently…!

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

The Demo Dilemma – Webinar


I’ll be joining the fine folks at Omedym (www.Omedym.com) for a webinar on March 28 during which we’ll explore:

“Software buyers have changed - has the software demo changed?  Should it?

Join us for a live, interactive webinar, where our demo-expert panelists will discuss the demo dilemma facing today's B2B software companies:

1. Should you be giving fewer (or more) demos to your prospects?
2. What demo or product experiences do your prospects want at different stages in their buying journey?
3. How can you effectively use demo feedback to accelerate your sales cycles?”

…As well as other topics on demos – let us know if you have any specific questions or ideas you’d like us to consider…!

The webinar is scheduled for Thursday March 28, 2019 at 1:00 PM Eastern Time – you can register for the event here.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Great Demo! Public Workshops [Warning – Shameless Self Promotion Alert]


We’ve been getting requests to offer Great Demo! Public Workshops in a range of locations around the world.  Here is the current schedule:

  • March 28-29 in Chicago – click here for registration and related information.  This session is nearly full…
  • April 10-11 in Amsterdam – click here for ­­more information.  This session is also nearly full…!
  • May 15-16 in Silicon Valley – click here for more information.
  • April or May in the Northeast U.S. – Contact Art Fromm at AFromm@GreatDemo.com.
  • July 18-19 in Austin – Contact Julie Hansen at JHansen@GreatDemo.com
  • September 4-5 in Amsterdam – click here for more information.
  • October 2-3 in Silicon Valley – click here for more information.

Singapore is also a likely candidate location…

Public Workshops are excellent opportunities for individuals, small groups or for teams that have new hires. They are 1.5-Day or 1.75-Day Workshops, with the first day focusing largely on core Great Demo! material and the second ½ or ¾ day addressing more advanced topics and techniques. 

We are also contemplating offering Public (open enrollment) Masters Classes for Great Demo! Workshop graduates who wish to advance to a breathtakingly high level of practice.  Let us know if you are interested…!