Don’t say “demo” in a demo
meeting.
Hmmm – sounds strange…!
However, every time we use the word “demo” in a demo meeting, we are telling
our customers that what we are showing them is not real – it’s a “demo”.
This causes customers to assume that they may need a deeper level of proof,
such as a POC.
The word “demo” tells
customers that what they are about to see is not a real environment; it’s
fake. It has been specifically set-up to show the software in the best
possible light – and it won’t reflect how things work in a real customer
environment.
“OK, now we’ll show you a
demo…” – Sounds innocuous, but wouldn’t it be more compelling if we simply
said, “OK, now let’s take a look at the software…”
In Great Demo!, we suggest
saying something like, “Would you like to see it in action…?” Again, no
mention of “demo” – the customer assumes they are seeing the real thing, not a
fake environment.
In traditional demos, ask
yourself,
- How
many times do you use the word, “demo”? (And each time what the
customer hears is, “fake”)
- How
many times does the word “demo” appear on the screen in your software in
our demo environment? (And each time the customer sees it they
think, “This is fake…”)
