A Surprisingly Effective Alternative to Elevator Pitches: Provocative Questions!

Elevator pitches are sadly boring and ineffective. Here’s a story that led to a new way to catalyze sales conversations!

 

Many years ago (in a Silicon Valley far, far away), I joined a local group of salespeople, each from separate businesses. We met monthly to share challenges, ideas, and solutions. At the start of each meeting, we would all present our elevator pitches.

 

Everybody’s pitches followed the same formula: “I help organizations improve/fix/save/gain/ avoid/etc. ____” With 20ish salespeople in the room, we’d hear this same formulaic response 20ish times. It was excruciatingly boring, particularly when I heard myself offering the same weary phrasing, “I help B-to-B software companies improve their demos…”

 

So, I started experimenting. Each month I tried a new approach and carefully watched and listened to the responses from the group. One small improvement was to add a bit more color and a twist: “I help B-to-B software companies make their demos surprisingly compelling…”

 

Another iteration was, “I help B-to-B software companies put the ‘WOW!’ in their demos…”

 

After several meetings, I had a flash of insight: I realized that by asking a question, a response is required. That’s when I came up with, “Have you ever seen a bad software demo?”

 

At the next meeting, when it came to my turn, I gave it a try, asking “Have you ever seen a bad software demonstration?” The responses were intriguing…! Smiles, sad sighs, and people said things like, “Oh, hundreds…!” and “I’ve definitely done many myself…!”

 

I then followed with, “Well, my job is to make that problem go away. I help B-to-B software companies make their demos crisp, effective, and surprisingly compelling…”

 

And the Provocative Question method was born!

 

Now it’s your turn: What do you do?

 

 

Learn more about the value of Provocative Questions on page 253 in Doing Discovery: https://www.amazon.com/Doing-Discovery-Important-Enablement-Processes/dp/B0B8RJK4C2/

 

If you missed some of these knowledge nuggets, you’ll find more patiently waiting for you at https://greatdemo.com/blog/.

 

AND you’ll find 35 additional story gems in my new book, “Suspending Disbelief: A Collection of Sales, Presales, and Marketing Stories (and Lessons Learned)” here: https://tinyurl.com/yc7rsrmy 

What’s the Value of an Empty Database?

 How many Google Map or Yelp reviews do you need to convince you to try that new business?

 

 

“Torture the data, and it will confess to anything.”

– Ronald Coase.

 

 

Imagine walking into a restaurant and being seated. Your waiter hands you a menu, which you peruse. A moment later, the waiter returns and asks for your order:

 

“I’d like the rib-eye steak, please,” you request.

“Sorry,” replies the waiter, “fresh out.”

 

“I see…,” you reply, scanning the menu again. “How about the trout?”

“Hmmmm, looks like we’re out of that as well,” is the waiter’s response.

 

“OK, what about the moussaka?”

“Just served the last of it...”

 

“Minestrone?”

“Empty tureen…”

 

“Bread and butter?”

“The oven’s broken and the cow went home…”

 

You get the picture (with apologies to Monty Python’s Cheese Shop sketch).

 

There’s not much value in a restaurant that doesn’t have any food and, likewise, there’s zero value in an empty database!

 

Understanding the Database Breakeven Point enables faster adoption, happy users, and renewing, expanding, referencing customers.

 

How?

 

1.     Set and manage expectations: 

 

Use your experience with other customer implementations to help your new customers predict and manage their own situations.

 

2.     Fill the box before delivery:  

 

Deliver your database pre-filled with useful, relevant content, accelerating the process and reducing the time it takes to reach the Database Breakeven Point. 

 

3.     Collect and curate:  

 

Use existing content existing to fill the database faster.

 

4.     Focus on early wins: 

 

Identify and focus database growth on areas that will yield rapid wins for your customer such as Value Realization Events. 

 

Once your customer has reached breakeven, leverage these early victories to promote the database. Success breeds success!

 

 

Moral? 

Understand the importance of the Database Breakeven Point!

 

Here’s more on this intriguing, pivotal topic:

https://greatdemo.com/the-database-breakeven-point-never-stop-learning/ 

Sales Gumption Or?

 

Regarding capabilities that our software lacked but some prospects desired, one of our salespeople was known to ask, “If it had it, would you buy it?”

 

Moral: Not clear, but it sure added strength to feature requests coming from him!

 

And yes, there are several follow-up questions that should also be asked, but I was always intrigued by his approach!

Too Complicated! – A Sales Prevention Team Demo Story

A prospect reported: 

 

“We told the vendors over 90% of orders came via phone 

and need to be completed in 45 seconds. 

 

One vendor decided to show all the different ways 

to access features and the different options for creating orders. 

 

They spent 5 minutes creating an order as they did all this. 

 

Our response: 

'This is too complicated for us; 

we'll never get an order done in 45 seconds.’” 

 

(Thanks, Ted!)

 

Moral: Execute ALL demo pathways using the fewest number of clicks!

 

Just “Do It” – Great Demo!

Are Automated Demos Getting the Job Done?

 

Sadly, not enough!

 

Most focus on the least important idea:

how the software works.

 

And they ignore 

what problems need to be addressed, 

why it is important, and the 

value of making the change. 

 

Use these attributes and assess - 

 

Setting Context: 

Who is this for (who should watch it and why)?

 

Problem Identification: 

What problems are being addressed (or need to be addressed)?

 

Solution Presentation: 

What solutions are offered?

 

Value Communication: 

What is the tangible value of making the change?

 

Length: 

Is the length consistent with the objective of the demo? 

(E.g., Vision Generation vs Technical Proof vs Training)

 

Call to Action: 

What do you want your prospect to do?

 

Simplicity: 

Does it communicate a message that can be easily retold?

 

Clarity: 

Is it easy to understand?

 

Engagement: 

Are prospects focusing on the demo or multi-tasking?

 

 

 

And here are resources to help improve your automated demos:

 

Reading:

https://greatdemo.com/automated-demos-best-practices-specific-guidance/

 

Self-paced online training:

https://demoboost.com/courses/great-demo-playbook

 

Hands-on workshops for individuals and teams:

Paul Pearce PPearce@GreatDemo.com (Americas)

Natasja Bax NBax@GreatDemo.com (EMEA)

 

A 3-Minute MasterClass?

 

I just saw an offer for a 3-minute “MasterClass”

I’m amused. 

 

The MasterClass overflows with content

Briming with compelling analogies and stories

Bursting with intriguing data

Flooded with nuance.

 

Lifting people swiftly

From novice to advanced beginner

To competency

To proficiency

To expert

And to mastery in no time!

(Well, 3 minutes, but they could have shaved away a full minute

Without sacrificing the quality of the offering!)

 

And their 1-minute “DeepDive”

and their 7-second “OverView” 

will be similarly informative beyond compare!

Suspending Disbelief: 5 Minutes Can Save You 5 Years (or More! )

“Ugh – I learned it the hard way. This would have saved me five years!”

 

“I didn’t realize what I was doing was a bad habit until now!”

 

“I’ve been doing discovery and demos for over ten years, but this story really opened my eyes.”

 

“I’m buying copies for my entire team.”

 

“I just used one of your stories to win a deal!”

 

Suspending Disbelief: A Collection of Sales, Presales, and Marketing Stories (and Lessons Learned) delivers thirty-five engaging and humorous very short stories about sales, presales, marketing, and customer success experiences.

 

Each bitesize story is easily consumed and enjoyed in just a few minutes, and shares a valuable, long-lasting lesson learned – that could save you years!

 

Here’s what more people are saying:

 

-       “Every one of these bonbons of wisdom were educational and entertaining at the same time.”

 

-       “They are amusing! Shorter, digestible nuggets with a clean take-away/moral.”

 

-       “Gentle reminders of important lessons in a way that’s impossible to forget.”

 

-       “Fun, relatable tales that reinforce all the best practices.”

 

-       “‘A Prospects Tale,’ should be required annual reading.”

 

The book is now available in paperback and Kindle versions here: https://tinyurl.com/yc7rsrmy