Debilitating Demo Diseases – Crickets (Mors per Silentium)

 

Symptoms:      

 

The sound (or lack of sound) in the room after the presenter asks, “So, are there any questions so far?”

 

Examples:        

 

Chirp-chirp-chirp-chirp-chirp-chirp-chirp-chirp-chirp-chirp….

            

Cure:   

 

Encourage, drive and generate interactivity. Turn your demo from a one-way monologue into a two-way conversation. Involve your prospect. Ask questions. Confirm interest. Invite your prospect to “drive.” Pause occasionally and summarize at the end of each section. Fumigate as needed to remove crickets.

 

Chew thoroughly and consume one each of the following:

 

- Humor

- Appearance

- Language

- Buzzwords

- Pace

- Presentation skills

- Linear vs non-linear presentation methods

- Letting your champion drive

- Confidence and poise

- Mouse movements

- Screen pointing

- Using props and visual aides

- Passion!

- Recovering from bugs, mistakes and crashes

- Team play

- Features vs Advantages vs Benefits

- Perspective

 

from Chapter 15 “Style” in Great Demo! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9SNKC2Y/

 

For added engagement apply “Storytelling” (Chapter 14) liberally.

Debilitating Demo Diseases – Momentus Morbi

 

Symptoms:      

 

Doing things the same way, over and over, without exploring new options or making improvements. Also referred to as being “a victim of momentum.” Often suffers from the Dunning Kruger effect as well. At risk of being automated out of a job.

 

Examples:        

 

“I’ll just present our standard overview demo…”

 

“I’ve mastered delivering our ‘gold’ demo…”

 

“I could present our demo in my sleep!”

            

Cure:   

 

Try some new ideas. Talk with colleagues and explore their practices. Record yourself and look for opportunities to improve. Take a class, watch a webinar, listen to a podcast, read a book. Never stop learning!

 

https://greatdemo.com/training/ 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9SNKC2Y/

https://www.amazon.com/Doing-Discovery-Important-Enablement-Processes/dp/B0B8RJK4C2/

Debilitating Demo Diseases – Tabbed-out (The Terrible Tabs Death March)

 

Symptoms:      

 

Presenter exhaustively (and exhaustingly) presents the contents of each tab in a row of tabs, one after another after another after another… Audience counts the tabs and calculates the time it will take to work through all of them, then gasps in horror when they realize how much time this will consume. Audience begins group text game, with the winner of each round guessing the closet time when the presenter begins to present the next tab.

 

Examples:        

 

“I’ll go through each of the tabs across the top here in order…” 

 

“Now in this first tab…”

 

“Now in this second tab…”

 

“Now in this next tab…”

 

Cure:   

 

Apply Great Demo! Situation Slides (Chapter 6, page 78) to the afflicted areas, show only the Specific Capabilities uncovered in discovery. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9SNKC2Y/

https://www.amazon.com/Doing-Discovery-Important-Enablement-Processes/dp/B0B8RJK4C2/