Sometimes a good metaphor or analogy can save the day.
“People don't resist change. They resist being changed!"
– Peter Senge
Years ago, I worked for a company whose products rather dramatically disrupted traditional materials science research practices.
By applying software, miniaturization, automation and know-how, we provided systems that could cut long-term research projects from a dozen years down to one-to-two, and research optimization projects from one-to-two years down to a couple of months.
“You can do a year’s worth of research in the palm of your hand…” was our vision.
I was at a conference and had presented a talk on our systems, including a few use-case success stories. At a break, a couple of scientists from one of my prospects came up to me and said, “Oh, you guys make the ‘job killer’ systems…”
They clearly were worried that these systems would entirely replace their work: fear of the unknown…!
I was a bit surprised and taken aback, but thought for a moment and responded, “Well, it’s really up to you. What we are providing is like power-tools for woodworking versus using hand tools. You are still the craftsmen. The power tools enable you to do it faster, with better accuracy and improved precision.”
They responded, “Ah – OK, we’ll take a closer look…!”
Moral: Analogies and metaphors can dramatically impact successful communication!
See Chapter 14 “Storytelling” in Great Demo! starting on page 345 for more on using analogies, metaphors, and (of course) storytelling in your demos and discovery conversations: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9SNKC2Y/
If you missed some of these posts, you’ll find another dozen or more waiting for you at https://greatdemo.com/blog/
And you’ll find 35 additional story gems in “Suspending Disbelief: A Collection of Sales, Presales, and Marketing Stories (and Lessons Learned)” here: https://tinyurl.com/yc7rsrmy
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