Why Structure Demos Like a News Article - Part 3: Ever Run Out of Time?

 

Have you ever heard a demo presenter say, “We have lot to cover so I’ll go really fast…”? Have you ever said something similar yourself?

 

Have you ever been unable to get to the “best stuff” because time was short or a corporate overview presentation consumed part of your time?

 

Many of us respond by moving very rapidly through our demo (while also telling our audience that “we want this to be as interactive as possible, so please ask questions…”). Are we surprised when we don’t get through the material and our prospects don’t ask any questions?

 

We shouldn’t be, we’ve turned the demo into a one-way monologue!

 

So, take a page from the news services. Present the demo equivalent of a headline or photo succinctly and rapidly. That’s the top of the Inverted Pyramid, and in Great Demo! methodology we call this an Illustration.

 

For some prospect players, particularly executives, this may be sufficient!

 

For those interested in the demo equivalent of the first couple of paragraphs (the lede), present the key capabilities using a minimum of mouse clicks. This corresponds to the Great Demo! “Do It” pathway.

 

Finally, for audiences who are really interested, you can dig deeper and explore the breadth and depth of the relevant capabilities, just like those who wish to read more of the article. In Great Demo! we call this “Peeling Back the Layers.”

 

Interestingly, also note that there are very few readers of the news who read everything on a news website (I can’t imagine if it is possible, in fact!). Similarly in demos, you are not obligated to present everything that your software can do, so please don’t.

 

And as news people say, “Don’t bury the lede!”

 

If you missed Part 1 you can find it here:

https://greatdemo.com/why-structure-demos-like-a-news-article/ 

 

And here’s Part 2:

https://greatdemo.com/why-structure-demos-like-a-news-article-part-2-inverted-pyramid/ 

 

For more on the incredible impact of Illustrations, see

https://greatdemo.com/illustrations-doing-the-last-thing-first/ 

 

And for the full methodology, grab a copy of Great Demo!

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