Ranging Probes – A Novel Discovery Probing Technique!

When doing discovery, Ranging Probes are a wonderful solution when dealing with “squishy” information or situations where your prospect’s answers might span a spectrum. Acting like a prism, Ranging Probes can separate intertwined answers into individual colors! 

Let’s follow an example conversation…

 

You ask, “What’s your typical sales cycle length?”

 

Your prospect replies, “Ummmm….” Your prospect is struggling to condense several possible situations down to a single choice. They’re thinking, “Well, it depends on the market and product…”

 

You cleverly rephrase, realizing that your prospect isn’t sure how to answer, “Okay, tell me, what are your fastest sales cycles, what are your longest, and what might be a typical average?”

 

Your prospect responds, “Oh, the shortest run a month, the longer cycles can be a year to eighteen months, and the average is around six months…”

 

Notice that you just been rewarded with three pieces of information on this topic: That’s an unanticipated advantage of Ranging Probes. Now you know much more about your prospect’s sales cycles than just a simple average.

 

Be prepared to rephrase a question as a Ranging Probe whenever there is potential flexibility or squishiness in the response. A long, “Ummmm…” from your prospect is often a good indicator of this situation!

 

You’ll find many more practical tips like this in Doing Discovery.

The Database Breakeven Point

How long does it take before a newly implemented, empty database becomes useful?  

 

The Empty Kitchen: A Story

 

Most of us accumulate and stock our kitchens slowly over time as we move away from our parents’ houses and launch ourselves into adulthood. Herbs and spices, canned goods and pasta, refrigerated staples, and seasonings and sauces are typically collected over time, often taking months or years.

 

Imagine what it would be like to encounter an entirely empty kitchen…!

 

After living in Switzerland for two years, we returned to our home in California. The folks renting our house had moved out a few weeks before our arrival and, as previously agreed, they had completely removed all food from the premises. The fridge was totally empty: There were no sauces, no jams, no jars, no food of any kind. The shelves were equally bare. Even the spices and herbs were all gone.

 

Without any food, our kitchen, while complete in terms of appliances, pots, pans, tools, and utensils, was effectively useless. It had potential, but that potential could only be realized once we had re-stocked it. 

 

Our first few uses were simply reheating restaurant leftovers and take-out meals. It took several trips to our local markets to put food on the shelves, literally! And it was only once a set of basics was accumulated that we were able to really use our kitchen to prepare meals. That represented a breakeven point: cooking in our kitchen vs going to restaurants and buying take-out meals. Several weeks went by before things were back to our pre-Switzerland inventory.

 

It was a significant event in our lives that holds strong memories!

 

The Challenge: Starved for Data

 

Empty databases are like that empty kitchen. Lots of potential, but without food to cook you’re going to have unfilled stomachs! Similarly, an empty database leaves your customers starved for data...

 

You’ll find the balance of this article here. Enjoy!

Signed Copies for Your Kickoff?

Sure! 

 

As you plan your 2025 sales kickoff or similar events, contemplate the impact of the team receiving signed copies of Great Demo! or Doing Discovery – or both!

 

Book Club Bonus: If you do a book club with either book, I’d be happy to join a session or two gratis to discuss the ideas, answer questions, and provide examples.

 

Contact me at PCohan@GreatDemo.com if you’d like to explore!

A “Thank You for Your Time” Alternative

Many vendors offer the phrase, “Thank you for your time…” when starting or completing a meeting with a prospect, often adding “I know your time is valuable…” This is courteous but positions the vendor beneath the prospect in terms of relative importance.

 

A very successful salesperson (thanks, Carol!) once shared the following advice that I continue to apply today:

 

She asked me, “Isn’t your time just as valuable as the prospect’s?” I responded, “Of course it is…”

 

She then offered a better way to start and close meetings. She suggested saying, “I’m glad we are [or were] able to invest this time together today…”

 

This positions both parties as equals, regardless of whether you are speaking with an executive, middle manager, staff member or system administrator. What a delightful idea!

 

You’ll find many more tips and practices on the Resources pages of our website at https://GreatDemo.com and (of course!) in the Great Demo! and Doing Discovery books. Enjoy!

The Single Biggest Problem with Communication...

“The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

 – George Bernard Shaw

Engaging the Five Senses in Your Demos

 Alex, the presales team member, began the demo by carrying a large stack of paper into the room, walked to the front and dropped it onto a table with a loud “thud!” He handed several sheets from the stack to several of the prospect players, saying, “These, I believe, are examples of your current manual, paper-based process – please take a look and confirm this for me!”

 

The prospect team examined the examples and verified that yes, these were from their current workflow, and offered comments about “Handling these is a pain!” and “Oh no, this one is pretty old…!”

 

Alex smiled and said, “Yes, that one must have slipped behind a desk…” “And this one,” he continued, picking up another sheet, “smells like the ink is still wet. It’s like it’s raining paper on you!”

 

He grabbed another sheet, crumpled it, and tossed it into a box, where it bounced before settling at the bottom. “Anyone else want to join me?” he asked. Several volunteers leapt up and joined in the fun, crumpling, crushing, tossing, and pitching paper into the box (and at one another). It was like a snow flurry of wadded paper falling from the sky!

 

Was this audience engaged? Yes indeed! And were they eager to hear and see a solution? You betcha!

 

In communication, each additional sense you engage increases your audience’s retention by 10%. 

 

See the stack of paper? 10% improvement.

Hear the “thud” when it hit the table? Another 10%.

Feel the individual sheets? Another 10%.

Smell the wet ink? Yet another 10%.

 

When presenting demos face-to-face, engage your audience’s senses by using props and visual aids that can be seen, heard, and felt, (and, if possible, smelled and tasted)!

 

Here’s another real-life example:

 

The vendor rep was discussing how their solution eliminated silos and enabled improved consumption of a prospect’s internal data. The rep took two sealed water bottles, held them up and said, “So, I understand your organization has its data sitting in silos, like these water bottles…” He banged the bottles together, pointing out that “You can’t bring this data together.” Bang, bang went the water bottles.

 

He then opened each bottle and placed a cup in front of him on the table. He said, “What we propose is to enable you to combine your data in ways you’ve never been able to do before…” as he poured water from both water bottles into the single cup. He then picked up the cup and continued, “…and enable you to consume your data in ways you’ve never been able to do before!” and he took a sip of the combined mix from the cup. He finished with a satisfied “Ah, refreshing!”

 

What’s the Difference Between Empathy and Sympathy?

Nearly everyone today talks about the importance of empathy: Showing empathy in sales calls, being empathic in discovery conversations, and even “leveraging empathy to appear authentic” (direct quote!). Interestingly, no-one speaks about sympathy. 

 

Are they the same? Are they different?

 

What’s your take: What’s the difference between empathy and sympathy?

Storytelling: An Intriguing Take, with a Real-Time Experiment!

“We had a great discussion with Peter Cohan talking about the ONE topic he's hearing right now in his conversations. It's Storytelling! Listen in to learn why and how great story telling moves our buyer.”

Enjoy! 

 

https://www.linkedin.com/events/revshots-39withpetercohan7244485084089606145/theater/ 

Intriguing Discovery Question: What Are You Not Interested In?

This is a non-obvious obvious question! Many people find it easier to describe what they don't want than what they do want! 

 

And while the set of things that your prospect is not interested in can be large, asking this question often helps prospects identify key areas of non-interest. This saves time for both parties (and may trigger your curiosity as to why they aren’t interested!).

 

Finally, there are two dimensions to consider for this: 

 

-       First, with respect to discovery: What should we not discuss? 

-       Second, regarding a post-discovery demo: What are you not interested in seeing in your demo?

 

You’ll find many more creative and pragmatic ideas in Doing Discovery. 

Dealing with "Just Show Me a Demo?" Seven Methods to Move into Discovery

Far too often, prospects demand, “Just show me a demo…!” when we know the correct approach is to invest, mutually, in a discovery conversation. But how do we convince prospects to make this change? Here are seven ideas!

 

Prospect says, “Just show me a demo…”

 

1.     You respond, “Terrific! Let’s schedule eight hours for your demo, because that’s what it will take to go through our offering. Or we could invest thirty minutes to discuss your situation so that we can focus on what’s important for you. The resulting demo will likely last well under an hour.”

 

2.     You offer, “You are investing a great deal of time and energy in finding and implementing a new system. Let’s ensure that investment pays off for you by helping us understand your situation/goals/needs/etc. fully before we present a demo.”

 

3.     You say, “Oh! This is exactly like having a severe headache and going to the doctor and the doctor says, ‘You have a headache? Great! Go down to the pharmacy and try each of the one thousand drugs we offer and then let me know which one works best…!’ We can continue on that pathway or, if you allow me to be your ‘physician,’ I can discuss your situation to enable an accurate diagnosis and a focused demo prescription.”

 

4.     You respond, “I’m presuming you don’t want to pay for capabilities that you don’t need. So instead of guessing and likely wasting your time and mine let’s invest a few minutes to discuss your actual needs. The demo can then focus specifically on those capabilities.”

 

5.     You offer, “If I were a surgeon, would you want me to grab a scalpel and open you up or would you prefer that I ask a few questions first?”

 

6.     You counter, “Imagine you just sat down for a meal in a nice restaurant and I’m your waiter. Should I simply guess what you want to eat and start bringing out dishes or would you want me to offer you a menu?”

 

(“And while you’re waiting, we’ll play music and try to guess what music you like. Let’s start with heavy metal/baroque/pure percussion/Grateful Dead ‘space’ etc.”)

 

7.     (My favorite!) You say, “Fine…” and move (gently but firmly) into a Vision Generation Demo that satisfies your prospect’s desire to “see what’s possible” while moving delightfully into a discovery conversation. (See Chapter 11 in Great Demo!)

 

And we can use The Menu Approach to focus on the topics of highest interest for your prospect (also in Chapter 11 in Great Demo!)!

 

Any other ideas to suggest?

Webinar Recording – This Was a Good One: Seven Validated Habits for Stunningly Successful Demos!

 

You can find the recording here! 

 

“You've prepared, you've practiced, you've poured your heart into your demo... and still, no sale. What gives? Peter Cohan, author of Great Demo! and Doing Discovery has analyzed thousands of demos to answer this specific question.

 

Peter revealed the seven data-based success factors that turn ordinary demos into deal-closing machines.

 

If you joined us for Peter’s previous webinar on Successful Discovery, you already know he’s all about delivering practical tips you can start using right away. 

 

You'll learn:

 

·      The common pitfalls of traditional demos.

·      How to craft demos that speak directly to your prospect's needs and vision.

·      Seven essential habits that drive demo success.

·      Actionable techniques you can apply to your very next demo - instantly.

 

Let’s turn your prospects’ “maybe” into a definite “yes” 👍 – You’ll find the recording here!”

Stunningly Awful Demos – The Painful Irrelevance of Setup Mode

 

Stunningly Awful Demos – The Painful Irrelevance of Setup Mode

Or

How to Make Your Software Look Complicated, Confusing, Overwhelming, and Expensive

Or

How Setup Mode Is Destroying Your Demos!

 

A Never Stop Learning! Article

 

Vendor: “Programming this system is so simple a six-year-old could do it!”

Prospect: “Great: Find me a six-year-old!”

 

What’s in This Article for You?

 

-       An Astonishing Demo

-       A Few Thought-Provoking Questions

-       What Is Setup Mode?

-       Monday Morning

 

An Astonishing Demo

 

I watched a ninety-minute recorded demo and noted two rather astonishing things:

 

Astonishing Thing Number One:  

 

Approximately half of the demo was consumed by setup and configuration items, including setting up the environment, configuring the application, creating and editing templates, forms, reports, dashboards, etc.

 

This wasn’t astonishing on its own, perhaps, until…

 

Astonishing Thing Number Two:  

 

At the end of all this setup activity the vendor said proudly, “Of course, you won’t have to do any of this. We take care of it during implementation. It’s all done by our Professional Services team…”

 

Wait. What did you say?

 

You just spent forty-five minutes showing stuff your prospect will never need to use?  (Enter your choice of an appropriate exclamation of surprise and astonishment here ______.)

 

But wait, there’s more: A bonus Astonishing Thing!

 

(And you’ll find the answer here – enjoy!)