The Role of Sales in Great Demos – Part 3

Today we finish our Goldilocks story with the second half of “just right!”

 

Delivering demos should be perceived as a “team sport” when two or more people are involved on the vendor’s side. These players will typically include a salesperson (in ultimate control and with the ultimate responsibility for preparation and success of the demo) and one or more technical players, generally the person most likely to “drive” the software (presales, customer success, marketing).

 

Here’s the second half of the Role of Sales in Great Demos:

 

5.     Business Value: Far too often, demo presenters discuss “what” their software does and elaborate on “how” it works but neglect to communicate “why” it is important – they miss communicating the business value. Sales needs to include this element idea in both interim and final summaries.

 

6.     Rescues: Sales should be prepared to “rescue” the demo presenter, when needed (e.g., bugs, crashes, getting lost in the weeds, parking questions, etc.).

 

7.     Intermediate Summaries: Sales should be ready to deliver summaries after each major “chunk,” if the demo presenter does not. Doing so also gives the presenter a breather!

 

8.     Final Summary: The salesperson should deliver the final summary, including a review of the questions asked, answers provided, action items to be pursued (for both the vendor and the customer), and discussion of the Mutual Action Plan.

 

9.     Follow Up: The salesperson needs to track on the action items and Mutual Action Plan steps, communicating with the prospect as well as the vendor team.

 

Discover, communicate, plan, prep, deliver, and follow up!

 

 

And here are resources for improvement: 

 

-       Situation Slides: A Swiss Army Knife for Sales and Presales

https://greatdemo.com/situation-slides-sales-and-presales-swiss-army-knife/

 

-       Doing Discovery 

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

 

-       Illustrations

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

 

-       Vision Generation Demos

Great Demo! Third Edition Chapter 11

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

 

-       Managing Questions

https://greatdemo.com/the-elegant-art-of-managing-questions-and-time/

 

-       Business Value

https://greatdemo.com/lets-talk-about-value-uncovering-the-delta/

 

-       Storytelling

https://tinyurl.com/yc7rsrmy 

 

-       All of the Above

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

The Role of Sales in Great Demos – Part 2

 

Yesterday’s post was the first half of a Goldilocks story: Too little, too much.

Today we enjoy “just right!”

 

Salespeople have a specific and carefully choreographed role in demos when following the Great Demo! methodology. Here are some of the key ideas:

 

0.     Before the demo: Ensure that sufficient discovery information has been uncovered and communicated to the balance of the team and especially to the person presenting the demo, along with the other pre-demo information on players, timing, location, etc.

 

This includes agreeing on what should be shown and what should not be shown in the demo!

 

1.     Introductions: Sales should ask or confirm the Three Questions (What is your name? What is your job title? What would you like to accomplish in our demo today?).

 

2.     Situation Slides: Sales should present the Situation Slide(s).

 

3.     Illustrations: Not required, but highly recommended! The best salespeople can competently and confidently present Illustrations. This also enables them to deliver Vision Generation demos, as well (without the need for another vendor resource to be present). 

 

4.     Questions: Sales should field and park questions, as appropriate. Salespeople should also be tracking what was asked and answered, so that they can be properly prepared for the Final Summary. Sales may also need to gently step in and ask clarification questions, before other vendor team members head off into the weeds…!

 

That’s just half of the list – see Part 3 tomorrow for the balance!

 

 

And here are resources for improvement: 

 

-       Situation Slides: A Swiss Army Knife for Sales and Presales

https://greatdemo.com/situation-slides-sales-and-presales-swiss-army-knife/

 

-       Doing Discovery 

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

 

-       Illustrations

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

 

-       Vision Generation Demos

Great Demo! Third Edition Chapter 11

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

 

-       Managing Questions

https://greatdemo.com/the-elegant-art-of-managing-questions-and-time/

 

-       Business Value

https://greatdemo.com/lets-talk-about-value-uncovering-the-delta/

 

-       Storytelling

https://tinyurl.com/yc7rsrmy 

 

-       All of the Above

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

The Role of Sales in Great Demos – Part 1

 

Regarding the role of sales in demos, here’s what NOT to do:

 

1.     Nothing.

2.     Way too much.

 

Far too many salespeople contribute far too little – or far too much – in demos with their team members. They handle introductions (often too limited), inflict corporate overview presentations on their prospects, then apparently disappear during the actual demo, only to magically reappear for the final few minutes of “next steps” discussions. Others feel an urge to “pile on,” adding unnecessary comments in an effort to reinforce the presenter’s statements.

 

Here’s a “don’t” list to get you started:

 

0.         Before the demo: Communicate little or no discovery information to the balance of the team. Just say, “Show them the standard demo…”

 

1.         Do detailed introductions of the vendor’s team, but nothing about the prospect.

 

2.         Present a corporate overview presentation that is longer than one slide or one minute.

 

3.         Check out while the demo is underway.

 

4.         Tell the presenter to show “that really cool thing…”

 

5.         Pile on (adding an additional answer to every question already answered by someone else). For a really amusing experience, get two salespeople who naturally pile on in a demo and watch them try to out-do the other. Great fun, if you have no desire to win the business…

 

Pursuing these pitiful practices earns vendor reps placement on the Sales Prevention Team!

 

Any to add to this list?

 

And here are resources for improvement: 

 

-       Situation Slides: A Swiss Army Knife for Sales and Presales

https://greatdemo.com/situation-slides-sales-and-presales-swiss-army-knife/

 

-       Doing Discovery 

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

 

-       Illustrations

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

 

-       Vision Generation Demos

Great Demo! Third Edition Chapter 11

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

 

-       Managing Questions

https://greatdemo.com/the-elegant-art-of-managing-questions-and-time/

 

-       Business Value

https://greatdemo.com/lets-talk-about-value-uncovering-the-delta/

 

-       Storytelling

https://tinyurl.com/yc7rsrmy 

 

-       All of the Above

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

Qualification vs Discovery: What’s the Difference?

Qualification is done for the vendor’s benefit only;

Discovery is done for the benefit of both parties.

 

Qualification is about establishing boundaries;

Discovery is about broad exploration.

 

Qualification is mostly limited to closed probes with “Yes” or “No” answers;

Discovery expands investigation through open probes, yielding detail and nuance.

 

Qualification provides zero value to the prospect;

Discovery provides value to both parties.

 

Qualification is an interrogation;

Discovery is a bidirectional conversation.

 

BANT is an example of qualification:

Is there a budget? 

Are you the decision-maker?

Do you have a defined set of needs?

Do you have a timeline?

 

The Doing Discovery methodology is a highly successful example of discovery, embracing:

Opening

•       About you

•       Demographics

•       Company

•       Team

•       Workflows/processes

Environment

•       Physical

•       Technical/Infrastructural

•       Know-how

Major Pain

•       Workflow Analysis

•       Do well

•       Do better

•       Quantify

•       Vision Generation and Reengineering

•       Specific Capabilities

Extended Environment

•       Adjacent

•       Impacted

Related Pain(s)

•       Do well

•       Do better

•       Quantify

•       Vision Generation and Reengineering

•       Specific Capabilities

Culture

•       Uniqueness

•       Implementation

•       Adoption

Wrap-up

•       Getting worse, Do nothing

•       Timing – VREs

•       Drivers (CBIs)

•       Final open-ended 

•       Mutual action plan

 

Pro tip: For complex solutions, buyers want to be discovered.

 

And here’s how!

 

The ground-breaking Doing Discovery book:

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

 

The upcoming Doing Discovery Semi-Private Workshop 

(June 3-5):

https://your.greatdemo.com/course/doing-discovery-ilt 

What Does Superior Discovery Deliver?

Vendors who perform superior discovery enjoy…

 

With Prospects:

 

-       Timely Decisions

-       Precise Demos

-       Better Product Fit

-       Closing Doors to Competitors

-       Positive Differentiation

-       Accurate Proposals

-       Expanded Opportunities

-       “Found” Money

-       Reduced Discounting 

-       Grateful Champions

-       Living in the “Land of Science”

-       More Accurate Forecasts and Pipelines

-       More Predictable Sales and Buying Cycles

 

With Customers:

 

-       Happier customers

-       Referenceable customers

-       Referencing customers

-       Customer UGM Presentations

-       Renewing customers

-       Expanding customers

-       Vendors as Partners

-       Customer Success vs. “Customer Rescue”

-       Reduced Churn

-       Success Lanes Feedback

-       Realization of CLV (Customer Lifetime Value)

 

Any more to add?

 

Which are your top three?

 

And here’s how to do superior discovery!

 

The ground-breaking Doing Discovery book:

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

 

The upcoming Doing Discovery Semi-Private Workshop 

(June 3-5):

https://your.greatdemo.com/course/doing-discovery-ilt