Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Demos and Cooking Shows Part 4: “We Eat with Our Eyes First”

  

Compare: a blob of stew plopped onto a plate vs that same preparation ladled carefully into a large, artistic bowl, sprinkled with snipped greens, and framed with a graceful garnish. Which looks more appetizing to you?

 

In nice restaurants, a dish is plated carefully to make it look as delicious and appetizing as possible, and the waiter “sells” it when they present it to the customer. “Madame, here you have your free-range, organic, macro-chaotic, non-GMO young salad greens; they were grown in our own special garden, nurtured daily with lute music and gentle leaf massages; lovingly and tenderly selected and picked moments ago, and washed in pure Tahitian rainwater. Enjoy!”

 

The waiter is making the dish look and sound as delicious as possible. We can (and should!) similarly “sell” the key screens and deliverables in our software demos to make them appear as appealing and valuable as possible. We do this by communicating three ideas:

 

1.     “What” your audience is seeing in the screen: Describe it!

2.     “How” it enables your audience to solve their business problems: Make the connection!

3.     “How Much” value it can deliver for your audience: Make it tangible!

 

“We eat with our eyes first.”

 – Apicius

 

Make your demos yum!

 

You’ll find many more pragmatic tips and practices in Great Demo!

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