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.