Level 1: Follows the Standard Demo Script
Most presales, sales, and customer success new hires go through basic training on their company’s products and systems, along with introductions to their go-to-market and sales process steps. For presales, customer success, and some salespeople, this includes learning the basic “standard” demo for each product they will represent.
Many organizations then test whether the new team member has mastered these standard demos through certification roleplays. That’s Level 1, which is often focused on ensuring that the employee understands the various capabilities in their software and relevant positioning.
These standard demos are generally structured in a linear flow that includes presenting navigation, setup and customization options, various workflows, and reporting (if time allows!). They are not optimized for any specific prospect or demo scenario, and they are definitely not focused on the interests of specific job titles or adjusted for any markets or verticals. Disturbingly, any relevant discovery information is ignored, as well!
These demos are commonly known as stunningly awful Harbor Tours.
They are woefully ineffective. They fail to inspire vision; they fail to achieve technical proof; they suffer deeply from Buying It Back; and they are the recipients of countless painful jokes from prospects, customers, and more experienced vendor teams.
Amusingly, they are celebrated by the competitors of the vendors who present these Harbor Tours!
Generally, (hopefully!) there is an expectation that vendor practitioners will only use these standard demos as a starting point. Unfortunately, many team members continue to follow these same unproductive demo pathways for years…! (Visualize a mass of lemmings marching unconcernedly towards a cliff.)
Measurement(s) for Achieving Level 1:
- “Certification” by a manager, certification team, mentor, or colleague.
Pros:
- Provides practitioners with an understanding of their software’s capabilities.
Cons:
- Joins the population of stunningly awful Harbor Tours!
- Unsuitable for Vision Generation.
- Unsuitable for achieving Technical Proof.
- Demos are generally a monologue.
- Unbelievingly boring!
- Suffers from severe Buying It Back.
Grade (for demos to most prospects): F
Want to improve? Choose the mechanism that works best for you!
Workshops, Seminars, and Webinars:
https://greatdemo.com/training/workshops/great-demo/
Books:
Great Demo! Third Edition:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9SNKC2Y/
And see “Origins of the Harbor Tour” in Suspending Disbelief for actual story!
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