“Any questions so far?” “Nope, we’re good…”
There are three parts to this level:
1. Assessing and managing the flow of questions.
2. Exploring the intent behind prospect questions.
3. Encouraging an actual conversation to take place!
Let’s start with number 3!
Vendor reps operating at skills Levels 1-5 all suffer from a high risk of vendor monologues. These reps are eager to pack as much info into their demos as time allows, which reduces or eliminates the possibility of prospect questions or feedback.
A classic indicator of monologue delivery is the following frequently repeated exchange:
“Any questions so far?”
“Nope, we’re good.”
“Peeling Back the Layers” in Great Demo! methodology is all about encouraging a productive, bidirectional conversation to take place. Prospects that actively participate in the demo, through inquiry and commentary, are much more engaged and are much more likely to retain the key ideas presented, particularly if it was their questions that drove the discussion!
OK, now that we are actively encouraging questions, let’s return to how to manage the flow.
Achieving the number 1 above is a dynamic process of determining, “Is this something I need to answer now, or should it be deferred until later?” The use of a questions Parking Lot is an indicator of successful question management. (See Chapter 8 in the Third Edition of Great Demo! for details on this process.)
Far too many demos are diverted in the first few minutes by prospect questions that drag the presenter into the weeds. Innumerable prospect executives have left demo meetings early because of lengthy, detailed explanations by vendor reps thrashing further into the underbrush!
I’d be an extremely rich person, monetarily, if I had a dollar for every time a vendor provided protracted paragraphs of answers to questions that only needed a crisp “Yes” response! (Please take up a collection for me.)
Number 2 above is exploring the why behind prospect questions. Is the question being asked in earnest vs a “I’m just curious?” Is it a “landmine” planted by a competitor? Does it represent the need for a “KO” capability vs a less important “nice to have” feature?
How many times have we heard a prospect ask, “Can your software do X?” and the vendor responds “Absolutely! Let me show you how this works…” or “No, but we have a workaround – here, I’ll show you…” without any reciprocal inquiry?
In both cases, the vendor missed an important opportunity to seek clarification.
“How important is this to you?”
“What prompted your question?”
“What is it you need to accomplish with this kind of capability?”
“How often would it be used?”
Prospect responses to these questions can make or break a demo. Skilled question management can keep you out of the weeds, enable you to identify and categorize prospect needs and wants, and address competitive threats while simultaneously encouraging the conversation.
The Level 6 practitioner manages and investigates prospect questions thoughtfully!
Measurement(s) for Achieving Level 6:
A) Achieves a Talk:Listen ratio of 50:50 or better (larger “Listen” numbers are better).
B) Applies Parking Lot principles.
C) Asks clarification questions.
Pros:
- Enables a true conversation to take place.
- Improves retention of key ideas.
- Uncovers and clarifies prospect issues not addressed in discovery.
Cons:
- May still be difficult to differentiate from competition.
- May still leave money on the table.
Grade: B+
Want a bit more? See “The Elegant Art of Managing Questions and Time”
https://greatdemo.com/the-elegant-art-of-managing-questions-and-time/
And see this for more on Informal Success Stories:
For the full methodologies, see:
Great Demo! Third Edition:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9SNKC2Y/
Doing Discovery:
https://www.amazon.com/Doing-Discovery-Important-Enablement-Processes/dp/B0B8RJK4C2/
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