It was a warm summer day in Atlanta, Georgia as I walked from the IBM parking garage off Peachtree Street to the IBM Tower. I had my laptop, documentation, implementation manuals and my prospect’s requirements list. I had spent several days with the prospect to learn all about their business structure and processes. I knew the names and personalities of almost everyone that would be attending the demonstration. Best of all, I knew where our software would score a home run and where I could expect to strike-out.
During the next two days, my teammate and I joined hands with our prospect and led them through our software by demonstrating to them how they would improve their individual jobs and their overall corporate operations by using our software. Sure there were a few rough parts but we recovered from them quickly because we were already prepared to attend to our shortcomings.
Eventually, we were awarded the business, and the customer later grew with our software to become one of the best known industrial wholesale distributors in the United States. Our successful demonstration was a clear factor in our success.
This demonstration became a turning point for me, and shortly after I began to analyze demonstrations. Why are some demonstrations successful while others fail? How is it that you can finish a demonstration and be told by the prospect “it went fine,” only to be told later that you lost the business to a competitor who performed a better demonstration? What is it that makes one demonstrator perform better than almost anyone else you know? It is these questions and more that you will find answered in this book.
During the eighteen years that I have sold software, I have provided or witnessed hundreds of demonstrations. Over the years I have been amazed at how inconsistent and non-compelling demonstrations can be. While there are some excellent training programs that focus on demonstration techniques, very few of them provide a complete picture of what is necessary to succeed in this endeavor. Why is that? One common belief is that the demonstration of complex software is an art rather than a science. I find that thought preposterous!
No, demonstrating software is not for everyone. And, yes, there will always be demonstration gurus who have a natural talent for wooing an audience. They just seem to feel their way through a demonstration. They know precisely what to say, to whom, how and when. They are naturally smooth. I do not happen to be one of those people. For me, it has been a long process, filled with “demonstration crimes,” blown sales opportunities and disappointed prospects. I am not a natural salesperson, nor am I an unusually quick learner. So, what is my secret?
I tend to be analytical. I have learned from professional presenters that whenever a speaker or presenter is in front of you, always make note of their presentation techniques. In particular note the things you think they do right and copy them. In this book I provide you with a compilation of the best techniques I have learned over the years so that you can produce truly effective demonstrations...
