Why the perfect demo is a failure
One-way communication demo
Getting a potential customer to have a meeting for a demo is already an achievement.
Then in many cases the opportunity is being spoiled by turning out the standard presentation and the standard run through the solution.
The demo will explain the many functions and features but not specifically focusing or addressing on the problems or issues of the potential customer.
The demo can be perfect but is likely to miss the goal completely as you or your pre-sales engineer are mainly talking: a one-way communication like an advertisement.
A meeting should be a conversation
Between the handing over of the business cards, the initial small talk or chitchat and the actual presentation, one or more questions should be posed to find out what the issues or points of interest are.
The appointment of the meeting has been set-up with one person but normally he will have invited at least one or two colleagues to be in the meeting.
The drivers of the invited people can be quite different than your main contact.
Thus each person participating in the meeting should be somehow inquired about:
- Why he is attending the meeting
- What his requirements and needs are
- What problems or issues he has
- What’s a feasible solution for the company
- What’s an affordable solution for the company
For a start you can boldly ask:
- What their problems are.
Or less harsh by asking for:
- The possible improvements
- What is missing in the current solution(s)
- What is the goal of the demo meeting
- If they have seen previously other solutions
- Where or how they know your company or product from
The hierarchy problem
One of the problems is that the person who has agreed for the appointment and has set-up the meeting will probably answer all the questions and explain his views as he is probably in charge of the project and the people in the meeting.
However the problem might be broader and more complex or have different reasons or origins. Receiving just one point of view contains the risk of not getting the whole picture.
Your problem is to engage the others to add their view or explain other problems.
This can be achieved by carefully observing the people in the meeting for any reaction and after the leading person has had his say, address to the other persons with the continuity question:
- You wanted to add something
- What’s your point of view?
- What other issues did you encounter?
- What similar issues did you encounter?
If you don’t succeed in getting any response which can be for reasons of hierarchy, then the coffee break is the next best opportunity to find out. Although coffee breaks might seem a waste of time, they can be the opportunity in finding out about other problems, issues and drivers.
Maybe you won’t be able to find out as you are occupied with the main person, but your pre-sales engineer could get valuable information from the accompanying engineer or manager.
The goal of a meeting with a demo is not so much the demo itself, but the conversation. Without a real conversation your demo, as perfect it was, was a failure.
How perfect are your demo’s ?
