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How Chunking Improves Demos – Part 4: Ah… Refreshing!
“Success is a science; if you have the conditions, you get the result.” – Oscar Wilde The typical adult human can pay attention for ...
How Chunking Improves Demos – Part 3: Losing Attention!
“A college professor is someone who talks in someone else’s sleep.” The typical adult human can only pay attention for about ten minutes… ...
How Chunking Improves Demos – Part 2: Short Chunks and Pauses!
Does time play an important role in chunking? “You can have it all. Just not all at once.” – Oprah Winfrey Just ...
How Chunking Improves Demos
Bitesize Bits Are Better: Here’s Your First! “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” – Herbert A. Simon Read this ...
Do You Read as Much as You Post?
“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” – Epictetus Here’s an intriguing ...
Dealing with “Just Show Me a Demo?” Seven Methods to Move into Discovery
Far too often, prospects demand, “Just show me a demo…!” when we know the correct approach is to invest, mutually, in a discovery conversation. But ...
Expansion Questions – An Essential Discovery Skill
Your prospect admits, “It’s a manual process.” You reply, “Does it typically go smoothly? What happens when someone is on vacation?” “It’s a mess! ...
Suspending Disbelief: “Short Stories, Big Lessons”
You can learn the hard way or… “I’ve been a longtime fan of Peter Cohan, and Suspending Disbelief did not disappoint. He’s one of ...
Four Stages of Competence in Discovery
Where are you and your team? For example, are you aware of and apply the following skills? Ranging Probes Expansion Questions Biased Questions Provocative ...
Presales: What’s Your Cultural Ecotone?
“An ecotone is a transition area between two biological communities, where two communities meet and integrate.“ Picture this: A pelican crashes into the ocean ...
Presales Rising Star?
Whether you are in your first month, first year, or first decade, if you are pursuing best practices or establishing new ones you are ...
Buying It Back: Some Good News!
“What they don’t see won’t hurt you!” There’s a remarkable difference between software and physical products: In software demos, unwanted or unnecessary features can ...
Are You Buying It Back? An Analogy!
You are in a restaurant and ask for a glass of wine. Your waiter brings the glass and a full bottle of wine to ...
How Do You Know When You’re Buying It Back?
If you’ve ever heard these objections, you were probably Buying It Back: “We don’t want the Cadillac; we just need a Chevy!” “It’s way ...
Are You Buying It Back?
“We’re gonna need a big discount…” declared the prospect. “What? Why?” reacted the salesperson, clearly surprised. “In the demo, you showed us a lot ...
The Man Who Does Not Read Good Books…
“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.” — Mark Twain
Pilots, Vendors, and Discovery
Pilots are directed to consume “all available” weather information prior to making a go/no go (flying) decision. Vendors should have the same requirement prior ...
The Role of Sales in Great Demos – Part 3
Today we finish our Goldilocks story with the second half of “just right!” Delivering demos should be perceived as a “team sport” when two ...
The Role of Sales in Great Demos – Part 2
Yesterday’s post was the first half of a Goldilocks story: Too little, too much. Today we enjoy “just right!” Salespeople have a specific ...
The Role of Sales in Great Demos – Part 1
Regarding the role of sales in demos, here’s what NOT to do: Nothing. Way too much. Far too many salespeople contribute far too little ...
Qualification vs Discovery: What’s the Difference?
Qualification is done for the vendor’s benefit only; Discovery is done for the benefit of both parties. Qualification is about establishing boundaries; Discovery ...
What Does Superior Discovery Deliver?
Vendors who perform superior discovery enjoy… With Prospects: Timely Decisions Precise Demos Better Product Fit Closing Doors to Competitors Positive Differentiation Accurate Proposals Expanded ...
What Does Insufficient Discovery Yield?
Insufficient discovery causes: Delayed Decisions No Decisions Unwarranted Discounting “Buying It Back” Slowed Sales Cycles Wasted Sales Cycles Harbor Tour Demos Stunningly Awful Demos ...
How Much Discovery Is Enough?
Vendors constantly struggle to answer this question – so let’s address it! How much discovery is enough? Is it… When you have a qualified ...
Software Demos by Musicians: Musicians Have an Advantage!
Why? Musicians understand dynamics (louds and softs). They know when and how to drop their voice to a whisper or deliver a forceful phrase. ...
Using AI to Annoy Prospects?
AI personalizes but often without correct context. I can’t tell you how many LinkedIn messages I get that are “personalized” but ignore key information. ...