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Why Specific Value Numbers Are MUCH More Compelling Than Platitudes
Compare the following exchanges: Scenario One: “If you use our product, you’ll save time and money…!” offers the vendor rep. “Blah blah blah blah ...
In Your Demos, When You Say “If…”
In your demos, when you say “if,” you are making a major error! When you say “If,” you are creating a branched pathway that ...
Planning an SKO But Can’t Afford $1000s for a Speaker?
Here’s a surprisingly effective alternative for $20-$60 per participant: Provide your team with copies of Great Demo!, Doing Discovery, and/or Suspending Disbelief! Sowing these ...
Aligning Your Communication of Value
“And if you use our tool,” said the salesperson, “you’ll save millions every year!” The response from the prospect team was indifferent, even quietly ...
I Have to Point This Out…!
Be aware of how you point in your face-to-face demos – you may not realize what you are communicating! On a Mediterranean island, I ...
SKOs, Volume Discounts, Book Club Support?
Signed copies for your SKO? Yes! Volume discounts? Yes! Book club support? Yes! Signed copies of Great Demo!, Doing Discovery, or Suspending Disbelief books are a great ...
What’s a Good Story?
Are You Telling Stories or Just Reciting Facts? Part 2: What’s a Good Story? “You need a search capability, we provide that capability ...
When I Hear People Talking about Their Gold Demo, I Cringe!
When I hear people talking about their gold demo, or bronze demo, or any other form of single “standard” demo, I cringe! Why? Because ...
“The Culture Map” – A Brain-Expanding Book!
I’m pretty well traveled and have been in customer-facing roles across the U.S., the UK, Continental Europe, Russia, parts of Asia and Latin America, ...
“I finally had a chance to read Suspending Disbelief by Peter Cohan and let me tell you, it’s 🔥”
“I thought I’d skim a story or two… but I couldn’t put it down.” “🚀 Just finished Suspending Disbelief by Peter Cohan… and it’s ...
Are You Telling Stories or Just Reciting Facts?
What’s the difference? Great stories get remembered and retold; Facts, on their own, just fade away and disappear! I first heard this ...
Intriguing Insights into RFPs and Scripted Demos
“There are two winners in every deal: the person who wins the deal and the first person out of it.” – Patrick McLoughlin What’s ...
AI Is Changing PROSPECT Expectations!
AI isn’t just impacting vendors; it’s also driving changes on the buyers’ side of the equation. For example, prospects today expect that vendors will ...
What is Situational Fluency?
“Situational fluency is the ability to accurately read and adapt to a specific situation, including understanding and responding to the needs and preferences of those ...
What Did You Learn…?
What did you learn yesterday? What are you learning today? What will you learn tomorrow? Want some tasty bitesize learning morsels? Sample our Blog ...
Type Two Fun and Storytelling
Of course, everyone knows the three types of fun: Type One Fun: It was fun while it was happening, and it is fun to ...
Whose Value Numbers Are Most Believable?
Whose value numbers are most believable? The vendor’s numbers? Hardly! Industry numbers? Believable, but generally not sufficiently specific. Other similar customers? Much better… Your ...
Using Storytelling in New and Unexpected Ways!
Storytelling is used today in many customer-facing interactions including introductory calls, discovery, demos, and in some tactical portions of those conversations, such as handling ...
An Abbreviated Cultural Translation Table
When shown a new software feature… An American will say, “Wow, that’s awesome!” A German will say, “Ja, well, it is adequate.” And ...
“Walk You Through Our Demo?”
Why do people always offer to “walk” me through a demo of their software? Frankly, I’d prefer to run! “Walking” implies a long, detailed, ...
Demonstration or Demolition?
There are only a few letters difference between a demonstration and demolition! Traditional approaches demolish demos by: Saving the best for last Showing how ...
What Is the DIKW Pyramid – Why Is It Important and Where Do You Sit?
Data Information Knowledge Wisdom “The DIKW pyramid is a framework for transforming raw data into actionable wisdom through four progressive stages: Data, the raw ...
What’s a Story? What’s a Good Story? What’s a Great Story?
Articulating pain, followed by a few features, and then a value statement is not a compelling story: it is simply an advantage or benefit ...
“I Got the Job!”
“I got the job!” she reported, triumphantly. She said, “I used the stories in ‘Suspending Disbelief’ to answer the interviewer’s questions – and after ...
The Important Difference Between Symptoms vs a Correct Diagnosis When Doing Discovery
Pain is often a symptom of a bigger issue: a Critical Business Issue. Here’s a true story related to me recently: A friend complained ...
Three Thoughts on a Tuesday Morning
I rarely learn while I’m talking… Knowledge is finite, ignorance infinite! Some people are wise, but not decisive; some people are decisive, ...
The First Demo Takes Advantage of the Anchoring Effect!
The anchoring effect applies to images as well as written or spoken content. The first version of a solution that a prospect sees biases ...