Demo Don’t #5  Pack as Many Features and Functions into Your Demo as Possible: “And another thing you can do is…” - Great Demo

Demo Don’t #5  Pack as Many Features and Functions into Your Demo as Possible: “And another thing you can do is…”

Want to make your software appear as confusing and complicated as possible? Want more ways to bore and torture your audience? Want to help your prospect negotiate a price reduction for your software by “Buying It Back?”

It’s easy! Show as many features as you possibly can.

A simple way to achieve these negative results is to present your demo as if you are doing product training: “Let me show you how to do this, and that, and this other thing…” To really inflict pain, make sure to show and explain all the menu options, tabs, navigation tools, and configuration and setup options.

Be sure to include all the “if”, “or” and “also” cases for each option. These simple steps will yield a Stunningly Awful Demo!

Use “loopbacks” to further confuse and complicate: “Remember when I started that order process earlier in the demo?” (The prospect thinks, “Um, not really…”) “Well,” says the vendor, “now I’ll return to that order and show you several workflows to process it…”

Use as many “hats” (personas) as you can: “Now I’m Mary Manager approving the order that was generated by Steven Staffer a moment ago, but I’ll also show you how Elizabeth Executive can have Corey Controller put a hold on payment through Amy Accounting, and if Isabel Inventory can’t find the item she can alert Prentiss Procurement to restock, while Rachel Receiving is queued to watch for delivery, etc.” Your demo will have more characters than a Jane Austen novel!

Solution? Focus on the Specific Capabilities and deliverables you identified in discovery and use the fewest number of steps to complete each workflow or segment. Stay in “You Mode” throughout.

 

This is #5 of The Stunningly Awful Demos Top Ten List – you can find all ten (plus a bonus) here!

https://greatdemo.com/stunningly-awful-demos-top-ten-list-of-demo-donts/

You can find the full set of DO’s and DON’Ts in Great Demo!: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9SNKC2Y/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1688763837&sr=1-4

 

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