EN 
ES 
“Get to the point…!”
– Nearly Every Executive Exasperated by Traditional Salespeople
What’s in This Article for You?
- A Real-life Story of Transformation
- Who Is an Executive?
- Demos for Executives
- Two More Tips
You’ve completed discovery with your prospect’s executive and team, and now it’s time for the demo. What do they want to see?
A Real-life Story
“Walk a mile in your prospects’ shoes…!”
Earlier in my career when I was growing a sizeable business, we needed to implement a CRM system, and vendors were invited to present their offerings. Of the five vendors solicited, only two held any discovery conversations, and all five requested two-hour slots for demos with my evaluation team of eight people. Our experience was not a positive one, but it was transformational!
Imagine going to a restaurant and:
- The waiter presents a fifteen-minute PowerPoint presentation on their founding, history, revenues, team, kitchen equipment, inventory, along with a list of their favorite customers.
- The waiter takes you on a tour of their kitchen, showing you the various food prep stations while emphasizing their approach to portion control and plate layout.
- You return to your table, but the waiter never offers you a menu! Instead, they bring out dish after dish, asking each time, “What do you think of this?” or “Can you see yourself eating these?” and “How do you cook this currently?”
- After enduring this for two hours, you never get to eat what you’d really wanted, despite being presented with dozens of unwanted dishes. Finally, you leave the restaurant, angry and still hungry!
That’s not a particularly pleasant dining experience. Well, each vendor followed that same approach in their demo meetings with us:
- They inflicted lengthy corporate overview presentations upon us.
- Their demos were long, step-by-step, linear explorations of their offerings, with many side excursions into details that we neither cared about nor remembered!
- And none of them showed the key deliverables that we needed and that I as the executive required from their offerings!
After suffering through these five demos (that’s ten hours overall), I gathered the team together and asked them what they thought about the experience:
“Awful!”
“Boring!”
“Terrible!”
“They never showed us what we need!”
“Everything looked complicated and confusing!”
“These systems have way more than we need!”
“Mind-numbing!”
I said, “Folks, I have bad news: We’ve been doing the same thing to our prospects!” I continued, “We need to make two major changes to our processes:
- First, we need to approach discovery from the perspective of what our prospect needs us to know before we propose any ‘solutions’, and
- We need to turn our demos upside down and get to the point: We need to ‘Do the Last Thing First.’”
Over the next few years, we applied these ideas in day-to-day use. Dozens of discovery conversations and demos went into testing, correcting, improving, and hardening these new methodologies.
What was the result? Transformation to a dramatically improved level of practice!
We began to see prospects who made purchasing decisions during discovery, and demo practices that reduced the length and number of demos yet resulted in more closed business. More recently, the Great Demo! methodology was validated in studies of tens of thousands of demos.
It was a remarkable journey, kicked off by a sales executive who found himself in the role of a prospect!
Who Is an Executive?
“The higher you go, the clearer the measurements of success!”
A very simple and effective definition can be found in the terms “Above the Line” and “Below the Line.” Executives are Above the Line and have the power and authority to buy (or manage a buying committee). Many middle managers may claim that they “make the buying decision,” but when you peel back the layers, they don’t control the budget and are only making a recommendation to a superior.
In companies with a U.S. organizational structure, executives typically include the C-Suite, Senior Vice Presidents, and Vice Presidents, although VPs may have restrictions on spending depending on the company. Directors, Senior Managers, and almost everyone else do not have the power and authority to buy. They are not executives: They are Below the Line.
Executives generally both define and allocate budgets within their portions of the organization. Many executives also have a discretionary budget reserved to take advantage of opportunities or deal with emergencies. Managers who are Below the Line can request and sometimes spend budget, but don’t typically define budgets.
Most executives have very straightforward objectives, representing the overall objectives for their part of the operation. For example:
- CEO: Achieve their profit and/or growth objectives
- CRO: Achieve the target revenues
- COO: Produce and deliver products on time, on spec, and within budget
- CFO: Control and manage costs to meet the bottom-line objectives
- Head of Development: Complete product launches and releases on time, on spec, and within budget
Everyone below executives typically has a piece of the overall objective. For example, regional sales managers are responsible for revenues coming from their region, but not the number summed across all the regions.
Finally, many executives set the vision for their teams. For example, listen to your CEO or CRO at your upcoming sales kickoff meeting: I’ll bet they articulate their vision for the future!
Generalization Disclaimer!
“For every generalization, there are meaningful exceptions…!”
– Me
Executives are people (in theory) and, accordingly, may exhibit different attributes than are described in this article. Caveat emptor!
Demos for Executives
Six Minutes
This is where “Get to the Point!” really applies! Executives want to see the key deliverables (typically dashboards, reports, and similar vehicles) that they need to run their businesses. They don’t want to see long workflows or processes, and they definitely don’t want to see how to set up or administer the system.
Think in terms of six minutes for an executive “chunk.” That’s sufficient time to present a Great Demo! Situation Slide, share a few key Illustrations, show a Do It pathway, and summarize.
Inverted Pyramid
Be sure to apply the Inverted Pyramid approach when presenting demos (or anything!) to executives. Start with the items that are most important to that executive: “Do the Last Thing First!” Test to see how deep the executive wants to go. Think short and sweet: Encrispen your demo!
Mixed Audience?
Avoid doing the “Hat Dance!” That’s where the vendor tries to incorporate multiple prospect roles in the demo by changing “hats” every few minutes. “Now I’m Acer in accounting and I pass the order to Sheryl in shipping, but first it must be approved by Opal the operations manager…”
Start with the executive and complete what they need to see. Confirm that they are satisfied before moving on.
Stories in Demos
Contrary to some schools of thought, I don’t recommend starting your demo with a long, “limbic-oriented” story or the tale of your personal history. These tend to annoy executives who’d prefer that you get to the point.
Well-crafted stories that encapsulate key features or important ideas are extremely useful, however. See the “Storytelling” chapter in Great Demo! for details on how to create and use metaphors, analogies, and stories in your demos.
And for a delightful example…
A Hero Story
Here’s a wonderful tip from Natasja Bax (who leads the Great Demo! & Doing Discovery team in EMEA): She noted that presenting a Great Demo! Situation Slide tells a simple, but very effective hero story!
The hero (the prospect executive) is facing a major challenge (their Critical Business Issue). As the hero embarks on their journey, they encounter numerous tasks and trials (their Problems/Reasons). While seeking solutions, the hero meets a mentor (the vendor) who provides tools and guides the transformation (the Specific Capabilities needed) which must be completed within a limited timeframe (the Critical Date). As the hero implements these solutions successfully, they are transformed and enjoy the associated rewards (the Delta)!
Executive’s Questions
In Great Demo! I introduce three types of questions:
- Great Questions, which should be answered right away
- Good Questions, which should be parked for later
- Stupid Questions, which should also be parked for later
By definition, all executives’ questions are Great Questions!
Let ‘Em Go
Once satisfied, many executives will choose to leave the meeting. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen or heard the following from the executive: “Folks, I’m comfortable with this as a solution.” They glance at their watch or phone and continue, “I’ve got another meeting I’m going to join now; go ahead and continue with the demo…”
What a delight! They’ve basically just said, “You’ve got the order (unless you screw this up somehow…)!”
“Oh, I’m Nobody…” A True Story
A few years ago, I was delivering a face-to-face demo to a prospect team consisting of several middle managers and their team members. About twenty minutes into the session a woman came into the room. I noticed that the prospect team all turned, glanced toward the new entrant, and suddenly appeared more attentive.
Intrigued, I said to the new arrival, “Hi, I’m Peter Cohan, and you are…?”
She said, “Oh, I’m nobody, just continue…”
I thought, “The reaction from the rest of the room makes it seem like you are certainly somebody important!” I said, “Can I please ask what you do: What’s your job title?”
She responded, “Well, I’m the CEO.” The balance of the prospect team was smiling and sharing quiet comments amongst themselves.
I said, “Terrific, and welcome!” and provided a crisp summary of what we’d covered that was relevant for the CEO. She asked a few questions, nodded her head, and then took a seat in the rear of the room. About ten minutes later she left, quietly giving me a “thumbs up” and a smile!
Yes, we got the order, and that customer became one of the longest-term customers I’ve experienced.
The moral? Don’t assume that someone who comes into a meeting late isn’t worth any attention. Always ask the three questions:
- What’s your name?
- What’s your job title?
- What would you like to achieve in this meeting?
Let the Executive Drive!
“Now this is different…!”
If the prospect executive is also your champion, consider letting them drive a small portion of the demo.
Wait, what?
What if they make a mistake or click on the wrong thing? Reduce the risk with a brief dry run ahead of time. When your prospect executive drives the demo or part of it, three fabulous advantages are gained:
- The rest of the audience sees first-hand that even their senior management can run the software successfully, proving ease of use. It is quite compelling!
- The prospect team sees a much stronger level of proof than when you the vendor drive. The sense of reality is deeper and there is less perceived “smoke and mirrors.”
- The demo becomes truly remarkable: Your prospect definitely will remember this demo…! “You should have seen the demo today. Bob drove and it was really cool!” The result can generate a very positive word-of-mouth effect that ripples through your prospect’s organization.
Post Demo
“Hope is not a strategy!”
Most executives will not allow you to consume their team’s time in a demo, particularly a long demo unless they are serious about your solution. Accordingly, a terrific practice is to establish a Mutual Action Plan prior to the demo (you’ll find more details on Mutual Action Plans in Doing Discovery, in the “Wrap Up” section on page 136). This plan should define the next steps on their buying journey.
Bear in mind that even executives may find it hard to say “No” and terminate a buying process with you. Don’t be the poor vendor in Part 1 of A Prospect’s Tale!
Two More Tips
Uncontrolled Vocabulary?
“And we offer the highest degree of allowlisting,” said the sales rep.
There were blank looks from the prospect executive and other players in the meeting, but no one said anything
“But wait: There’s more! Our system delivers near-real-time dynamic allowlisting!” announced the rep, triumphantly, clearly expecting a chorus of “oohs” and “aahs.”
Again, there was no response from the prospect team. In fact, most of them looked confused and the executive appeared distinctly annoyed. What was going on? It was a case of “Controlled” vs “Uncontrolled Vocabulary!”
Vendors who use acronyms and jargon that are meaningless to prospect executives are at risk! When all participants in a meeting share a common understanding of terms, it is “Controlled Vocabulary,” and precise communication can be enjoyed. “Uncontrolled Vocabulary” takes place when participants are unfamiliar with a word, phrase, or acronym.
Uncontrolled Vocabulary is mentally rejected by your audience. Even worse, Uncontrolled Vocabulary tends to annoy executives, as it positions them as uninformed or worse!
Guidance when working with executives?
- Ensure that you both share the same understanding of terminology.
- Identify and close any gaps.
- Use their terms whenever possible!
Here’s a fun example of wildly uncontrolled vocabulary – enjoy!
Executives Are People, Too
Many years ago, when I was studying organic chemistry at university, I realized I didn’t fully understand the mechanics of a certain reaction (specifically SN2). My professor, Dr. Charles Perrin, terrified me and many of my classmates, appearing to us as unattainably majestic, knowledgeable, and sharp-witted.
I entered Urey Hall to take advantage of his office hours and felt my heart pounding in my chest as I approached his door. I knocked and I heard his voice say, “Enter…!” As I stepped over the threshold, he rose from behind his desk, came around it, smiled, and reached out his hand, saying, “Relax, I’m human…!”
Fifteen minutes later I had learned two lessons:
First, I had gained a (reasonably) solid understanding of SN2 reaction mechanics (and still have a basic grasp of the topic). Second, I realized that despite someone’s exalted position, they are still human!
There’s a postscript to this story: Later that same year, our university orchestra and choir were performing Mozart’s The Magic Flute. As the second trumpet, I was near the rear of the orchestra on the stage, but I could plainly see Dr. Perrin in the front row of the audience, with members of his family. As we finished the performance, I believe I saw him glance my way and smile!
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To learn the methods introduced above, consider enrolling in a Great Demo! Doing Discovery or Demonstration Skills Workshop. For more demo and discovery tips, best practices, tools and techniques, explore our books, blog and articles on the Resources pages of our website at https://GreatDemo.com and join the Great Demo! & Doing Discovery LinkedIn Group to learn from others and share your experiences.