{"id":27293,"date":"2021-10-05T11:28:28","date_gmt":"2021-10-05T18:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/?p=27293"},"modified":"2023-01-27T22:37:01","modified_gmt":"2023-01-27T22:37:01","slug":"una-cena-como-analogia-para-descubrir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/a-dinner-party-as-an-analogy-for-discovery\/","title":{"rendered":"Una cena como analog\u00eda del descubrimiento"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019ve invited a large number of friends and colleagues over for a dinner party \u2013 how do you prepare?\u00a0 As you begin planning for your party, you realize that it\u2019s a big job and you want to make sure the party is a success \u2013 so you engage a professional Party Planner.<\/p>\n<p>The process the Party Planner follows and questions asked provide a surprisingly good example for doing discovery in a software sales process.\u00a0 Before reading on, think about the questions you would ask if <em>you<\/em> were the Party Planner \u2013 this is an excellent exercise in practicing discovery.\u00a0 And, by rewriting the questions, you can use this as a \u201cstarter\u201d template for your own discovery conversations.<\/p>\n<p>[Disclaimer:\u00a0 I am <em>not<\/em> a professional Party Planner and, accordingly, quite likely have missed some important questions and topics to explore.\u00a0 If you use these questions and your party is a disaster, I\u2019m very sorry \u2013 and I\u2019m glad I wasn\u2019t invited\u2026!]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Party Planning<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Here are example questions your Party Planner would expect to ask of the you, the Host:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What is the objective for this dinner? Is it to simply have an enjoyable evening and\/or are you looking to develop or extend relationships, for example?<\/li>\n<li>Is it a specific celebration of some kind (birthday, anniversary, successful end-of-quarter)?<\/li>\n<li>How should this event compare with events you have previously attended?<\/li>\n<li>Are you operating under a specific budget?<\/li>\n<li>What level of formality\/informality do you have in mind? Is this a casual gathering, business-casual, or formal dinner?<\/li>\n<li>Will there be a \u201ctheme\u201d for the event?<\/li>\n<li>Where should the dinner be held? Will it take place at your home or another facility?<\/li>\n<li>Should it be catered or will you do all of the preparations \u2013 or perhaps a potluck is the plan?<\/li>\n<li>Will the venue need to be prepared? If it takes place at your home, how much cleaning and clearing of the daily debris is needed?<\/li>\n<li>Are you contemplating a picnic, with (compostable) tableware or a sit-down meal? Should you use your \u201cdaily\u201d service or break out your \u201cformal best\u201d?\u00a0 Do you have enough?<\/li>\n<li>Will you do the venue and food preparation and serving, or do you want to have a 3<sup>rd<\/sup> party team handle this?<\/li>\n<li>How much time should be allocated for venue and food preparation?<\/li>\n<li>Similarly, what about post-event cleanup? Do you need recycling, compost, and trash containers for the event?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Note that these questions represent exploring the overall objectives for the event as well as many of the expected problems and challenges.\u00a0 In Great Demo! methodology, these align with the Critical Business Issue (<em>why<\/em> is the Host having the dinner) and Problems\/Reasons (<em>what<\/em> makes it hard to execute).<\/p>\n<p>The next set of questions are about demographics:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>When are your guests available? What date and time will work for everyone?<\/li>\n<li>How many people will come? Will you have a specific count or will it be a range?<\/li>\n<li>What are the ages of the folks who are expected to join the dinner?<\/li>\n<li>Anybody with special needs?<\/li>\n<li>What about children \u2013 are they invited?<\/li>\n<li>If a sit-down dinner, do you want to have designated seating or let everyone sit as they choose?<\/li>\n<li>Any strategic or tactical placements?<\/li>\n<li>Should there be a head table or children\u2019s table? (Or perhaps a table for people <em>acting <\/em>like children?)<\/li>\n<li>How will people arrive and depart \u2013 is parking an issue?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What will you serve?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Are you following a theme that would dictate the cuisine?<\/li>\n<li>Any food preferences or requirements to be aware of? Allergies, likes\/dislikes?\u00a0 Vegetarians?\u00a0 Pescatarians?\u00a0 Keto?\u00a0 Flexitarian?\u00a0 Paleo?\u00a0 Kosher?\u00a0 Halal?<\/li>\n<li>How much food to prepare? Are these folks with big appetites or are some working under specific intake constraints?<\/li>\n<li>Are you thinking of many small plates, a buffet, or a more traditional serving sequence of appetizers, salad, soup, mains and sides, and dessert? (Note:\u00a0 This question would need to be reframed depending on location \u2013 the dishes and sequence will likely change.\u00a0 I can already hear folks saying, \u201cWhat?\u00a0 No cheese plate? \u00a0Scandalous!\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And, of course, what will people want to drink?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Alcohol? Beer, wine, cider?\u00a0 Mixed drinks?\u00a0 Open bar?<\/li>\n<li>Non-alcoholic offerings \u2013 soft drinks, water (still or sparking), juice?<\/li>\n<li>Do you plan to provide anything special or unique?<\/li>\n<li>Are you contemplating pairings? Before, during, or after dinner?<\/li>\n<li>Coffee, tea, or other caffeinated or non-caffeinated beverages?<\/li>\n<li>What about mixers, ice, and applicable glassware or cups?<\/li>\n<li>And what price-point do you have in mind for these?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Answers to these two segments represent the Specific Capabilities the Host desires \u2013 the deliverables.<\/p>\n<p>What about activities and timeline?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Will there be an agenda to follow? Any time-sensitive items?<\/li>\n<li>How long will the event run?<\/li>\n<li>Any speeches, announcements or similar to incorporate?<\/li>\n<li>Ice breakers? (E.g., \u201cTell us one thing about yourself that no-one else knows\u2026\u201d)<\/li>\n<li>Games or contests?<\/li>\n<li>Background music? Live or recorded?<\/li>\n<li>Any other supplies to consider \u2013 decorations, candles, flowers?<\/li>\n<li>Will gifts be involved \u2013 from the guests or for the guests? Should they be opened at the event?<\/li>\n<li>Any weather-related considerations to plan for?<\/li>\n<li>How should the party end \u2013 all at once or can the guests \u201ctrickle out\u201d?<\/li>\n<li>Will anybody need lodging?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Note that some of these questions explore timelines and implementation.\u00a0 This part of the discussion begins to establish a Transition Vision (of <em>how<\/em> the event will take place).<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, these topics represent more about the overall plan and environment concerns.\u00a0 In discovery for a software sale, these are similar to questions about the prospect\u2019s current or desired software infrastructure, integrations, and organization culture.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, a good Party Planner would also ask:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How will you determine if the event has been a success?<\/li>\n<li>Are there any specific measurements or feedback that you are looking for? (E.g., happy smiling faces during the dinner, heartfelt feedback on the food such as, \u201cWow, this is <em>really<\/em> good\u2026!\u201d, reciprocal invitations, positive comments, photos, or notes on social media, etc.)<\/li>\n<li>If you did the whole job yourself, how much time would it take? How much time do expect to get back by using a Party Planner?<\/li>\n<li>Similarly, since Party Planners are often able to purchase food and supplies at discounted rates \u2013 how much savings might you hope to enjoy as a result?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These questions explore desired Great Demo! Deltas (the value) and Value Realization Events.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Party Planning, Discovery, and Outcomes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You\u2019d expect a good Party Planner to be prepared to ask these questions \u2013 and perhaps more.\u00a0 You\u2019d want the Planner to gain a rich understanding of your goals and objectives, challenges and constraints, desires and anticipated outcomes.\u00a0 You\u2019d expect the Planner to be thorough, leveraging the Planner\u2019s deep experience in the process.<\/p>\n<p>Your prospects expect the same level of discovery from you for their software buying processes.<\/p>\n<p>Imagine what could happen in the Planner\u2019s questions were insufficient \u2013 and some key items were missed or ignored.\u00a0 What bad things might happen?<\/p>\n<p>Some small issues might include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Too much food \u2013 or not enough (\u201cI\u2019m still hungry\u2026\u201d).<\/li>\n<li>Guests arrive overdressed, underdressed, or similar (\u201cOh no, I thought this was a beach picnic\u2026!\u201d).<\/li>\n<li>Folks who were supposed to bring gifts didn\u2019t \u2013 or vice versa (\u201cSorry, I didn\u2019t realize this was your birthday\u2026!\u201d).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Moderate issues:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>People with violently different political agendas were seated together and argued loudly all evening (\u201cYou\u2019re wrong and\u2026!\u201d).<\/li>\n<li>Kids ran wild and broke things (\u201cOh no, that was a wedding present\u2026!\u201d).<\/li>\n<li>Guests with specific food dislikes or diets were disappointed by the options (\u201cI thought they <em>knew<\/em> I\u2019m a strict vegetarian\u2026!\u201d).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Severe issues:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Guest is taken to the emergency room (\u201cI\u2019m violently allergic to shellfish\u2026\u201d).<\/li>\n<li>Fire department is called (\u201cSorry, I didn\u2019t realize that was a <em>fake<\/em> fireplace\u2026\u201d).<\/li>\n<li>Police are called (\u201cI guess we shouldn\u2019t have sat those two together\u2026\u201d).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Clearly, the success of this evening relies of the Planner doing a complete job in the discovery process.\u00a0 How is this different from doing discovery for a software sale?\u00a0 It should be very similar!<\/p>\n<p><strong>A Dinner Party Situation Slide<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Finally, for Great Demo! practitioners, note that the key information can be captured in a Great Demo! Situation Slide:<\/p>\n<p>Job Title\/Industry:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Head of Household, Urban\/Suburban Residence<\/p>\n<p>Critical Business Issue:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Successful dinner experience \u2013 extending network and friendships<\/p>\n<p>Problems\/Reasons:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Unsure about too many factors \u2013 timing, length, formal\/informal, guests, venue, amounts, tastes, diets, expectations, quality of experience, effort and cost; budget limited to $2000; worried that time will be a serious constraint; concerned about future relationships; can\u2019t afford a negative experience<\/p>\n<p>Specific Capabilities:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Need to determine specific timing, level, dishes, quantities, likes\/dislikes, diet preferences, allergies, guest expectations; need to manage the experience to the satisfaction of all parties; complete prep, execution and cleanup within timeline; would like guests to be \u201cabsolutely delighted\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Delta:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Need to match previous experiences as a guest of others; need to secure reciprocal invitation; recover $100-250 of budget; complete prep, dinner and clean-up in 5 vs. 12 hours<\/p>\n<p>Critical Date:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Schedule the date before winter holidays consume available options (an easy Critical Date might be a birthday\u2026!)<\/p>\n<p>Value Realization Events:\u00a0 First expression of \u201cYum \u2013 this is <em>really<\/em> good!\u201d by guest; happy social media posts by guests; receipt of reciprocal invitations<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>And a suitable Great Demo! Illustration for the Party Planner might be an example photo or two of a dinner, with delighted, toasting guests\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Situation Slides represent an example output of discovery, providing the sales team (your Party Planner, in this case) with an understanding of how to determine when sufficient information has been collected.<\/p>\n<p>And if you <em>do<\/em> use these questions to plan your own dinner party, I hope you have a great time!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Copyright \u00a9 2021 The Second Derivative \u2013 All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Has invitado a un gran n\u00famero de amigos y colegas a una cena: \u00bfc\u00f3mo te preparas?  El proceso que sigue el organizador de la fiesta y las preguntas que se le plantean son un ejemplo sorprendentemente bueno de c\u00f3mo realizar el descubrimiento en un proceso de venta de software.\u00a0 <\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27294,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,8,10],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-27293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-doing_discovery","category-great-demo-blog","category-methodology_basics","tag-articles"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27293"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27293\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}