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How to Rake Your Way into the Future of Presales
Keeping up with the rollercoaster of changes, or ‘new normals’ if you will, is something we’re all facing in the middle of this COVID-19 commotion. But for presales in the IT and software industry it…
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Presales Metrics – What to Measure and Why
Presales has entered a renaissance, enjoying increased visibility, emerging tools and communities, and cataloging of know-how and best practices. This is the perfect time to rethink your vision for your organization (or your personal vision),…
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People Buy From People They Trust
B2B buyers expect sales reps to understand their business, but the reality is that buyers perceive that less than 50% of reps actually do. They expect the sales rep to provide a solution, but the…
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Hybrid Demo Meetings – The Challenges of Mixed Face-to-Face and…
What is the strategy for handling situations where you are face-to-face with one group of prospects and other participants are connecting remotely?
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Automated Demo Content – Getting It Right
You’ve been asked to put together the content for an automated or recorded demo – where do you start? What should be included?
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Assessing Discovery Skill Levels – How Does Your Team Rate?…
Many sales and presales practitioners say they are skilled at doing Discovery – but are they? Here’s a simple method to assess, based on seven levels of increasing proficiency:
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Discovery and Demos for Transactional Sales Cycles – When More…
Is it possible to complete an introduction, engage with a Vision Generation Demo, segue into a Discovery conversation, deliver a brief Technical Proof Demo, and execute a soft close in a 45- or 60-minute call?…
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Expansion Questions – An Essential Discovery Skill
Expansion Questions are a series of interrelated questions designed to span five of the Discovery skills levels, from uncovering pain to reengineering vision. They are a simple, yet essential skill to master in doing Discovery…
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Your Persona Demo is Failing!
The breakdown with persona-based demos is the lack of ability to fully connect the challenges your audience is having with the value your solution provides.
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Success-Ready Leads: A Provocative Definition of “Qualified Lead” Based on…
Here’s a novel idea: Front-load your pipeline with prospects that are most likely to succeed!
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‘Twas the Night Before the Big Demo
‘Twas the night ‘fore the demo and all through the house Not a creature was stirring, ‘cept my SE and his mouse;
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The Great Demo! 2020 Articles Index
There are currently well over 75 articles in our articles page – here’s a handy index to help you find specific topics and explore others. Enjoy!
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Expansion and Renewal Demos
“Land and Expand” is the major sales strategy for many software companies and great attention is focused on customer acquisition and on corresponding demos. But what about securing renewals and expanding your footprint?
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The Advantages of Being the Incumbent Vendor – And Its…
Let’s explore some of the advantages enjoyed by being the incumbent vendor and how you can leverage this position for renewals and expansion sales, while holding your competition at bay.
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Lunch and Learn Demos
Lunch and Learn demo meetings are terrific vehicles for securing renewals and driving expansion.
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Why DID They Buy? – Fabulous Fuel for Sales, Presales…
Here’s a novel idea: Go visit your new customers a few months after they purchased your software and well after they have deployed it into production use
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Demo “Storylines”: The Journey, The Destination, or Both
Many software vendors talk about “The Journey” or “The Customer’s Journey” as a storyline for their demos. We need to ask ourselves, however, what is important to the customer?
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The Zoom Scan – What It Is, Why It Is…
We now need to translate our Face-to-Face Scan to web meetings…! So, here are some simple guidelines for developing your personal Zoom Scan (or WebEx Scan etc.):
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Ignition Demos – A Rather Huge Unmet Need and Opportunity
Prospects that are “Just Browsing” are underserved in traditional sales approaches yet consume valuable and expensive presales resources.
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Stunningly Awful Web “Overview” Demos – The Gruesome Anatomy of…
In which we identify a number of common challenges with “overview” demos – and offer solutions. [Warning – graphic and potentially painful content ahead…!]
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The Surprising Road(s) to Demo and Presales Mastery
This article explores the road(s) towards demo and presales mastery – and may change your perceptions whether you are experienced or new to the discipline.
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Stunningly Awful Demos – The 2020 Great Demo! Top Ten…
Here’s a collection of poor tactics, bad errors and faulty steps you can take to increase the likelihood that your demo will be a failure. We recommend that you avoid doing these things!
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Using Analogies and Metaphors (and More) in Demos
Well-crafted analogies and metaphors1 help our audiences remember the key ideas we present in our demos. Some examples are very effective, others could be improved… Let’s explore!
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COVID-19, Presales, and Leadership
This is a critical time for presales folks to leverage their trusted advisor status to lead and guide our customers in operating and communicating over the web. Let’s step up to this challenge!
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Seven Habits for Stunningly Successful Demos
Here are seven demo success factors that lead to closed business.
