Delivering Great Demos!™
This course can be delivered privately to teams or entire departments.
GREAT DEMO! DEMONSTRATION EFFECTIVENESS 1-DAY WORKSHOP
OVERALL OBJECTIVES
Establish a framework, including skills and processes, to create and deliver improved software
demonstrations and increase success in the sales and deployment of your organization’s software
products.
Sub-objectives:
• Improve demonstration quality and effectiveness
• Establish and communicate clear objectives for each demo
• Increase probability of success for demo outcomes for real-life situations
• Reduce the cost of sales by using demos more judiciously
• Increase the average deal size and/or sell additional products and services
• Increase deployment of software already sold and reduce “Shelf-ware”
WORKSHOP DELIVERABLES AND SPECIFIC LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will learn how to:
1. Determine the right content for a demonstration, based on the customer’s business needs and
objectives.
2. Organize the content in a novel, logical progression that maps to audience needs and depth of
interest – and engage and prove your capabilities within the first six minutes of the demonstration.
3. Prepare demonstrations using the new method.
4. Present demonstrations with the highest probability of success in achieving the desired objectives.
5. Manage a range of real-life situations and scenarios.
Participants complete the Workshop equipped with:
1. A newly constructed, highly compelling demonstration of your software, targeted specifically for a
typical key scenario.
2. The ability to apply the method to develop equally targeted and compelling demonstrations for other
scenarios, products, and situations.
The Great Demo! methodology delivers targeted "what's in it for me?" benefits right up front, followed by
rapid, targeted proof, and then further, more detailed exploration in accord with the audience's level and
depth of interest. This proven, highly successful method maps extremely well to the specific needs and
constraints of audiences that can include senior management, middle management, end users, and IT
staff.
DESCRIPTION
The Workshop begins by introducing the method and typical results, generating interest in the participants
to learn more. An understanding of what constitutes demonstrations and the purposes for delivering
demonstrations is developed, followed by exploring the reasons why demonstrations can fail and the
resulting impact on the organization.
Next, a method is presented that provides the participants with the tools and processes to ensure that the
qualification and discovery information necessary to create successful demonstrations is uncovered and
communicated. This segment introduces qualification steps and methods, and defines roles and
expectations for Sales and Technical staff. Customer-derived qualification information is then mapped to
the specific capabilities to be demonstrated.
Role-play exercises are used to establish the concepts and skills in day-to-day practice for the
participants. The scenarios generated by the participants during role-play are developed further during the
course of the Workshop.
The key components for a demonstration are then developed, including the Customer Situation,
Illustrations, “Do It” and “Peel Back the Layers” demo pathways. Components are created in exercises and
presented by the participants to the Workshop attendees in role-play, cementing the concepts and
establishing desired behavior. The components are developed and added to the growing demo, with each
subsequent role-play reinforcing the skills previously learned.
The method developed up to this point in the Workshop is designed for “ideal” situations, providing
participants with a simple, effective process to follow and generating confidence. The next segments of the
Workshop expand the participants’ toolkit to enable improved success with “real-life” situations.
Proven methods for handling questions, changes in agendas, bugs, crashes, and other interruptions and
are introduced and discussed. Vision Generation situations and multiple-solution or multiple-player
demonstrations are also addressed.
Depending on the specific needs of the participants, “elective” topics may be incorporated into the
Workshop to enable a broader range of situations. Typical electives include Remote Demonstrations (e.g.,
via WebEx or GoToMeeting), Managing Competition, Product Roll-out Scenarios and Managing POC’s and Evaluations.
1-DAY WORKSHOP AGENDA
8:30 AM: Morning Session
Setting the Stage:
- Introductions and objectives for the Workshop
- What is a demonstration? Why do demos fail?
- What happens when demonstrations fail?
Understanding Your Customer:
- Your Customer – Qualification and Needs Analysis
- Situation Slide Exercise
Preparing Your Demonstration:
- Sales preparation – Key Components and Responsibilities
- Technical Preparation – Key Components and Responsibilities
- Role-Play Exercise – Developing and Presenting Illustrations
12:00 Noon – 12:45 PM: Lunch and Time for Phone/Email
12:45 PM: Afternoon Session
Preparing Your Demonstration - Continued:
- Role-Play Exercise – The “Do It” Pathway
- The “Peel Back the Layers” Pathways
Mapping the Process to Real Life:
- Remote Demos (e.g., via WebEx, GoToMeeting – Increasing Interactivity
- Multi-Solution and Multi-Player Demonstrations – Demonstration Roadmaps
- Managing Time and Questions
Refining the Process – Elective(s)
- Handing Bugs, Crashes and Other Challenges
- Other Topics as Time Allows
Questions and Answers
Final Summary
5:00 PM: Close of Workshop
Instructor
Peter Cohan founded The Second Derivative in 2003 to address the
challenge of bringing a method for consistent success to the
process of creating and delivering software demonstrations. He
has a successful track-record as an agent of change in both internal
and external roles.
Mr Cohan launched the DemoGurus Community Website in 2004 to
provide a high-value, evergreen forum for gathering and delivering
best practices on demonstration methods and tools for the
business software community.
In 2003, Mr. Cohan published the first edition of Great Demo!, the
book that presents the demonstration methodology generated and
practiced through the experience of 1000's of demonstrations. The
2nd Edition of Great Demo! was published in March 2005.
Prior to The Second Derivative, Mr. Cohan has enjoyed over 20 years
in senior management, business development, sales and
marketing roles. In 1998, he joined Symyx Technologies, Inc. to
found Symyx’ Discovery Tools® business, which leverages Symyx’
technology through providing access to systems, software, and
intellectual property. As Vice President Discovery Tools, and then
President Symyx Discovery Tools Inc., Mr. Cohan grew the
organization from inception into a $30MM per year business.
Before Symyx, Mr. Cohan gained experience in the creation,
implementation, and application of software tools and systems in
support of pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and chemical research
during 13 years at MDL Information Systems, Inc. While at MDL, he
progressed through roles in technical marketing, product marketing,
field marketing, sales, sales management and marketing
management, culminating as Vice President Customer Marketing.
He holds a degree in Chemistry from the University of California at
San Diego.
He currently serves on the board of directors of Collaborative Drug
Discovery, Inc. and the advisory board of Excellin, Inc.
For additional information contact:
Dave Dersh, VP of Training & Consulting
dave @ 280group.com
408-834-7518
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& Product Management Experts™
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