{"id":25257,"date":"2020-07-01T16:54:51","date_gmt":"2020-07-01T16:54:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/?p=25257"},"modified":"2026-09-15T19:42:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T19:42:23","slug":"stunningly-awful-web-overview-demos-the-gruesome-anatomy-of-a-traditional-1-hour-web-overview-demonstration-and-some-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/stunningly-awful-web-overview-demos-the-gruesome-anatomy-of-a-traditional-1-hour-web-overview-demonstration-and-some-solutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Stunningly Awful Web \u201cOverview\u201d Demos \u2013 The Gruesome Anatomy of a Traditional 1-Hour Web Overview Demonstration \u2013 And Some Solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

In which we identify a number of common challenges with \u201coverview\u201d demos \u2013 and offer solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n

[Warning \u2013 graphic and potentially painful content ahead\u2026!]<\/span><\/p>\n

1-Hour Web \u201cOverview\u201d Demo Timeline<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the rough but strangely consistent timeline for most web-delivered \u201c1 hour overview demos\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n

[Starting time for each element on the left side]:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

00:00:\u00a0 Fumbling with Zoom\/WebEx\/GoToMeeting\/Teams \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLooks like John\/Sue\/Page\/whoever is just joining now\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCan you see my screen?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLooks like you\u2019re muted\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re hearing a really bad echo\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

(This consumption of time is delightfully known as the \u201cWebEx Tax\u201d).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

00:04:\u00a0 Introductions, but generally one-sided \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

Introductions and brief personal history of each of the vendor participants, but limited information requested or offered regarding customer participants before diving in\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

00:06:\u00a0 Corporate overview presentation (gag\u2026), often including<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Mission statement<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Products and services (high level \u2013 see next section at 00.18 for the gory details)<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Product history and milestones<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Founders and origins story<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. The Team<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Revenue history and financials<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Office locations<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Obligatory logos slide(s) (with logos that often have nothing to do with this<\/em> customer\u2019s market)<\/span><\/li>\n
  9. Customer testimonials (actually the most<\/em> useful part of corporate overview presentations, but often ignored by the vendor… Why?)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    00:18:\u00a0 Product overview presentation (yawn), including<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Obligatory architecture slide(s), with equally obligatory rectangles and cylinders representing software and database components (how novel\u2026)<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Equally obligatory product-centric slide (showing company\u2019s product in the center of a circle of other things (e.g., users, other applications, process steps, you name it \u2013 so novel, once again!)<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Key \u201cdifferentiators\u201d, presented without context to the customer\u2019s needs or specific situation (and largely forgotten by the customer, since they haven\u2019t yet seen a solution that makes remembering anything relevant)<\/span><\/li>\n
    4. Case studies, if any, that are typically skipped over \u201cbecause we\u2019re short on time\u2026\u201d (too bad \u2013 real case studies would be the most interesting section)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      00:26:\u00a0 \u201cActual\u201d demo, including<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Slide that says, \u201cDemo\u201d (which lets the audience know that everything from this point forward is \u201cfake\u201d\u2026)<\/span><\/li>\n
      2. Opening statement that \u201cWe planned on 45 minutes for the demo, but we only have 30 minutes remaining, so we\u2019ll have to go really fast\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n
      3. Followed immediately by, \u201cBut we\u2019d like this be interactive, so please stop me if you have any questions\u2026\u201d (while the presenter is actually thinking, \u201cBut please don\u2019t stop me because I\u2019ve got so<\/em> much to cover and you\u2019ll interrupt my flow\u2026!\u201d)<\/span><\/li>\n
      4. Brief introduction of the plan for a \u201cstory\u201d and 5 fictional characters whose \u201cday in the life\u201d will be followed in the demo<\/span><\/li>\n
      5. Followed by a firehose-like delivery with the presenter speaking non-stop for 4, 6, or 8 minutes or longer (I just saw an overview demo where the presenter went on for 40 minutes non-stop!) <\/span>\n
          \n
        1. Interspersed with the obligatory, \u201cAny questions so far?\u201d <\/span>\n