\u201cOur powerful software is flexible, intuitive, easy-to-use and integrates seamlessly with your other tools. Robust and scalable, your organization can enjoy the benefits of our best-of-breed world-class offering.\u201d<\/p>\n
How many times have you heard these phrases in demos and sales presentations? Does it provide you with any real information \u2013 or is it simply a string of meaningless buzzwords?<\/p>\n
When you or your team use these words and phrases in a presentation or software demonstration, you risk loss of credibility. Presentations and demos, in particular, need to focus on facts \u2013 not fantasy \u2013 in order to achieve technical proof or generate a real vision of a solution in your prospects\u2019 minds.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a list of words that can get you and your team into trouble \u2013 we call it \u201cThe Content-Free Buzzword-Compliant Vocabulary List\u201d:<\/p>\n
Awesome list, don\u2019t you think?<\/p>\n
True Story<\/b><\/p>\n
We had invited a vendor to present and demonstrate their offerings to help us improve and automate our operations processes. The demo meeting was scheduled for sixty minutes and the vendor had asked us to invite all of our stakeholders, which we dutifully did. Their salesperson began the meeting by sharing an agenda, then launched into a corporate and product overview presentation.<\/p>\n
About eleven minutes into his saga, one of our team-members yelled, \u201cBINGO!\u201d The salesperson paled visibly and asked, \u201cWhat do you mean by \u2018bingo\u2019?\u201d In response, our team-member held up a Buzzword Bingo sheet with the diagonal fully completed. \u201cI won\u2026!\u201d she exclaimed, enjoying the admiration of her colleagues\u2026<\/p>\n
Another True Story<\/b><\/p>\n
Our very crusty CTO, Gunther, joined a meeting with another vendor who sold a product providing data for our vertical. Their salesperson described their offering\u2019s coverage of the data as \u201cthe most comprehensive in the industry\u201d.<\/p>\n
Upon hearing these words, Gunther growled, \u201cYou\u2019re an idiot\u2026!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me?\u201d asked the salesperson. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s either \u2018comprehensive\u2019 or it isn\u2019t. That\u2019s like saying something is \u2018the most<\/i> biggest\u2019. You\u2019re an idiot!\u201d he repeated \u2013 and the meeting was over.<\/p>\n
Some Solutions<\/b><\/p>\n
How can you communicate the ideas behind these buzzwords and be believable? Look for concrete, fact-based examples that illustrate the ideas.<\/p>\n
For example, instead of saying, \u201cOur software is robust,\u201d you might state \u201cThis software is deployed and in daily production use by over 1,000 customers around the world today.\u201d Or, alternatively, try \u201cOur customers enjoy a 99.98% uptime on a 24\/7\/365 basis.\u201d Specific numbers make these statements more credible and support your claims.<\/p>\n
Similarly, you can replace the trite and hackneyed \u201cuser-friendly\u201d, \u201ceasy-to-use\u201d and \u201cintuitive\u201d assertions by being focused and offering facts. Cite the specific number of mouse-clicks necessary to complete a task, for example. Or, perhaps you can reference that users of your software out-of-the-box have never found the need to purchase training \u2013 a truly<\/i> product-led offering!<\/p>\n
A good test you can apply to your own material is to ask the question, \u201cIn whose<\/i> opinion?\u201d If it is a quote from a customer, then that\u2019s terrific and you should identify the quote accordingly. However, if the answer is that it came from your marketing department (or your lips!), then you should find a way to rephrase.<\/p>\n
If you find suspect words in your literature or presentation materials such as \u201cOur powerful software\u2026,\u201d then you should ask in whose<\/i> opinion is it powerful? You can turn this from useless fluff to solid stuff by providing a working example: \u201cOur customers report that our software reduces their typical workflow cycle time from several days to less than an hour.\u201d Not just \u201cfaster, better, cheaper\u201d, but tangibly<\/i> so!<\/p>\n
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software is an ongoing topic of discussion in many organizations. Nearly every CRM software vendor says their tools are \u201cpowerful\u201d. But in whose<\/i> opinion? Are they able to lift tons of steel or send satellites into orbit? What makes their software \u201cpowerful\u201d?<\/p>\n
Replacing items on The Content-Free Buzzword-Compliant Vocabulary List with substantive<\/i> claims provides you the opportunity to differentiate from competitors. Compare \u201cOur powerful software is world-class\u2026\u201d versus \u201cOur customers report that our software enables 10% increases in close rates, 15% reduction in sales cycles, and 10-20% increases in conversion of leads generated and pursued\u2026\u201d Just the facts \u2013 no hyperbole!<\/p>\n
Providing real-life, fact-based examples enables you and your team to rise above the competition and earn a positive reputation for being<\/i> fact-based. Compare \u201cOur powerful software is flexible, intuitive, easy-to-use and integrates seamlessly with your other tools…\u201d versus \u201cOur Salesforce Automation solution automatically enters all activities, tasks, appointments, and communications into your CRM, without requiring a single mouse-click. Set it up once and our software keeps all of your customer interactions synced and up-to-date.\u201d Much<\/i> better!<\/p>\n
\u201cScalable\u201d is easy to improve upon. With regards to the ability to handle a broad number of users, how about, \u201cImplementations of our software range from single users in sole-proprietorships to over 10,000 users in our Fortune-500 customers.\u201d<\/p>\n
When a vendor says their software is \u201cflexible,\u201d are they talking about the ability to embrace a range of workflows, or configuration, or something else? Is it a software yoga pose? Perhaps it is their willingness to be flexible with their licensing or discounting? Use specific examples that are focused and relevant to the prospect at hand whenever possible. Using verifiable, real-life statements will encourage your prospects to respond with a more positive, open attitude, which will help you in achieving your objectives (and they theirs, as well).<\/p>\n
How about \u201cworld-class\u201d \u2013 what does this really mean? And again, in whose<\/i> opinion? If your customer is concerned about local language and currency support, then you can speak directly to these capabilities. \u201cWe provide support for the major European languages, Spanish and Portuguese in Latin America, as well as Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, and provide automated conversion of the currencies used in each of the relevant geographies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Self-Buzzword-Bingo Assessment<\/b><\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a challenge: listen to some of your<\/i> presentations and demos (and\/or your team\u2019s), and analyze. How did you do?<\/p>\n
For more fun (or grief, depending on your perspective\u2026), build your own Buzzword-Bingo cards and play along! You can find numerous versions online.<\/p>\n
A Purpose-Built, Awesome Summary<\/b><\/p>\n
Stick with the facts, avoid meaningless buzzwords, and enjoy increased success with your presentations and demonstrations!<\/p>\n
Copyright \u00a9 2005-2022 The Second Derivative \u2013 All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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