\u201cGet to the point\u2026!\u201d
\n\u2013 Nearly Every Executive Exasperated by Traditional Salespeople<\/p>\n
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You\u2019ve completed discovery<\/a> with your prospect\u2019s executive and team, and now it\u2019s time for the demo. What do they want to see?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWalk a mile in your prospects\u2019<\/em> shoes\u2026!\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier in my career when I was growing a sizeable business, we needed to implement a CRM system, and vendors were invited to present their offerings. Of the five vendors solicited, only two held any discovery conversations, and all five requested two-hour slots for demos with my evaluation team of eight people. Our experience was not a positive one, but it was transformational!<\/p>\n Imagine going to a restaurant and:<\/p>\n That\u2019s not a particularly pleasant dining experience. Well, each vendor followed that same<\/em> approach in their demo meetings with us:<\/p>\n After suffering through these five demos (that\u2019s ten hours<\/em> overall), I gathered the team together and asked them what they thought about the experience:<\/p>\n \u201cAwful!\u201d I said, \u201cFolks, I have bad news: We\u2019ve been doing the same thing to our<\/em> prospects!\u201d I continued, \u201cWe need to make two major<\/em> changes to our processes:<\/p>\n Over the next few years, we applied these ideas in day-to-day use. Dozens of discovery conversations and demos went into testing, correcting, improving, and hardening these new methodologies.<\/p>\n What was the result? Transformation to a dramatically improved level of practice!<\/p>\n We began to see prospects who made purchasing decisions during discovery<\/em>, and demo practices that reduced<\/em> the length and number of demos yet resulted in more closed business. More recently, the Great Demo! methodology<\/a> was validated<\/em> in studies<\/a> of tens of thousands of demos.<\/p>\n It was a remarkable journey, kicked off by a sales executive who found himself in the role of a prospect<\/em>!<\/p>\n \u201cThe higher you go, the clearer the measurements of success!\u201d<\/p>\n A very simple and effective definition can be found in the terms \u201cAbove the Line\u201d and \u201cBelow the Line.\u201d Executives are Above the Line and have the power and authority to buy<\/em> (or manage a buying committee). Many middle managers may claim<\/em> that they \u201cmake the buying decision,\u201d but when you peel back the layers, they don\u2019t control the budget and are only making a recommendation<\/em> to a superior.<\/p>\n In companies with a U.S. organizational structure, executives typically include the C-Suite, Senior Vice Presidents, and Vice Presidents, although VPs may have restrictions on spending depending on the company. Directors, Senior Managers, and almost everyone else do not<\/em> have the power and authority to buy. They are not<\/em> executives: They are Below the Line.<\/p>\n Executives generally both define and allocate budgets within their portions of the organization. Many executives also have a discretionary<\/em> budget reserved to take advantage of opportunities or deal with emergencies. Managers who are Below the Line can request<\/em> and sometimes spend<\/em> budget, but don\u2019t typically define budgets.<\/p>\n Most executives have very straightforward objectives, representing the overall objectives for their part of the operation. For example:<\/p>\n Everyone below executives typically has a piece<\/em> of the overall objective. For example, regional sales managers are responsible for revenues coming from their<\/i>\u00a0region, but not the number summed across all the regions.<\/p>\n Finally, many executives set the vision for their teams. For example, listen to your CEO or CRO at your upcoming sales kickoff meeting: I\u2019ll bet they articulate their vision for the future!<\/p>\n “For every generalization, there are meaningful exceptions…!” Executives are people (in theory) and, accordingly, may exhibit different attributes than are described in this article. Caveat emptor!<\/p>\n This is where \u201cGet to the Point!\u201d really<\/em> applies! Executives want to see the key deliverables (typically dashboards, reports, and similar vehicles) that they need to run their businesses. They don\u2019t<\/em> want to see long workflows or processes, and they definitely<\/em> don\u2019t want to see how to set up<\/a> or administer the system.<\/p>\n Think in terms of six minutes for an executive \u201cchunk.\u201d That\u2019s sufficient time to present a Great Demo!<\/a> Situation Slide, share a few key Illustrations, show a Do It pathway, and summarize.<\/p>\n Be sure to apply the Inverted Pyramid<\/a> approach when presenting demos (or anything!) to executives. Start with the items that are most<\/em> important to that executive: \u201cDo the Last Thing First!\u201d Test to see how deep the executive wants to go. Think short and sweet: Encrispen your demo!<\/p>\n Avoid doing the \u201cHat Dance!\u201d That\u2019s where the vendor tries to incorporate multiple prospect roles in the demo by changing \u201chats\u201d every few minutes. \u201cNow I\u2019m Acer in accounting and I pass the order to Sheryl in shipping, but first it must be approved by Opal the operations manager\u2026”<\/p>\n Start with the executive and complete what they<\/em> need to see. Confirm that they are satisfied before moving on.<\/p>\n Contrary to some schools of thought, I don\u2019t recommend starting your demo with a long, \u201climbic-oriented\u201d story or the tale of your personal history. These tend to annoy executives who\u2019d prefer that you get to the point.<\/p>\n Well-crafted stories that encapsulate key features or important ideas are<\/em> extremely useful, however. See the \u201cStorytelling\u201d chapter in Great Demo!<\/a> for details on how to create and use metaphors, analogies, and stories in your demos.<\/p>\n And for a delightful example\u2026<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a wonderful tip from Natasja Bax<\/a> (who leads the Great Demo! & Doing Discovery team in EMEA): She noted that presenting a Great Demo! Situation Slide tells a simple, but very effective hero story!<\/p>\n The hero (the prospect executive) is facing a major challenge (their Critical Business Issue). As the hero embarks on their journey, they encounter numerous tasks and trials (their Problems\/Reasons). While seeking solutions, the hero meets a mentor (the vendor) who provides tools and guides the transformation (the Specific Capabilities needed) which must be completed within a limited timeframe (the Critical Date). As the hero implements these solutions successfully, they are transformed and enjoy the associated rewards (the Delta)!<\/p>\n In Great Demo!<\/a><\/em> I introduce three types of questions:<\/p>\n By definition, all<\/em> executives\u2019 questions are Great Questions!<\/p>\n Once satisfied, many executives will choose to leave the meeting. I can\u2019t tell you how many times I\u2019ve seen or heard the following from the executive: \u201cFolks, I\u2019m comfortable with this as a solution.\u201d They glance at their watch or phone and continue, \u201cI\u2019ve got another meeting I\u2019m going to join now; go ahead and continue with the demo\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n What a delight! They\u2019ve basically just said, \u201cYou\u2019ve got the order (unless you screw this up somehow\u2026)!\u201d<\/p>\n A few years ago, I was delivering a face-to-face demo to a prospect team consisting of several middle managers and their team members. About twenty minutes into the session a woman came into the room. I noticed that the prospect team all turned, glanced toward the new entrant, and suddenly appeared more attentive.<\/p>\n Intrigued, I said to the new arrival, \u201cHi, I\u2019m Peter Cohan, and you are\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n She said, \u201cOh, I\u2019m nobody, just continue\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n I thought, \u201cThe reaction from the rest of the room makes it seem like you are certainly somebody<\/em> important!\u201d I said, \u201cCan I please ask what you do: What\u2019s your job title?\u201d<\/p>\n She responded, \u201cWell, I\u2019m the CEO.\u201d The balance of the prospect team was smiling and sharing quiet comments amongst themselves.<\/p>\n I said, \u201cTerrific, and welcome!\u201d and provided a crisp summary of what we\u2019d covered that was relevant for the CEO. She asked a few questions, nodded her head, and then took a seat in the rear of the room. About ten minutes later she left, quietly giving me a \u201cthumbs up\u201d and a smile!<\/p>\n Yes, we got the order, and that customer became one of the longest-term customers I\u2019ve experienced.<\/p>\n The moral? Don\u2019t assume that someone who comes into a meeting late isn\u2019t worth any attention. Always ask the three questions:<\/p>\n \u201cNow this<\/em> is different\u2026!\u201d<\/p>\n If the prospect executive is also<\/em> your champion, consider letting them drive<\/a> a small portion of the demo.<\/p>\n Wait, what?<\/p>\n What if they make a mistake or click on the wrong thing? Reduce the risk with a brief dry run ahead of time. When your prospect executive drives the demo or part of it, three fabulous advantages are gained:<\/p>\n \u201cHope is not a strategy!\u201d<\/p>\n Most executives will not allow you to consume their team\u2019s time in a demo, particularly a long<\/em> demo unless they are serious about your solution. Accordingly, a terrific practice is to establish a Mutual Action Plan prior<\/em> to the demo (you\u2019ll find more details on Mutual Action Plans in Doing Discovery<\/a><\/em>, in the \u201cWrap Up\u201d section on page 136). This plan should define the next steps on their buying journey.<\/p>\n Bear in mind that even executives may find it hard to say \u201cNo\u201d and terminate a buying process with you. Don\u2019t be the poor vendor in Part 1 of A Prospect\u2019s Tale<\/em><\/a>!<\/p>\n \u201cAnd we offer the highest degree of allowlisting,\u201d said the sales rep.<\/p>\n There were blank looks from the prospect executive and other players in the meeting, but no one said anything<\/p>\n \u201cBut wait: There\u2019s more! Our system delivers near-real-time dynamic<\/em> allowlisting!\u201d announced the rep, triumphantly, clearly expecting a chorus of \u201coohs\u201d and \u201caahs.\u201d<\/p>\n Again, there was no response from the prospect team. In fact, most of them looked confused and the executive appeared distinctly annoyed. What was going on? It was a case of \u201cControlled\u201d vs \u201cUncontrolled Vocabulary!\u201d<\/p>\n Vendors who use acronyms and jargon that are meaningless to prospect executives are at risk! When all participants in a meeting share a common understanding of terms, it is \u201cControlled Vocabulary,\u201d and precise communication can be enjoyed. \u201cUncontrolled Vocabulary<\/a>\u201d takes place when participants are unfamiliar with a word, phrase, or acronym.<\/p>\n Uncontrolled Vocabulary is mentally rejected by your audience. Even worse, Uncontrolled Vocabulary tends to annoy executives, as it positions them as uninformed or worse!<\/p>\n Guidance when working with executives?<\/p>\nA Real-life Story<\/h2>\n
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\n\u201cBoring!\u201d
\n\u201cTerrible!\u201d
\n\u201cThey never showed us what we need!\u201d
\n\u201cEverything looked complicated and confusing<\/a>!\u201d
\n\u201cThese systems have way more than we need<\/a>!\u201d
\n\u201cMind-numbing!\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Who Is an Executive?<\/h2>\n
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Generalization Disclaimer!<\/h2>\n
\n\u2013 Me<\/p>\nDemos for Executives<\/h2>\n
Six Minutes<\/h3>\n
Inverted Pyramid<\/h3>\n
Mixed Audience?<\/h3>\n
Stories in Demos<\/h3>\n
A Hero Story<\/h3>\n
Executive\u2019s Questions<\/h3>\n
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Let \u2018Em Go<\/h3>\n
\u201cOh, I\u2019m Nobody\u2026\u201d A True Story<\/h3>\n
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Let the Executive Drive!<\/h3>\n
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Post Demo<\/h3>\n
Two More Tips<\/h2>\n
Uncontrolled Vocabulary?<\/h3>\n
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