{"id":43205,"date":"2025-12-21T17:45:30","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T17:45:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/?p=43205"},"modified":"2026-04-23T13:15:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T13:15:12","slug":"twas-the-night-before-the-big-demo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/twas-the-night-before-the-big-demo\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Twas the Night Before the Big Demo"},"content":{"rendered":"

With New<\/em> Stanzas!<\/p>\n

(and apologies to Clement Clarke Moore)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2018Twas the night \u2018fore the demo and all through the house<\/p>\n

Not a creature was stirring, \u2018cept my SC and their mouse;<\/p>\n

I\u2019d proposed a large licensing deal with great care<\/p>\n

In hopes that a big order soon would be there.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I leaned back to consider the past year or two<\/p>\n

We\u2019d made some good changes; I knew that was true.<\/p>\n

Our stories<\/a> were telling, Zoom transcripts reviewing<\/a>,<\/p>\n

We\u2019re making some progress, our process renewing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Buyers enabled<\/a>, but committees have grown,<\/p>\n

Some two-fold, some three-fold, or more (we do moan!)<\/p>\n

We\u2019re multiple-threaded and largely aligned<\/a><\/p>\n

We certainly try (well, most of the time).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

AI has been helping, but it\u2019s just enough<\/p>\n

Moving deals forward has gotten real tough!<\/p>\n

MEDDIC and MEDDPICC, Sandler, and SPIN,<\/p>\n

All help, a bit, but we still need to win.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

New names, renewals, and expansion<\/a> all forecast<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve got to do better than we\u2019ve done in the past!<\/p>\n

This business called sales has too much that\u2019s missing.<\/p>\n

But back to the present, enough reminiscing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Management was restless and not in their beds<\/p>\n

As visions of bonuses danced in their heads;<\/p>\n

And my VP with their forecast and me with my own,<\/p>\n

Had just started a long EOQ roam,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When out from my mobile there came a great tone,<\/p>\n

I sprang from my chair to answer my phone,<\/p>\n

What could it be? Was it good news or no?<\/p>\n

A last-minute order? A contract? PO?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Greetings, said my PA, who spoke on the line,<\/p>\n

It was someone to see me, offering help at this time!<\/p>\n

Who could it be at this last-minute hour,<\/p>\n

To make the deal sweet and avoid something sour?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Away to the door I flew in a flash,<\/p>\n

And swept it wide open in my quest for fast cash,<\/p>\n

When who to my wondering eyes should appear,<\/p>\n

The DemoGuru<\/a>! And standing so near!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He came in my office and while dusting off snow<\/p>\n

Said, \u201cI have some news that you\u2019ll want to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

He drew up a chair and asked for some tea,<\/p>\n

And said to my VP, SC and to me:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYour deal is in trouble and I\u2019ll tell you now,<\/p>\n

Your demo\u2019s confusing, complex and lacks \u2018Wow!\u2019<\/p>\n

It\u2019s riddled with features and functions and more,<\/p>\n

And too many \u2018cool\u2019 things, mouse clicks galore,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Start with discovery<\/a>, that\u2019s where it begins,<\/p>\n

Most folks do too little, that\u2019s one of their sins,<\/p>\n

Ask questions, be curious, give quid pro quo too,<\/p>\n

And bias your prospect in favor of you,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Generate vision, (many miss this key step)<\/p>\n

Give before getting and avoid big regret,<\/p>\n

Rich dialog is the goal at this point,<\/p>\n

A demo without it is far out of joint.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now on to your demo, but be novel, don\u2019t bore,<\/p>\n

Prospects all know there\u2019s always much more,<\/p>\n

Traditional demos<\/a> are painful indeed,<\/p>\n

A new methodology: That\u2019s what you need!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Don\u2019t flog them with features and other neat stuff,<\/p>\n

Stick with the substance, stay \u2018way from the fluff,<\/p>\n

The more that you show is not always nice,<\/p>\n

Your prospects will say, \u2018Please lower the price<\/a>!\u2019<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Buzzword-Compliant Vocabulary<\/a> list,<\/p>\n

Are words, I\u2019m afraid, that are better off missed,<\/p>\n

Not Flexible, nor Powerful, nor Easy-to-Use,<\/p>\n

Robust and World-class are words that abuse,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And no corporate overview<\/a>, please don\u2019t do that,<\/p>\n

After ten minutes they\u2019re grabbing their hat,<\/p>\n

Use real data<\/a>, stay focused, on target, be brief,<\/p>\n

Build vision, while you suspend disbelief<\/a>!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Your prospect is queued and ready to go,<\/p>\n

They love the vision you\u2019ve built with them so.<\/p>\n

They want Technical Proof<\/a> in the demo you\u2019ve planned,<\/p>\n

Specific Capabilities, everything else banned.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBut how can we do this?\u201d I heard myself cry,<\/p>\n

\u201cWe victims of momentum, we\u2019re nervous to try<\/p>\n

Another approach, a new way to go,<\/p>\n

We have to admit we\u2019re just a bit slow!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDo the Last Thing First!<\/a>\u201d he said with a smile,<\/p>\n

\u201cThen Peel Back the Layers, and Do It with style,<\/p>\n

Start with each job title is what I endorse,<\/p>\n

Then Invert your pyramid<\/a> to determine the course,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Your prospect\u2019s Situation<\/a> is a great way to start,<\/p>\n

Their Problems and Reasons; CBI<\/a> is the heart,<\/p>\n

Review these and check \u2013 is this still the case?<\/p>\n

Are we aligned or are we off base?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Start with the end, that big pay-off screen,<\/p>\n

Crisply describe just what they are seeing!<\/p>\n

Capture their interest, compel their attention,<\/p>\n

Make sure it aligns with their mode of retention.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When it clicks and they\u2019re hooked, they\u2019ll then ask for more,<\/p>\n

There\u2019s absolutely no way that they\u2019ll head for the door.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ll say, \u2018That looks great, now prove that it\u2019s so,<\/p>\n

Is it easy to use? Please show us the flow.\u2019<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Then Do It,<\/a> just Do It, with no extra clicks,<\/p>\n

To return to that Illustrative<\/a> image that sticks,<\/p>\n

Make it simple and fast, make it easy and clear,<\/p>\n

Then they will realize they\u2019ve nothing to fear,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Encourage their questions, most are not new,<\/p>\n

Good ones and Great ones (and Stupid ones too),<\/p>\n

When \u2018yes\u2019 won\u2019t suffice, avoid sowing seeds,<\/p>\n

Parking Lots help keep you out of the weeds,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Peel back the layers, like an onion you skin,<\/p>\n

Show only what\u2019s needed, put nothing else in,<\/p>\n

Let them drive the demo, a real conversation,<\/p>\n

Compelling, engaging, (and sales stage conversion!)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Move your mouse<\/a> smoothly, no zippy distractions<\/p>\n

Helps you avoid confusing retractions.<\/p>\n

Please point precisely, call out color and axis,<\/p>\n

Doing this well may take some real practice!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Then summarize, summarize, repeat what you said,<\/p>\n

Adults need to hear it three times (it is said),<\/p>\n

And when you do show a key take-away screen,<\/p>\n

Leave it up, let it linger, so they\u2019ll know what they\u2019ve seen!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI get it \u2013 I\u2019ll do it!\u201d exclaimed my SC,<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is all so obvious, it\u2019s way clear to me!\u201d<\/p>\n

And they sprang into action, their mouse flew like lightening,<\/p>\n

(Frankly, their speed was a little bit frightening!)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The DemoGuru turned, smiled and said,<\/p>\n

\u201cYour way is now clear, put that baby to bed,<\/p>\n

Your deal\u2019s now on track, your order secure,<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll make your numbers at the end of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Then he strode from my office in the flash of a pun,<\/p>\n

Turned \u2018round and he laughed, \u201cMy job here is done,\u201d<\/p>\n

Ere he drove out of sight, he offered this cheer,<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat Demo!<\/a> to all and to all a great year!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Happy Holidays and Winter\/Summer Solstice!<\/p>\n

\u2013 The DemoGuru<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2005-2025 The Second Derivative \u2013 All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With New Stanzas! (and apologies to Clement Clarke Moore)   \u2018Twas the night \u2018fore the demo and all through the house Not a creature<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36509,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[6,7],"class_list":["post-43205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-humor","tag-articles","tag-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43205"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43207,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43205\/revisions\/43207"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greatdemo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}