sales demo = implementation method!

Worse still — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:31:00 +0000

Well, we've just bought an ITSM product from a vendor who's name should Best reMain Confidential.

Their (apparently tried & tested) project implementation approach fixates on a HTML flicky flicky demo that bounces from screen to screen faster than a 1990s nightclub strobe light. I've got a good handle on the theory but when this joker demos his product with incomplete or zero data, meaningless metadata and finishes every comment with "well, you can customise it as far as you want, but we recommend that you stick to out of the box ITIL", it irked me no end.

the best demo is no demo

skeptic — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:09:48 +0000

My demo training course says the best demo is no demo, and the second best demo is one screen and takes 1 second, but you'll talk to it for 10 minutes

A wise old man once taught me... its the problem stupid!

ianclayton — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:06:09 +0000

In a previous life while a product manager a very wise and very old man (Ed Johnson of Dallas TX) stood before the national sales force and explained how they might laugh today, but they would respect him in the morning (!). His mission - to simplify the hugely complex 'solution' based sales strategy of our 'service driven operations' product portfolio, and by doing so help better qualify prospects and shorten the sales cycle.... hhmm..

His opening questions to the sales team, who had been dragged screaming to the venue and persisted in conducting sales prospecting during Ed's prologue.... with an obvious air of "I don't want to be here"...

1) "How much of your product do you need to show a prospect if you don't know their problem?"
2) "At what point in your sales pitch do you demo?"
3) "How lengthy are your demos?"

Ed waited for an answer. The silence was as they say deafening. He summarized what many would like to have said, but for some reason didn't:

1) "all of it", or at least as much as is needed before they recognize something or show interest
2) "as early as we can", oh and thats why we need expensive pre-sales subject matter experts
3) "a minimum of three hours", depending on #1

Ed's sales best practice guidance and preferred answers were:

1) "none"
2) "avoid if possible, or only to close the deal"
3) "as long as they need to be to illustrate how the key problem (singular) identified is addressed"

He then spent two days rebuilding the sales process for a product set that included configuration, SLM, Finance, Asset management, Helpdesk, change management and a few more.... oh it was not ITIL compliant - it was actually around 1992 and ITIl agnostic!!!

Needless to say the whole approach changed - successfully by returning the focus of all concerned to the needs of the customer, and trusting that if you made a difference, you made your number...

Thanks Ed - it was a treat to behold....

The IT Skeptic - Comments for "No thanks I don&#039;t want to look at your ITSM product"

sales demo = implementation method!

the best demo is no demo

A wise old man once taught me... its the problem stupid!

The IT Skeptic - Comments for "No thanks I don't want to look at your ITSM product"