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As a Solutions Consultant, I have the privilege of working with a variety of prospective customers to understand their unique needs and showcase how our platform can solve their business problems. Recently, I had the opportunity to deliver a two-hour demonstration of our platform to a brand I was so excited to work with. In preparation, my AE and I spent a significant amount of time building out platform capabilities to address each of the 10 use cases the customer shared with us.
When it came time to demo, I was feeling confident and eager to show off the hard work we had put into preparing for this meeting. However, things didn't go exactly as planned. The prospect became overly focused on one small, seemingly insignificant aspect of the first use case, and the entire presentation was derailed.
What was meant to be a five-minute primer turned into a 45-minute contentious discussion.
This left just over one hour to cover 9.5 use cases. In the heat of the moment, I tried to move quickly through all the remaining material to cover as much ground as possible. Unfortunately, this approach had a different effect on the prospect. They became overwhelmed and unimpressed, and it was clear that they had lost trust in my abilities and, by extension, the abilities of the solution I was presenting.
The Importance of Focusing on the Customer's Overarching Pain Points
In retrospect, it's clear that I should have taken a step back and refocused on the customer's overarching pain points, both when it came to the derailed discussion and addressing the remaining content. By doing so, I could have provided a more tailored and effective solution that addressed their specific needs and concerns.
Trying to solve every little issue that the customer has, especially in an abbreviated time frame, can be overwhelming and confusing for them.
By attempting to address too many issues at once, you risk diluting your message and losing the customer's focus. This can lead to a lack of understanding and trust in your solution.
Furthermore, focusing on the prospect’s overarching problem allows you to prioritize the most important issues and allocate your resources accordingly. Using Vivun, I saw that I spent over 50 hours preparing for this demonstration, and almost every moment of that was wasted. Had I identified the most impactful talk tracks, not only could I have better prioritized my prep time, but I also could have presented a much more impactful and memorable story.
The reality is that our audience is usually very busy, and we’re not necessarily the most important part of their day. How effectively we use this time and distill the most important parts of our message is key to delivering a lasting impact.
Summarizing Key Points to Ensure Understanding
Another takeaway from this experience is the importance of summarizing key points on a regular cadence, say every five to seven minutes. By doing this, I can ensure that the customer is following along and hasn't become lost or confused, or that they’re being brought back to the point, even if their attention drifts. This undoubtedly happens in nearly every platform demo we do in today’s virtual world. Especially during long presentations, we should expect the audience to be multitasking: checking texts, responding to emails, doing work tasks, and even online shopping (guilty).
Summarizing key points allows you to reinforce the most important facets of your argument and make them more memorable for the audience.
By highlighting the most critical aspects of your presentation, you can increase the chances that the audience will retain this information and, more importantly, remember it when they’re scoring you.
Using Questions to Encourage Participation
Planting questions throughout the demonstration can encourage participation and ensure that the customer is fully engaged in the process. By inviting them to participate and share their thoughts, you can create a more dynamic and interactive experience that is more likely to hold their attention. Demoing is not about presenting at/to people — it’s about engaging with them to showcase how your solution meets their needs. This involves asking for feedback and perspective throughout so that you fully understand the issues they need to solve.
A demo is just a framework for a broader conversation.
When preparing the demonstration, was there a detail about which you were unsure? Do you need further clarification on any processes they currently have in place? Planning questions like these in advance can not only encourage your potential customer to think critically about the solution you are presenting and how it might apply to their business, but also reveal important details about their pain points that you might not have known otherwise. By asking for their input and perspective, you can get a better understanding of their needs and tailor your demonstration accordingly.
Overall, using questions to encourage participation during a demonstration can help to build trust, foster a more interactive and engaging dialogue, and ensure that the customer is fully understanding and considering the solution you are presenting.
Planning for "Wow" Moments
Finally, I learned the value of thinking in advance about "wow" moments and ensuring that I'm starting or ending with one for each section of the demonstration. For example, kicking off a demo with something we know they struggle with today or starting with something that we do better than anyone else. A “wow” moment can be a powerful and persuasive tool to capture an audience’s attention and leave a lasting impression.
By starting or ending each section of the demonstration with a "wow" moment, you can keep the audience interested and engaged in the material.
These moments can also serve as a way to break up the presentation and provide a natural stopping point for the audience to digest and reflect on what they have learned.
Embracing a Growth Mindset
Bad demos hurt, and this was no exception. I was working with an established AE for the first time on a massive deal for a well-known brand, and I didn’t deliver.
Yet, I am thankful for the outcome. For every subsequent demo I’ve done, I have taken into account the lessons I learned, and that has paid off substantially. As Solutions Consultants, we want to perform at our very best on every outing. As much as AEs, we crave wins on those big, complicated deals, and we hope that we can consistently have a material impact on positive outcomes. Yet, we can never expect to be perfect and win every time. We can only reflect on our areas of growth, address them, and improve ourselves one demo at a time.
This experience reminded me of the importance of remaining humble and open to feedback. No matter how much preparation we do, there will always be challenges and opportunities for improvement. By adopting a growth mindset and constantly seeking ways to improve, we can become better at our craft and better serve our customers, and by maintaining a customer-centric approach, we can build trust and deliver effective solutions that truly make a difference for their business.
About Michael Rao
I'm Michael Rao, and I am a Senior Solutions Consultant at Iterable, based in New York City. I have worked in pre-sales for nearly 5 years and always feel fortunate for the opportunity to learn from and share my experiences with others. In my free time, I enjoy playing soccer, climbing, reading, and learning languages.
As a Solutions Consultant, I have the privilege of working with a variety of prospective customers to understand their unique needs and showcase how our platform can solve their business problems. Recently, I had the opportunity to deliver a two-hour demonstration of our platform to a brand I was so excited to work with. In preparation, my AE and I spent a significant amount of time building out platform capabilities to address each of the 10 use cases the customer shared with us.
When it came time to demo, I was feeling confident and eager to show off the hard work we had put into preparing for this meeting. However, things didn't go exactly as planned. The prospect became overly focused on one small, seemingly insignificant aspect of the first use case, and the entire presentation was derailed.
What was meant to be a five-minute primer turned into a 45-minute contentious discussion.
This left just over one hour to cover 9.5 use cases. In the heat of the moment, I tried to move quickly through all the remaining material to cover as much ground as possible. Unfortunately, this approach had a different effect on the prospect. They became overwhelmed and unimpressed, and it was clear that they had lost trust in my abilities and, by extension, the abilities of the solution I was presenting.
The Importance of Focusing on the Customer's Overarching Pain Points
In retrospect, it's clear that I should have taken a step back and refocused on the customer's overarching pain points, both when it came to the derailed discussion and addressing the remaining content. By doing so, I could have provided a more tailored and effective solution that addressed their specific needs and concerns.
Trying to solve every little issue that the customer has, especially in an abbreviated time frame, can be overwhelming and confusing for them.
By attempting to address too many issues at once, you risk diluting your message and losing the customer's focus. This can lead to a lack of understanding and trust in your solution.
Furthermore, focusing on the prospect’s overarching problem allows you to prioritize the most important issues and allocate your resources accordingly. Using Vivun, I saw that I spent over 50 hours preparing for this demonstration, and almost every moment of that was wasted. Had I identified the most impactful talk tracks, not only could I have better prioritized my prep time, but I also could have presented a much more impactful and memorable story.
The reality is that our audience is usually very busy, and we’re not necessarily the most important part of their day. How effectively we use this time and distill the most important parts of our message is key to delivering a lasting impact.
Summarizing Key Points to Ensure Understanding
Another takeaway from this experience is the importance of summarizing key points on a regular cadence, say every five to seven minutes. By doing this, I can ensure that the customer is following along and hasn't become lost or confused, or that they’re being brought back to the point, even if their attention drifts. This undoubtedly happens in nearly every platform demo we do in today’s virtual world. Especially during long presentations, we should expect the audience to be multitasking: checking texts, responding to emails, doing work tasks, and even online shopping (guilty).
Summarizing key points allows you to reinforce the most important facets of your argument and make them more memorable for the audience.
By highlighting the most critical aspects of your presentation, you can increase the chances that the audience will retain this information and, more importantly, remember it when they’re scoring you.
Using Questions to Encourage Participation
Planting questions throughout the demonstration can encourage participation and ensure that the customer is fully engaged in the process. By inviting them to participate and share their thoughts, you can create a more dynamic and interactive experience that is more likely to hold their attention. Demoing is not about presenting at/to people — it’s about engaging with them to showcase how your solution meets their needs. This involves asking for feedback and perspective throughout so that you fully understand the issues they need to solve.
A demo is just a framework for a broader conversation.
When preparing the demonstration, was there a detail about which you were unsure? Do you need further clarification on any processes they currently have in place? Planning questions like these in advance can not only encourage your potential customer to think critically about the solution you are presenting and how it might apply to their business, but also reveal important details about their pain points that you might not have known otherwise. By asking for their input and perspective, you can get a better understanding of their needs and tailor your demonstration accordingly.
Overall, using questions to encourage participation during a demonstration can help to build trust, foster a more interactive and engaging dialogue, and ensure that the customer is fully understanding and considering the solution you are presenting.
Planning for "Wow" Moments
Finally, I learned the value of thinking in advance about "wow" moments and ensuring that I'm starting or ending with one for each section of the demonstration. For example, kicking off a demo with something we know they struggle with today or starting with something that we do better than anyone else. A “wow” moment can be a powerful and persuasive tool to capture an audience’s attention and leave a lasting impression.
By starting or ending each section of the demonstration with a "wow" moment, you can keep the audience interested and engaged in the material.
These moments can also serve as a way to break up the presentation and provide a natural stopping point for the audience to digest and reflect on what they have learned.
Embracing a Growth Mindset
Bad demos hurt, and this was no exception. I was working with an established AE for the first time on a massive deal for a well-known brand, and I didn’t deliver.
Yet, I am thankful for the outcome. For every subsequent demo I’ve done, I have taken into account the lessons I learned, and that has paid off substantially. As Solutions Consultants, we want to perform at our very best on every outing. As much as AEs, we crave wins on those big, complicated deals, and we hope that we can consistently have a material impact on positive outcomes. Yet, we can never expect to be perfect and win every time. We can only reflect on our areas of growth, address them, and improve ourselves one demo at a time.
This experience reminded me of the importance of remaining humble and open to feedback. No matter how much preparation we do, there will always be challenges and opportunities for improvement. By adopting a growth mindset and constantly seeking ways to improve, we can become better at our craft and better serve our customers, and by maintaining a customer-centric approach, we can build trust and deliver effective solutions that truly make a difference for their business.
About Michael Rao
I'm Michael Rao, and I am a Senior Solutions Consultant at Iterable, based in New York City. I have worked in pre-sales for nearly 5 years and always feel fortunate for the opportunity to learn from and share my experiences with others. In my free time, I enjoy playing soccer, climbing, reading, and learning languages.
As a Solutions Consultant, I have the privilege of working with a variety of prospective customers to understand their unique needs and showcase how our platform can solve their business problems. Recently, I had the opportunity to deliver a two-hour demonstration of our platform to a brand I was so excited to work with. In preparation, my AE and I spent a significant amount of time building out platform capabilities to address each of the 10 use cases the customer shared with us.
When it came time to demo, I was feeling confident and eager to show off the hard work we had put into preparing for this meeting. However, things didn't go exactly as planned. The prospect became overly focused on one small, seemingly insignificant aspect of the first use case, and the entire presentation was derailed.
What was meant to be a five-minute primer turned into a 45-minute contentious discussion.
This left just over one hour to cover 9.5 use cases. In the heat of the moment, I tried to move quickly through all the remaining material to cover as much ground as possible. Unfortunately, this approach had a different effect on the prospect. They became overwhelmed and unimpressed, and it was clear that they had lost trust in my abilities and, by extension, the abilities of the solution I was presenting.
The Importance of Focusing on the Customer's Overarching Pain Points
In retrospect, it's clear that I should have taken a step back and refocused on the customer's overarching pain points, both when it came to the derailed discussion and addressing the remaining content. By doing so, I could have provided a more tailored and effective solution that addressed their specific needs and concerns.
Trying to solve every little issue that the customer has, especially in an abbreviated time frame, can be overwhelming and confusing for them.
By attempting to address too many issues at once, you risk diluting your message and losing the customer's focus. This can lead to a lack of understanding and trust in your solution.
Furthermore, focusing on the prospect’s overarching problem allows you to prioritize the most important issues and allocate your resources accordingly. Using Vivun, I saw that I spent over 50 hours preparing for this demonstration, and almost every moment of that was wasted. Had I identified the most impactful talk tracks, not only could I have better prioritized my prep time, but I also could have presented a much more impactful and memorable story.
The reality is that our audience is usually very busy, and we’re not necessarily the most important part of their day. How effectively we use this time and distill the most important parts of our message is key to delivering a lasting impact.
Summarizing Key Points to Ensure Understanding
Another takeaway from this experience is the importance of summarizing key points on a regular cadence, say every five to seven minutes. By doing this, I can ensure that the customer is following along and hasn't become lost or confused, or that they’re being brought back to the point, even if their attention drifts. This undoubtedly happens in nearly every platform demo we do in today’s virtual world. Especially during long presentations, we should expect the audience to be multitasking: checking texts, responding to emails, doing work tasks, and even online shopping (guilty).
Summarizing key points allows you to reinforce the most important facets of your argument and make them more memorable for the audience.
By highlighting the most critical aspects of your presentation, you can increase the chances that the audience will retain this information and, more importantly, remember it when they’re scoring you.
Using Questions to Encourage Participation
Planting questions throughout the demonstration can encourage participation and ensure that the customer is fully engaged in the process. By inviting them to participate and share their thoughts, you can create a more dynamic and interactive experience that is more likely to hold their attention. Demoing is not about presenting at/to people — it’s about engaging with them to showcase how your solution meets their needs. This involves asking for feedback and perspective throughout so that you fully understand the issues they need to solve.
A demo is just a framework for a broader conversation.
When preparing the demonstration, was there a detail about which you were unsure? Do you need further clarification on any processes they currently have in place? Planning questions like these in advance can not only encourage your potential customer to think critically about the solution you are presenting and how it might apply to their business, but also reveal important details about their pain points that you might not have known otherwise. By asking for their input and perspective, you can get a better understanding of their needs and tailor your demonstration accordingly.
Overall, using questions to encourage participation during a demonstration can help to build trust, foster a more interactive and engaging dialogue, and ensure that the customer is fully understanding and considering the solution you are presenting.
Planning for "Wow" Moments
Finally, I learned the value of thinking in advance about "wow" moments and ensuring that I'm starting or ending with one for each section of the demonstration. For example, kicking off a demo with something we know they struggle with today or starting with something that we do better than anyone else. A “wow” moment can be a powerful and persuasive tool to capture an audience’s attention and leave a lasting impression.
By starting or ending each section of the demonstration with a "wow" moment, you can keep the audience interested and engaged in the material.
These moments can also serve as a way to break up the presentation and provide a natural stopping point for the audience to digest and reflect on what they have learned.
Embracing a Growth Mindset
Bad demos hurt, and this was no exception. I was working with an established AE for the first time on a massive deal for a well-known brand, and I didn’t deliver.
Yet, I am thankful for the outcome. For every subsequent demo I’ve done, I have taken into account the lessons I learned, and that has paid off substantially. As Solutions Consultants, we want to perform at our very best on every outing. As much as AEs, we crave wins on those big, complicated deals, and we hope that we can consistently have a material impact on positive outcomes. Yet, we can never expect to be perfect and win every time. We can only reflect on our areas of growth, address them, and improve ourselves one demo at a time.
This experience reminded me of the importance of remaining humble and open to feedback. No matter how much preparation we do, there will always be challenges and opportunities for improvement. By adopting a growth mindset and constantly seeking ways to improve, we can become better at our craft and better serve our customers, and by maintaining a customer-centric approach, we can build trust and deliver effective solutions that truly make a difference for their business.
About Michael Rao
I'm Michael Rao, and I am a Senior Solutions Consultant at Iterable, based in New York City. I have worked in pre-sales for nearly 5 years and always feel fortunate for the opportunity to learn from and share my experiences with others. In my free time, I enjoy playing soccer, climbing, reading, and learning languages.
