Executing Software Demonstration

There is a bridge in front of you. The bridge leads to as yet unknown destination on the other side. Which kind of person are you? Will you be the first onto the bridge, trusting in its stability and eager to find out what is on the other side? Or are you more cautious, wanting to thoroughly understand both the destination and the journey before taking that first step?

When we demonstrate software, we need to understand both the perspective and the spectrum of those potential sojourners. For, in fact, we are asking them to cross a bridge with us, leading from their current systems and state to a new situation – one with which they have little experience and less faith. Bridge Demonstrating is both the concept and the method by which we persuade all necessary parties to go with us from the current state to the desired future state. Coincidently, is also the method by which we secure the sale and the successful implementation of our software.

The Sojourners

Bridge demonstrating starts with an understanding of the people that we want to lead across our bridge. The most important word here is “perspective”. We need to step away from our perspective of the bridge and destination, and understand theirs.

In looking at the table, it become obvious that selling software from our perspective is of little value in helping our prospect cross the bridge that we want them to cross. We’re starting from a position of strength and confidence, completely assured that the both the crossing and the destination will prove fruitful. This is natural: If we didn’t believe we wouldn’t be very effective at our job. But the starting point for the prospect is exactly the opposite: They are, by a large, starting from a position of weakness, with little understanding and very little confidence. That’s no way to start any trip.

This generalization of all participants is a little too broad, but it is helpful to force a change in perspective. There must be someone among the participants that has faith and a desire for change. Otherwise, why would the organization be looking for new systems at all? It is true that not all participants in the buying process fit the exact definitions above. While it varies by individual, and it is our desire to get every individual across the bridge, there are some ways of categorizing our sojourners and predicting their likely reactions to our proposed journey.

As you might suspect based on the different characteristics, the same message and method will not work to convince all of our potential travelers of a safe journey and a happy destination. You will need to craft and execute a different strategy for each category of person. And, of course, account for the occasional straggler that doesn’t fit into our mold.
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To re-emphasize the importance of perspective, remember that your strategy for each category of traveler must take into account their concerns, priorities, and motives. This implies, of course, that you must understand these and account for them in your demonstration activities.

The Current Location

Most sales teams concentrate on the advantages of what they offer, not an understanding of the prospect’s current environment. That’s a shame, as you can’t build a bridge from just one side of the divide. Watch how bridges are built and you will a process that works from both directions towards a common mid-point. For our sales process, the side representing the current situation is often the best starting point.

The Destination

We see the destination from our point of view. A view that includes the experience of other customers in addition to our personal knowledge of the superiority of our products. Most presenters work from this view. But the prospect sees only one side of a rather hazy destination in the distance, with none of the detail and perspective that we have. We can add detail and perspective by doing the following: