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We'll take a look at some of the best practices for presenting a product and for viewing a product presentation...
The best way to start a demo is the way you will end the demo. Heh, I didn't make this up but the theory is that you most remember the last most important thing you saw and most presentations 'end' with the best thing you will see. So, why not show the best up front, cement that vision, and then work through the rest of the product?
Most presentations tend to stray away from the core functionality that the customer wants to see. So, give them what they need to see and only what they need to see, really, everything else is just a distraction for the viewers.
The power of the presenter is to illustrate the "Power of the Delta", if you can differentiate the way it is done today and the way it could be done tomorrow, then you created the proper vision that will resonate and 'stick' to the viewers.
Heh, if I am tying to impress the viewers, the best way is to develop illustrations for their use cases (how they will use the product in each specific instance). The first illustration is to show the baseline, the shortest way to do it. Then you show the improved version, using some options to make it better, more efficient. Lastly, you show the advanced version, basically on steroids (bad word these days for David Ortiz in Boston) with the bells and whistles...a visionary approach>
Now, let's talk about questions that arise from the audience. If you really need to know, sometimes, we love to hear those questions, other times the hair rises on our back! Why?
There are three types of questions:
- a great question
- a good question
- a stupid (sorry!) question
Can you figure out what a GREAT question is...easy, it's a question that leads you directly into your next presentation point. Perfect! Give them kudos and move forward.
OK, how about a good question? Something that you can effectively address but the answer really doesn't impact everyone just a select few in the audience. For the others, its boring. So, you take it over to the 'parking lot', write it on the white board and address every detail after the main preso. This way, whoever is interested in the answer can stay, the others can leave. Perfect, everyone gets what they want.
Finally, a 'stupid question'. I hate to do this, but it's question that a distractor asks where the only purpose is take the presenter away from where they are into an unknown space that has no relevance to the audience or the objectives of the meeting. Even if you want to or can answer it, you do NOT want to, it's a waste of every one's time and serves no purpose. SO, take it to the parking lot, just like above and deal with it later, see if that person is willing to stay late so they can get the answer in private, one on one, with the utmost attention. Guess what, they will leave because it is not even worth their time. Result: detractor is detracted, case solved!
