Why Do Software Demos Sometimes Suck?

I am a frequent user of LinkedIn (my profile is here... go ahead, link in.. I'd be honored) and recently asked folks there this question:

Have you ever been on the receiving end of a bad software demo, especially on the web? What has the presenter done to lose the business?

The answers came in fast and furious. The most common responses had little to do with the product itself or the subject matter knowledge of the presenter. In fact, too much familiarity with the tool sometimes was the biggest problem. Here are the most common complaints:

• They focus on what their product does, not what it does for the customer
• Doesn't focuses on what makes their product unique so it looks exactly the same as the competition
• Not understanding the experience level of the audience so it's either way above their heads (making them dizzy) or painfully elementary (making them dizzy)

My favorite quote came from one of my contacts who said:

"When I'm on the receiving end of a demo I'm typically just trying to get a feel for the fit and finish of the product. When the presenter starts going through menus item by item my eyes roll up in the back of my head and I start thinking about all the heartbeats that will have been wasted by the time it's over. If I want them to take the valve covers off, I'll ask. Otherwise demos are for kicking tires and checking cup holders."

Take a look at our course offerings and you'll see that here we focus on asking questions and understanding what it is the customer wants to know before launching into a demo, then getting there as quickly and painlessly as possible.

How confident are you in your team's ability to give customers what they need, not what you think they should know?