Tips to Avoid Demo Drama - Tip 2: Sometimes you just need to cut your losses
My worst demo was also one I didn’t do—but for very different reasons.
In my best demo, the customer became so interested in the software that they ended up doing the demo themselves.
In the worst case, we just never got as far as the demo. We had done all the preparation. We had qualified the use-case, and identified the customer need. However, somewhere along the line, there had been a misunderstanding. I was never sure exactly where that misunderstanding had crept in. However, during the introduction to my demonstration, the customer realised that what I was about to show them was not at all what they wanted.
Fortunately, they were sensible and honest enough to say that immediately, and we agreed to stop the meeting. I was grateful that at least we didn’t waste any more of anyone’s time. It was, however, somewhat embarrassing, to say the least.
I learned an important lesson that day: always confirm expectations with the customer, and with those attending the demo meeting. It is better to be honest about NOT being able to meet those expectations, and then cut your losses quickly, than to waste everyone’s time on something that is irrelevant to them.
