Demo Like A User

As an individual contributor for 13+ years, I demoed many software tools, services, and platforms. Throughout this time period, I also demoed to a wide array of personas, from marketers to sales reps to IT professionals to small independent business owners. What I've learned is regardless of how great your product or service is, if you fail to take on the role of your desired user you greatly reduce your chances of making a sale. Let's elaborate.

First, we need to define who your desired user is. I define the desired user as a person or persons within an organization who will be two things: 1.) your champion & 2.) your super-user. Additionally, your desired user is a person or persons who benefit from using your solution without experiencing a single disruption to their day to day workflow. Read that last line again because it's critical that you embrace a user first mentality when demoing your solution to a user. I see it all of the time, sales reps demoing their desired user the same way a customer success rep would onboard a new user. Before you can onboard a user, the user has to first become a customer. Here are some examples of how our sales development reps and account executives identify their desired users and sell to them as if they are user themselves.

Dataminr sells to four market segments: News, Finance, Corporate Risk & Government. In this article, I will share how we qualify and demo to our desired users in our News and Finance markets.

Our Desired User Profile

• News User - We know exactly which tools they depend on each and every day to effectively do their jobs. Technologies such as TweetDeck and Slack are the most commonly used platforms for accessing user defined filtered news and communication. Our intention is to optimize their workflow and simply make them stronger at their jobs. Visual examples of our integrations are below:

Dataminr News for Slack

Dataminr News for TweetDeck

• Finance User - This user is very difficult to get a hold as their role requires uninterrupted attention between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. From Traders to Portfolio Managers, we're constantly trying to quickly articulate value with the goal of securing a meeting with them. This is why it's imperative that we do not disrupt their preferred workflow we optimize it and clearly demonstrate return for THEM. Below is an example of how Dataminr integrates into a traders workflow via AIM (yes they use AIM as their primary communication tool!) See the example below.

Dataminr for Finance integrated with AIM

Our SDR Prospecting and Qualification Techniques

• Discover Who and Articulate Why? - Once you've identified your desired user, you'll need to explain why it's imperative that you both have a conversation. Remember, it's all about them, their workflow, their job and their success. How does your product or service contribute to your desired user's success?
• Qualify, convince and pass onto an Account Executive - I tell my team all often, unqualifying is qualifying. You're actually showing an amazing level of respect for your prospect when you give them every opportunity to say no. Getting to a no is just as important as getting to a yes. Time is so precious in the world of your desired user. They need to realize that time spent with you gains them valuable time back in their work day. Time spent with you means they can be more effective at their role than ever before. An example of a question you can ask your desired user could be, "which part of your job is the most time consuming and why?". Team meetings don't count by the way so don't them off the hook if they respond with that answer. However, if they respond with answers such as research (time-consuming), data collection (time-consuming), waiting on others (time-consuming) or my all time favorite doing less with more (time-consuming), you have a qualified desired user. Pass it on, it's demo time.

Remember - Demo Like A User

Our Account Executive Demoing Techniques

• Emulate your desired users work environment - Your SDR just did an amazing job during their discovery process with your desired user. Don't ruin a good thing! Discovery call data is such a valuable asset that to ruin it by going rogue and not sticking to the process is a wasted opportunity. When you arrive at your demo, be sure to display a visual work environment that closely resembles your prospect's. Remember, we want to optimize workflow not disrupt it. Remove any thought of a learning curve or something being displaced. If your user lives in TweetDeck, then start your demo in TweetDeck. Never start a demo as if you're training them on how to use your product. The time for training a user is after they become a customer.
• Demo like a user showcasing examples that matter to them - Use your discovery call data points and highlight how your product alleviates pain, makes one's job easier and demonstrate ROI for both time and money (which are essentially one in the same). If your desired user is an assignment editor, you better be sure to show he or her how they can obtain featured news stories and events to assign to reporters. Be able to explain the advantages of using your product vs. the status quo. No one cares about how cool your product is, they care about how cool your product could make them look. In most cases, your desired user is not keen on the concept of change. Desired users are busy. Don't waste their time. Respect it. Demo like a user and you'll earn their respect and most important their endorsement.