Just as most people are scrambling to put their to do lists in order before heading off to late summer holidays, 70 companies (that I know of, and likely more who plan post-Labor Day roll outs) are scrambling to get their product launch plans nailed down.
For these companies, the to-do list includes squaring competitive positioning, finalizing messaging, setting marketing and media plans in motion, and crafting the perfect product demonstration -- not to mention working the bugs out of the product so that it's ready to meet the market.
Over the next few weeks, I'll use this space to talk about preparing for a product launch, advice that will be useful whether you're introducing a product at DEMOfall 08 or any other venue. And I'm going to start with the question I'm most often asked, the part of the product launch that generates the most angst among companies no matter how large or small: the demo.
Let's be clear about the purpose of an on-stage product demonstration. It's not to take the audience on a feature-by-feature tour of the product, nor to cover every use case or vertical for which your product is aptly suited. The goal of the demo is simple: to entice the audience to want to know more. Particularly in DEMO's difficult six-minute format, a good demo has to capture interest, give enough evidence to confirm that the interest is merited, and set a hook so that the product and company are memorable among the dozen or so other products presenting in the same session.
Show, don't tell. With the clock ticking away, you don't have time for a long treatise on the market, your great experience, or the intricate details of the business model. (I once watched a rather experienced executive blow a demo by talking about shipping logistics rather than showing the remarkable new design his team had created.) Take the stage thinking about mean time to demo. If you're not showing the product within 30 seconds, you're talking too much.
A great demo is as much about what you don't say and show as what you do.You love your product and you know so much about it that you want to share every detail with the audience. A good demonstrator peels back his knowledge and gets to the bare essentials that highlight the product's differentiation. Think: if I can only show one feature, what would it be? Then show that one thing.
Don't wing it. No matter how many times you've shown your product, when you take the stage at a major event like DEMO, you had better be well scripted and very well rehearsed. The script plays several roles, but the most important is that it helps the experienced and outstanding DEMO crew make you look good. It's also a great fall back when the unthinkable happens, and nervousness take over your brain. An oft-rehearsed script will come back to you like riding a bike and no one in the audience will be the wiser to your knocking knees.
In Made to Stick, the great messaging book, authors Chip Heath and Dan Heath write about the "tyranny of knowledge," the situation in which you are so familiar with your content that you assume the audience is following along with you, picking up on the nuance and grasping the unspoken connections. Remember, what is second nature to you and your team is all new the audience. As you prepare and practice your demo, work first with your inside team to iron out the script. Then get an outsider's perspective. An outsider comes to the presentation with fresh eyes. That blank stare on the outsider's face tells you immediately that you're not getting your point across. An outsider will tell you truth when a team member may sugar coat it.
One effective way to get an outsider's view is to hire a coach. I've recommended a number of coaches over the years, and perhaps no one has helped more companies through the pains of DEMO preparation than Nathan Gold. This year, the self-described "Demo Coach" is making his services available and affordable in a series of one-day workshops, August 5 and 6, at the Sofitel Hotel in Redwood City. While not an "official" DEMO event, I'd recommend the workshops to anyone needing extra counsel in preparing and presenting a product demonstration. You'll find more information at http://www.democoach.com/demofallprep.html.
Lastly, I'm often asked who on the product team should demonstrate the product. The assumption from most teams is that the CEO or technical chief should lead the demonstration, but my answer doesn't always synch with the hierarchy of the team. The person who is most familiar, passionate, and evangelical about the product should drive the demo. That passion is contagious, and after all, that's the purpose of the demo: to turn those six minutes on stage into a 60 minute up-close conversation after the session.
