中華資訊網路協會 Chinese Information & Networking Association

4675 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 101, Santa Clara, CA 95051

 
 
CINA December Monthly Seminar
 

How to Create and Deliver Surprisingly Compelling Software Demonstrations

Date/Time: Saturday, December 18, 2004, 10am - 12pm

 10:00 am - 10:30 am Registration & Networking
 10:30 am - 12:00 pm Presentation, Q & A
Venue: Fenwick & West LLP, 801 California St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Speaker: Peter Cohan, founder and principal of The Second Derivative, a consultancy focused on helping software organizations improve their sales and marketing results. 
Fee: Free for CINA Members; $10 for Non Members
RSVP:  Email to: RSVP@cina.org with subject “12/18 Monthly”
Website: www.cina.org
 

Objective: To introduce a framework for the creation and delivery of improved demonstrations and presentations enabling increased probability of success in the development, sale, and deployment of software and related products.

Summary: If you are completely happy with the current state and effectiveness of your organization’s software demonstrations, then use this time for something else.

If you feel that your demos could stand improvement, then you should attend this event. We can always find ways to improve that sometimes result in surprising benefits.

If you are seriously concerned about the effectiveness of your demonstrations, then investing an hour or two to participate in this event is imperative! What you learn may make the difference between a lost sale and a new customer, or a delayed order vs. making your objectives for the quarter.

Many demonstrations focus on teaching customers “how” to use a software product – product training, in fact – and neglect communicating “what” the software enables the customer to achieve with regards to the customer’s business goals and objectives. This results in bored audiences, uncompelling demos, key people leaving and inconclusive meetings, in the short term, and lost or delayed business overall.

There are three key areas of importance in software demonstrations:

1. Infrastructure

2. Organization of the content

3. Understanding of the customers business issues and objectives

This event addresses the last two items head on. We’ll share how to ensure that you have captured the information you need before you create or show your demonstrations. Most importantly, we’ll help you organize the content of your demos to ensure that you address your customer’s key business issues within the first few minutes of a demonstration.

The result is crisp, compelling demonstrations that satisfy VP’s and senior management, champions, users and all other players.

Speaker’s Biography:

Peter Cohan is the founder and principal of The Second Derivative, a consultancy focused on helping software organizations improve their sales and marketing results. In July 2004, he enabled and began moderating “DemoGurus”, a community web exchange dedicated to helping sales and marketing teams improve their software demonstrations. In 2003, he authored "Great Demo!", a book that provides methods to create and execute compelling demonstrations.

Before founding The Second Derivative, Peter founded the Discovery Tools® business unit at Symyx Technologies, Inc., where he grew the business from an empty spreadsheet into a $30 million operation. Prior to Symyx, Peter served in marketing, sales, and management positions at MDL Information Systems, a leading provider of scientific information management software. Peter currently serves on the Board of Directors for Collaborative Drug Discovery, Inc. He holds a degree in chemistry.

Peter has experience as an individual contributor, manager and senior management in marketing, sales, and business development. He has also been, and continues to be, a customer.