Demo Skills Assessment - Do It Now

Posted by Peter Cohan on May 19, 2010

0 comments | 1223 reads

Some people suggest that delivering a terrific demo is an art. While there may be components of creating and presenting demonstrations that are intangible, many other demo skills can be measured. Multiple measurements done over time provide an understanding of strengths and growth opportunities; and, of course, measurements done by yourself may offer differ from those done by others!
[If you already agree that demo skills assessment is a good thing, you might cast your eyes to the bottom of this post where I offer an assessment tool in Excel format for your use.]

I recommend performing an assessment of your current state of practice on a regular basis. A first assessment provides a baseline; subsequent reviews can offer insight into areas of strength or opportunities for improvement:

If you are an Individual Contributor:

To provide a qualitative/quantitative set of measurements of your own performance for goal-setting, personal growth and to seek coaching in areas where you can improve
In order to compare pre- vs. post-Workshop results, if you plan attend a Great Demo! Workshop
In order to compare pre- vs. post-event results, if you plan to attend other related skills training (presentation skills, sales skills, etc.)

If you are a Team Leader:

To provide a qualitative/quantitative set of measurements for managing performance, goal-setting and coaching of your team
In order to compare pre- vs. post-Workshop results, if you plan to provide your team with a Great Demo! Workshop
In order to compare pre- vs. post-event results, if you plan to provide your team with other related skills training (presentation skills, sales skills, etc.)

In some organizations, assessments are done on a regular basis (quarterly, for example) and are often tied to quarterly or annual goals and objectives. There are (at least) 5 assessment perspectives worth considering:

The individual’s view of his/her own performance
His/her manager’s perspective
Another member of the selling team’s viewpoint
A customer’s assessment (it is tough to get unvarnished opinions from customers, but terrific when you can!)
A relatively disinterested 3rd party deeply skilled in assessing demo skills performance across a broad range of demos types, sales situations, and delivery mechanisms (e.g., me).

You are welcome use my existing Demo Skills Assessment to help “kick-start” your own assessment process. It provides a range of skills and topics rated on a 10 point scale, on either an individual or team basis, in Excel format. Contact me at PCohan@SecondDerivative.com if you’d like to receive a copy. You are also welcome to edit the Assessment as desired for your own specific situation.

Republished with author's permission from original post by Peter Cohan.

Peter Cohan

Peter Cohan is the founder and principal of The Second Derivative, focused on helping software organizations improve the success rates of their demos. In 2004, he enabled and began moderating DemoGurus®, a community web exchange on software demonstrations. He is the author of the book Great Demo! - how to prepare and deliver surprisingly compelling software demonstrations.

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