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5 TIPS TO A GREAT SOFTWARE DEMO

In my vast experience in the software industry, a demo is not only important but necessary to the point one can say that the eventual deployment of software to any system begins with a successful demo. Here; in my view, are 5 tips to carry out a successful demo.

MANAGE YOUR AUDIENCE’S EXPECTATION

Focus on the unique selling points of your software and drill the importance into the minds of your audience. Do not oversell your software by promising the software can do something it can’t rather be truthful and open about its capabilities.

ENSURE THAT BAD APPLES DO NOT SPOIL THE BUNCH

Anticipating that there might be those in your audience who might ruin your demo, it will be highly smart of you to devise means of alienating such people. 2 methods I’ve used come to mind:

Create a scheduling conflict so that those you perceive to be bothersome to your demo should be busy while you are in session
Book 2 separate demos. Invite those whose feedback you value and then invite others to another session.

DO A PRACTICE RUN

Remember that when you're performing a demo you are not only trying to sell your product you are also trying to sell yourself. It is so easy to go wrong in a demo, run into situations you need a few minutes to solve, all these make your audience jittery and begin to lose confidence in you. Also, practice they say makes perfect.

PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL

Experience has also taught me that people pay more attention to how the application looks rather than what it actually does. Eliminate anything that could pose a distraction, readers could be distracted by readable content. If you have to include anything you think might distract the audience make sure to review and edit it so it gives a positive feedback and can always draw back the conversation to the uniqueness of the application.

POINT OUT THE OBVIOUS BUG

As humans are not perfect so are applications. This is why it is always better to do a trial run of the demo so that you will be able to notice bugs.

When you are performing a demo and such bugs creep up you would have a ready explanation and in this case it is always better to tell the truth and explain that it is under review and should be resolved by the time the application is deployed to site.

Do not try covering up as this could eventually make your audience lose confidence in your ability and the capabilities of the application, but if you are able to explain it away without coming off as unprofessional, please have at it. Book 2 separate demos. Invite those whose feedback you value and then invite others to another session.

IN CONCLUSION

There are lots more tips I've been able to garner in my years in the software industry, but these 5 tips; are in my view, the most important that can help you out in preparing for a successful demo. IBM not only improved its economic bottom line with embracing diversification but also increased employee productivity as employees were meant to feel part of the company and that their opinions mattered.

Monitor on the other hand didn't really embraced diversification and actual showed fear for it and only embraced it after top managers made it an open issue.

And well trained IT managers will be able to associate the company's economic success with implementation of the right technology.

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DIVERSITY: IBM VERSUS MONITOR COMPANY- A CASE STUDY

The success of diversity in the make-up of a company depends highly on its acceptance by top management. All companies that practice diversity have modes of implementation and this goes hand in hand with the company’s philosophy.

Let’s meet our case studies:

IBM is globally known for manufacturing of PC Computers, software as well as for business consultancy. Monitor Company is a group of companies that offer business consultancy and IT solutions. The IBM stance is that diversity is an investment in the future of its clients and the future of business, business development and business diversification. IBM’s approach to diversity was to sell the idea to top management and with the top managers accepting diversity it began to show in the way they worked and acted. IBM took a huge philosophical leap in business approach as it associated itself with the success of its clients and noticing that its clients were of diverse needs, tastes, sex ethnicities it sought to cater for each of its client’s unique needs, in a way ‘putting the client first’ in their decision making process.

This shift in doing business rubbed off on the junior managers and eventually the entire staff of IBM as they were able to see that diversity was not only good for business but also for operations as the leadership structure changed and employees were looked upon as partners and diversity was linked to business goals. The top-down mode of implementing diversity was considered the reason for success of the new found philosophy and increased productivity from the work force. Monitor Company on the other hand took the issue of diversity as a trend and not so seriously. Implementation was from the bottom up and as such faced serious resistance by top management.

The top-down mode of implementing diversity was considered the reason for success of the new found philosophy and increased productivity from the work force.

Monitor Company on the other hand took the issue of diversity as a trend and not so seriously. Implementation was from the bottom up and as such faced serious resistance by top management.

It was really at a sit-down of top managers to discuss diversity that management saw how serious it needed to diversify as staff productivity was dwindling.

This caused a shift in implementation of diversity and had Fuller; its founding director, accept the role of diversity as a tool to improve performance at Monitor.

In the end Monitor adopted the top-down mode of implementation of diversity. Management at IBM recognised the value of diversity as part of culture and that their customer base was diverse and in reflecting such diversity in expanding into new areas of business made IBM very successful at reinventing itself tin the global market.

Monitor on the other hand while not diversifying business interests did diversify its work force thus increasing staff productivity but only after adopting the top-down method.

Monitor on the other hand didn’t really embraced diversification and actual showed fear for it and only embraced it after top managers made it an open issue.