What are the best ways to conduct a proof of concept with a customer?

Before initiating the Proof of Concept (POC), ensure clarity on the project's scope, goals, and success metrics. Establishing a mutual understanding of pain points, use cases, timelines, and deliverables helps manage expectations and align efforts with the customer's vision.

Identifying clear scope, goals, KPIs, and desired outcomes is paramount, but also a common wisdom. What many neglect is a clear answer to a question "What are you selling/showcasing?" You are not selling a product. No! You are selling an experience. Customers do not need to know, nor do they care about the name of your product. They care about the experience your product will bring in their day-to-day work. Therefore, in addition to understanding the scope, goals, KPIs, and desired outcomes, focus on understanding customers' day-to-day experience. Now, focus your POC on how to elevate that experience.

I think this is the most critical step that often can get rushed through. This is the opportunity to really understand the pains and for you to paint the vision for a future state. The focus shouldn't be on individual features or capabilities, but how the solution is enabling the future state. At the end of the project, it is a great opportunity to then compare the results of the POC and improvement over the initial state. If there is an improvement over the initial state and you are showing progress toward the future desired state, you will get buy-in for a decision to go with your solution.

Defining the scope and goals of a proof of concept (POC) is crucial for ensuring clarity and alignment between you and the customer. Clearly outline the specific features, functionalities, or capabilities that will be demonstrated or tested during the POC. This could include core functionalities, integrations with existing systems, performance benchmarks, etc.Define any technical requirements or constraints for the POC, such as compatibility with certain platforms, security considerations, data privacy requirements, etc.Identify the resources needed to execute the POC, including personnel, equipment, software licenses, etc.Define specific, measurable outcomes or success criteria that will indicate whether the POC has achieved its goals.

It's really important to understand the KPI's that are measured today and to rank stack them in order of value to the client. As an example, if there are 5 KPI's, and you solve for 3 of them - are they valuable enough to help the client make a decision. Sometimes only one metric really matters and will help drive a decision. It's best to understand this before doing a PoC.

Select an appropriate environment (cloud-based, on-premise, hybrid) and relevant data sets that mirror the customer's scenario. Obtain necessary permissions and integrations to work seamlessly with the environment and data.

On top of the scope and objectives of the POC, getting the right data ( right source, decent size that can reflect reality if not complete) is most crucial. And you would assume certain things as well, so it’s important to have those mutually validated. When dealing with complex process optimisation topics, it could be a good idea to calibrate past performance so that you can prove the improvements. Once we have the same starting point, it becomes much easier to convince the value your solution brings.

Select an environment which closely resembles the customers environment to make it very much relatable to the customer while we demonstrate the end product. While we also need to keep in mind the security, privacy , accessibility of data resources, scalability etc.

Selecting an environment akin to the customer's production setup is crucial for POC success. It enables early detection and resolution of issues, fostering customer trust. A pre-production environment, if accessible, further ensures thorough testing, minimizing surprises upon deployment. This approach not only streamlines formal evaluation but also delivers a resilient solution that meets customer expectations effectively.

Conducting an effective proof of concept with a client involves defining clear objectives, selecting the right client, establishing a detailed plan, providing technical support, collecting and analyzing data, soliciting feedback, and presenting the results. A well executed one can demonstrate the value of a product or service and establish a strong relationship with the customer.

Highlight the most impactful features and benefits of your solution, tailored to address the customer's specific needs. Avoid overwhelming the customer with irrelevant details and instead, use storytelling to demonstrate how your solution adds value and solves their problems.

In the POC your goal is to demonstrate how you can solve a customer problem in a shorter time-frame than a project. Leverage your tool's features and capabilities, but always draw it back to the problem at hand.

When conducting a proof of concept (POC), it's essential to focus on highlighting the key features and benefits of your product or service that are most relevant to the customer's needs and objectives. Start by thoroughly understanding the customer's requirements, pain points, and goals. Identify the specific features and benefits of your product or service that directly address these needs. Focus on demonstrating how your solution can solve their specific challenges and deliver value to their business.Whenever possible, quantify the benefits of using your product or service in terms that resonate with the customer. This could include cost savings, productivity gains, revenue growth, time savings, efficiency improvements, etc.

Ensure to focus on the features which addresses the business problem highlighted by the customer at the time of requirement gathering. The over all solution should be very easy to understand and any unwanted complications are expected to be avoided.

One thing i find helpful is data, or demonstration of the key features and benefits, to prove to customers a high success rate that they will achieve their goals

Regularly seek feedback from the customer throughout the POC process. Address any objections promptly and professionally, while proactively anticipating and overcoming common concerns such as cost, risk, or compatibility. Encourage open communication to gauge interest and confidence in your solution.

Soliciting feedback and addressing objections during a proof of concept (POC) is crucial for ensuring that the customer's concerns are addressed and that the POC stays on track towards successful completion. Establish clear channels for communication with the customer throughout the POC process. This could include regular meetings, email updates.Encourage open dialogue and make it clear that their input is valued.Rather than asking general questions like "Do you have any feedback?", ask specific questions related to the objectives of the POC and the features being demonstrated. For example, you could ask, "How does this feature align with your business needs?" or "Are there any concerns you have about the performance of this functionality?"

Ensure to have regular customer catchup with the customer to showcase the progress made so far and mitigate any potential challenges and bottlenecks. Any gaps identified by the customer is to be fixed on timely basis.

Solicitar retroalimentación en todo el proceso de ventas es vital, los prospectos comienzan a evaluar a los proveedores desde las primeras reuniones y midiendo el nivel de las preguntas que hacemos en esas fases, por lo tanto debemos saber que preguntas hacer en todo momento, y a partir de ahí comenzar a eliminar las objeciones que tengan, las más comunes con Precio, Tiempo, Soporte, y debemos estar preparados para afrontar las objeciones y aclararlas cuando sea necesario y las veces que el cliente necesite ayuda, hay que tener en cuenta que el riesgo en una negociación cambia, inicialmente es del vendedor pero luego se transfiere al cliente y es ahí donde debemos darle todo el apoyo y la confianza en nosotros como empresa.

You need to have a good feedback loop in the POC so you can effectively re-visit points of contention to properly move forward. Use the feedback to your advantage by reassuring the prospect of what is feasible within and outside of the POC realm. These can be useful for future project improvements.

Summarize the key findings and outcomes of the POC, reinforcing the value proposition of your solution. Request feedback and testimonials to refine your offering and create case studies. Promptly follow up on next steps and actions, maintaining a positive relationship with the customer throughout the closing process.

Según mi experiencia, el seguimiento es algo muy importante, todas las actividades dentro del proceso de ventas es vital que se planifique y se cumpla, de la mejor forma posible, sin embargo el seguimiento es una tarea que puede dejarnos por fuera de un negocio, como dicen algunos mentores en ventas: Evitemos ser "fastidiosos" a la hora de hacer seguimiento, y hagamos seguimiento no "perseguimiento", siempre debemos generar valor a la hora de comunicarnos con un prospecto o cliente, ese valor agregado nos dará más autoridad, confianza, y nos ayudará a escalar más alto en nuestros prospectos/clientes, el resultado será el obvio si hacemos todo bien... cerraremos la venta.

Evaluate the outcomes of the POC against the defined objectives and success criteria. Determine whether the POC successfully demonstrated the value of your solution and addressed the customer's needs.Prepare a summary report or presentation outlining the findings and recommendations from the POC. Highlight the key benefits and value proposition of your solution based on the results of the POC.Based on the findings of the POC and the customer's feedback, propose specific next steps for moving forward. This could include finalizing contract terms, scheduling further discussions or demonstrations, or proceeding with implementation.Once all terms have been agreed upon, finalize the contract and close the deal.

Once the POC is completed we need to ensure we showcase the outcome and results to the customer. Share all the learnings we gained from this POC and how this can help them in mitigating their current business problem. Seek their valuable feedback so that we can improve futher.

Highlight the successes and the failures of the POC - any of the points that weren't covered in the POC can be used for further project scoping together with your professional services team.

When running a Proof of Concept (POC), remember it's not just about the tech specs. It's also about the story you're telling the prospect. Imagine together how your solution transforms their world, solving real problems in vivid, meaningful ways. And don't stop at the POC—think ahead about how everything will click into place later on. Also, consider the post-POC phase. Planning for the integration and scaling phase in advance showcases foresight and commitment to your prospect's success, making the transition smoother.

Algo muy importante cuando nos comunicamos con nuestros prospectos para establecer relaciones comerciales, es el manejo del riesgo en la venta, hay 2 premisas importantes aquí: 1. Es mejor perder una venta, que tener una venta con perdidas 2. Estamos creando alianzas para ayudar a las personas, finalmente una venta se hace para las personas no para las empresas representadas en un papel. Con esto en mente, nuestra misión es ayudar a nuestro cliente a que mejore en su negocio y sea mas rentable y eficiente, y de paso ayudamos a nuestra empresa a ganar confianza y rentabilidad en cada negocio, por lo tanto trabajemos con humanidad y humildad en todo momento.

Prototyping or a video of the simulated solutions showing that my solution are workable and will target the goals and objectives