Lets talk about the demo......

Having sat on both sides of the demo table—first as ?Procurement evaluating software, and now as a solution engineer—I’m obsessed with the delicate dance between all those sitting at the table. Everyone should leave winning. Yet that doesn’t happen as I saw on the purchasing side.? While everyone at the table shares a common goal, their perspectives and priorities always conflict, creating a frustrating experience where much is said, yet little progress is made.

Let’s unpack my thoughts and make this better. This is a recipe.

The Customer is Balancing Optimism and Skepticism

The? procurement and IT teams sit across from the sales representatives, eager and optimistic that this new software solution might solve their pain points. But, years of experience have taught them to temper their enthusiasm with caution. They want the demo to be concise and to the point, yet also crave details that will help them assess how the solution integrates into their specific workflows and walk away know how it works in the same breath.

Their challenge? They often walk away feeling like they didn’t get what they needed—either too much fluff or too much jargon. Looking for someone that just clicks and gets it. That person is essentially Bigfoot. You have heard about them and want to find them. Yet…….

The Sales Team wants a Story

Sales professionals are trained to tell compelling stories, and for good reason. Stories sell. They want to help hospitals understand how the software can transform operations, think big picture but they often lack the nuanced knowledge of the daily grind in supply chain. This knowledge gap can make their storytelling seem disconnected from the real-world challenges. Or worse they assume and don’t listen. We have met these as well and I have met some unicorns that get it all right.

Sales teams often need to rely on discovery conversations to gain insight, but time constraints and hospital expectations can limit this exchange or consulting see's it as an area to exert value and not allow it.

The Consultant Trying to Stay Neutral

Consultants, brought in for their expertise, want to minimize interactions and drive an unbiased review. Make it systematic, to the point. Their focus is on securing the best outcome for the hospital, especially since they’re responsible for implementing the solution post-purchase. While this neutrality can be beneficial, it often means they shy away from asking deeper questions, prioritizing efficiency and brevity over depth. Creating a giant sales pitch rather than understanding

The Solution Engineer (reverse the phrase)

The solution engineer is tasked with bringing the demo to life, showcasing how the software not only solves today’s problems but fosters a culture of problem-solving within the healthcare organization. The challenge, however, lies in effectively communicating the technical side of things without overwhelming the hospital team. Balancing vision and pragmatism is always a delicate act. And ego comes into play greatly here. Assuming they know best and talking before listening. They have 3 different customers in the room at minimum.

Lets add in some more trouble, The Time Paradox

There’s never enough time in these demo sessions, yet somehow, too much time is often wasted on unnecessary details (think discovery) or tangents or just leaves them with so much on the table it freezes the project. Every stakeholder walks away feeling like something critical was left unsaid or unexplored, creating a lingering sense of dissatisfaction.

A Better Way Forward

So, how do we reconcile these competing priorities and ensure that the demo achieves its purpose? Hint- I don’t always for various reasons and need to.

• Expectations!?!?!?!?!?! These need to be clear and communicated. And if something doesn’t align, Talk about it openly. Each party is an expert of something, explain why/not. What is a demo? What works from each perspective? What does the customer want to happen? What does the customer think is going to happen? What did the consultant tell the customer is going to happen? What did sales tell the consultant is going to happen? What did leadership tell the solution engineer to do?
• Pre-Demo Discovery: More time should be spent upfront understanding the companies specific challenges. Not just in general terms, but down to the day-to-day realities of their supply chain. This empowers the solution engineer and sales team to craft a demo that speaks directly to those pain points and be able to clearly explain what it doesn’t solve. Cloud based software is the driver of this. No more cut and run.
• Collaborative Storytelling: Rather than sales teams leading with generic stories, involve? customer staff in co-creating the narrative. Ask them to describe an existing challenge, and then walk through how the solution solves it in real-time. Show the relationship that exists after that contract is signed. That’s the most important part. Because the story sometimes isn't resolved and the relationship is the solution.
• Structured Time Management: Break the demo into well-defined sections: discovery, solution demonstration, implementation overview, and Q&A. Each section should have a time limit, ensuring that no area overshadows the others. Hard Stop. No one enjoys a rambler (you know the song about to get stuck in your head)
• Actionable Next Steps: End with clear, actionable takeaways for each team. Whether it’s scheduling follow-up sessions for more technical deep dives and smaller groups or involving end users for feedback, like actual real conversations, everyone should leave the demo knowing what comes next.

Demos shouldn’t feel like a tug-of-war between conflicting priorities. It does because of a lack of communication and transparency throughout both sides. With better preparation and communication, we can align all stakeholders toward a common goal: getting to the point. I can honestly and confidently say after sitting on two teams, communication transparency is the problem. Solve it, everybody wins.

?The views expressed on this LinkedIn post are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Oracle.

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