Barry Graubart, VP, Product Strategy, Connotate Inc. is one of the CODiE Awards’ well respected judges. He has participated in enough CODiE nominee demos to know what separates a good one from a great one. He shares his insight on what he looks for in nominees as a judge and how to leverage a win!
Before the demo:
Tip 1: Communicate with your assigned judge prior to and if needed, after your presentation. Call or e-mail with confirmations and reach a common understanding about what is to happen and how to contact you if there is a problem. Try not to leave emails and/or phone calls unanswered.
Tip 2: Check with your judges’ technology and be sure that he/she has the technological ability to see your demonstration.
Tip 3: Right from the start get comfortable with your judge, break the ice and listen to what he/she is like. Visit their LinkedIn profile in advance, to find out what they and their company do. You’ll want to understand how they may be viewing your product.
Tip 4: Set up a live demo. Don’t just give the judge access to your product and assume they’ll figure it out.
Tip 5: Don’t have your 3rd string junior product manager give the demo. Your competition might have their CEO delivering theirs. Who’s going to make a stronger pitch?
During the demo:
Tip 6: Don’t assume that your judge knows your company or your product. Start out the conversation with a brief high-level overview. Ask them to let you know if you’re going too deep or not deeply enough.
Tip 7: Don’t give a “generic” demo. You’d never do that for a real prospect (I hope). Treat the judge like a specific prospect – and set up that scenario with them. Tell them “during this demo, let’s assume that you are a (job function) at a (organization type) and you’re trying to (problem you will solve). Then, throughout the demo, reinforce that – including the value proposition of why this matters and how it will help them in their job.
Tip 8: Be prompt with the time allowed. Give the demo as you might to a top prospect. Don’t click on every menu item. Focus on demonstrating the specific capabilities that will deliver your value in the scenario you’ve laid out for them.
Tip 9: Always thank your judge for his or her time. Remember that the judges volunteer their time for this – and may watch 6-8 product demos. Show appreciation of their efforts.
Good luck with your nominations, and remember that the early deadline is this Friday! For more on nomination strategies, email me at ascott@siia.net.
Angel Scott is Awards Program Coordinator at SIIA. Follow the SIIA CODiE Awards on twitter at @CODiEAwards.