You set up the pilot for the ops lead. Her VP of Engineering joined instead, and he has not read your deck.
A solutions engineer at a data-analytics platform, presenting a four-week pilot readout.
Lena Okonkwo, Director of Operations, ran the pilot to cut her team's manual reporting from twelve hours a week to three. She invited her VP of Engineering, Raj Mehta, who approved the pilot but was not in any of the check-ins. Raj has twenty minutes before his next meeting. Lena is enthusiastic. Raj has said hello and opened his laptop.
Find out what Raj actually needs from this readout, show only what answers that, and leave with a security review scheduled — not a feature tour.
Lena
Director of Operations, Harborline Health
She opens busy but civil, and she is holding 4 things back — 1 near the surface, 1 that take real questioning, and 2 you will only get to if the conversation genuinely goes well. What they are, and what makes her say them, is the part you have to find. She is not scripted to volunteer any of it.
The objectives for this scenario, and the four axes every product demos call is graded on.
Was what they showed tied to a problem this buyer had actually stated, or a tour of what the product does?
Did they stop and find out whether it landed — and change course when it did not — or present uninterrupted?
When the product could not do something, did they say so plainly and move to what it does do, or deflect and over-promise?
Did the buyer leave able to describe what this would change for them, and was a next step agreed?
The buyer can articulate the change and agreed what happens next.
They liked it and cannot say what it would do for them.
Too much shown, nothing retained.
The demo never connected to anything the buyer cared about.
Running a readout for the person who can say no, not the person who ran the pilot. 20 minutes, live voice, and a scored debrief you can replay. The first call is free.