As a rule for me, vendors who will not supply a demo, upfront, before any meetings, never see the door. Simple.
(1) If the product the vendor wants to “present” to us is supposed to be simple, requiring minimal support, a demo would allow us to verify that. Insistence on a “presentation” including, or in lieu of, a demo usually means the product is overpriced or there is a general lack of confidence about performance.
(2) With few exceptions, if we can’t figure out a product and use it without a presentation, the product is likely to be “too” complicated, meaning costly training training and support after the sale.
(3) Upfront demos allow us to evaluate the quality of support we can expect from the “real” people we have to dealwith everyday – the technical folks. Speaking of technical folks – on those occasions where we invite a presentation, we insist on a technical person being there; and, that person better give us a “warm fuzzy” about the product from a technical standpoint.
Sure, it’s a tough approach. A lot of factors are not in the vendor rep’s control, which is petrifying for most of them.
The payoff for the vendor? Threefold. Wasted resources are avoided for us and the vendor; “presentations,” when allowed, are highly focused and based on “our” needs; and, the groundwork has already begun to be laid for a relationship that transcends the sale.
