Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

Lunch is not overdone as long as YOU don't overdo it. Don't waste their time, and have something to say that will matter to THEM (your audience). If you do this well, they will even come back when you invite them again some day. If you talk about yourself and your product instead of the benefit for them, you could do yourself some long-lasting damage.

The key to success will be giving them information that THEY will find valuable and worth the time/effort. Make your demo the support for your big-idea benefit promise, not the star of the show. (And don't confuse features with the benefit.)

Lunches are great. Just be sure to focus on your audience's needs, pain points, and problems. Make your presentation about value, about solving issues, and about making smart, informed choices. N on cares about you or your business, so don's sell yourself. Instead speak about what's in the future for your audience.

How about a lunchtime webinar, with the twist that lunch is delivered to them (in their office) after (or perhaps during) the webinar. This'll save them the hassle of getting to the meeting, and allow them to be available to their staff during. You'll likely have less of their full attention, but you may have more attendees. This will force you to hone your presentation to its essence to make it compelling to THEM.

some in the software field say there are three rules for selling software:
1. Don't demo
2. Don't demo
3. Don't demo

I don't know enough about your company or your software or your market or your sales organization or your industry or your price point to know if this is good advice for you are not.

But I know that I have sat through seemingly endless software demonstrations.

And I know that most people who buy software don't buy it because it does everything, but because it addresses one specific critical need.

I would encourage you to ask yourself, "what would I present if I could not demonstrate the product?" This will force you to focus on the needs of your prospects and the tangible benefits from your offerings.

And that is what C level executives are looking for. These are not user buyers. They probably do not care if the product is beautiful or easy to use or flexible. But they do care about how the technology can save them money and/or provide them a competitive edge.