We’re deep in an application selection process for a fairly significant piece of software, so I’m enjoying myself immensely because its vendor demo time. I love vendor demos, they’re fascinating. When I attend successive demos for a particular application I increasingly focus less on the product and more on the people who have been selected to present it. I often ponder on the choice of person that a company has made. Its obvious to me that some companies obviously haven’t pondered very long, for some its obvious that they paid absolutely no attention to it whatsoever. The demos I particularly enjoy are the ones where the company CEO or President turns up, who thinks he is best qualified to present their flagship application.

Love it.

You know that at some point he’s going to mess it up and the most junior person there, y’know the one that actually knows the product, has to step in and save his arse. The easiest way to upset a demo is to ask questions that are off-script. That’s when you know how well the presenter knows the product and this is where I see a huge difference between men and women.

We all know that men can’t do two things at once. For us, talking and operating an application are mutually exclusive. Its very difficult, particularly if some client wants to deviate from the well-rehearsed script: talking stops while the application is manipulated; confusion ensues while the shift is made; suddenly the product looks clunky and difficult to work with.

Not so if a women is presenting: there’s an effortless shift; no break in narration; question answered; back on script; wow, this is a slick and easy product.

Face it guys, vendor demos should be women’s work.

A few years ago we went through a rather lengthy selection process for a significant software purchase, it came down to two products and it was a difficult decision. I remember that we made the decision at the end of the day and I called up the CEO of the company who was not going to get our business, to give them the tough news. She wasn’t there, so I left a voicemail.

When I came in the next morning, I had about half-a-dozen voicemails from her. They were virtually indistinguishable from a dumped girlfriend’s. It was freaky but hysterical. Naturally, in respect for a fellow professional’s lapse in judgment, I deleted them…

After everyone had time to learn them verbatim… I know in my heart that this was a relationship that would have worked… Etc, etc. There were definitely tears on the third or fourth call.

Disclaimer: Similarity to any vendor demo currently living or dying at my institution is purely coincidental.

Be Sociable, Share!

•