I found myself trying to explain the benefits of using salesforce.com. The person I was explaining this to looked at me like I was speaking Latin.
What was I doing wrong?
- The person was interested in the topic
- I understand the topic
- We had been talking for less than 3 minutes, so I hadn’t been droning on and on
At first I was frustrated, then I said the magic words. “Let’s log into salesforce.com I will show you the benefits.”
- I showed the reports that we were using to track sales, cancels, installs, disconnects, and revenue
- I showed what a recurring revenue service looked like
- I showed how the only way to change a revenue service is by creating a service order (and showed how this was automated)
- I showed how we would be able to track changes to our installed base
- I explained how the service order, would replace the hated excel spreadsheet that is currently being used for service orders
The person was no longer looking at me like I was speaking a foreign language. They were excited and asking questions. They had additional ideas that could improve the workflow that I had described.
So what changed?
Originally. I had tried to use words to describe the benefits. When I changed my tactic and demonstrated how we were using salesforce.com, their was no ambiguity. We were now on the same page. I don’t think we ever would have gotten to the same level of understanding if I hadn’t done the demonstration.
The adage - A picture is Worth a Thousand Words, is wrong. You can’t replace the benefit you get from a picture/demonstration by adding more words. It just doesn’t happen.
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