Lucas Wilson
REDuser Sponsor
Speaking as someone who has done demos for a long time, and also been an in-the-chair artist (though not a colorist)...
The Art of Demos by Lucas Tzu...
1) Humility. A demo jock's job is never to prove how much they know and how good they are. I've seen a lot of frustrated artists in demo roles. They are awful at it, because they are trying to prove the whole time what wonderful artists they are.
2) Knowledge. But not obsessively proving how much you know does not make up for ignorance. Going into a demo at a facility like Fotokem and showing a product to people like Walter and Paul Chapman and Bill Schultz requires extensive holistic knowledge of the post-production process.
3) Honesty. Admit clearly and openly what you do not know. If you don't know the answer, don't fake it. Trying to bullsh*t technical knowledge with a Chief Engineer or Senior Colorist at any facility will only end poorly. Similarly, don't lie about what your product does and does not do. What's worse - them finding out during the demo, or finding out after they purchase?
4) Process. The purpose of a demo is not to show all the wonderful things your product can do. It is to show enough of the product and convince enough people of its usefulness that the facility brings the product in for an in-depth evaluation. It's only during the eval process that the really in-depth button tweaking happens.
5) Friendliness. You've got to be a social and gregarious person to start with. In 90% of the demos I do, and the really good demos I see of other products, about 20% of the demo is actual button pushing on the product. The other 80% is talking and getting people to tell you what they need and why.
6) Listen. As you go through the basics of a product, people in the room will always give away what their hot buttons are. They will always ask questions about what they really want to hear about. But you have to be listening and able to pick up on those cues and steer things that direction. Otherwise, you'll charge blindly ahead and show things nobody really cares about and miss the key thing they do care about.
7) Confidence. You're not an in-the-chair Colorist. You're not a Chief Engineer. You don't work at a major facility doing big titles. So what? They don't expect you to be. And at the same time, they are not demo artists and they do not know the product and the workflow as well as you do. Be confident about what you know and what you do. In sales, the meek shall inherit nothing.
8) Acceptance. Your product is not right for everyone. Realize that, and gracefully admit when it doesn't seem like your product is the right fit. Facilities really appreciate that, and they will certainly remember what your product *does* do, and if they need it in the future, they'll be much more likely to call back if people aren't trying to ram stuff down their throat in the initial approach.
9) Nakedness. (no no... not that kind of demo... just kidding...)
Lucas
