1 of 4 pages
Transition Vision - “We Love It – But How Are We Going To Get There?”
Which vendor will get the business?
0 Comments on this document
Document Transcript:
The Second Derivative
1538 Winding Way
Belmont, CA 94002
Phone: +1 650 631 3694
PCohan@SecondDerivative.com
www.SecondDerivative.com
www.DemoGurus.com
Peter E. Cohan, Principal
Transition Vision
"We Love It - But How Are We Going To Get There?"
Which vendor will get the business?
Suppose you are looking at buying a new car You've completed all of your research,
comparisons and test drives, and have reached your decision. You've even determined
what color, interior, packages and extras you want. You are all ready to buy!
You drive to a car dealership, walk in, and are greeted by a salesperson. You say, "I'm
ready to purchase a new XD-100 sedan - I even saw the specific model with the trim and
package I want on your lot. All I need to do is to trade-in my old Zephyr to use the
money to help with the purchase."
The salesperson says, "Terrific! Simply go ahead and sell your old car. Once you have
that done, come back and we'll get you set-up with your new car."
You leave, discouraged, because you don't really want to invest the time and energy to
sell your old car. You've never done it before and don't know how.
You visit a second dealership
As with the first dealer, you see the exact car on their lot - ready to go. You walk into
this dealership, are met by their salesperson, and again say that you are all ready to
purchase. "All I need to do is to trade-in my old Zephyr to use the money to help with
the purchase."
This second salesperson says, "Very good. Simply give us the keys and pink slip to your
old car. We'll give you fair value for it - right out of the Bluebook - and we'll handle all
of the documentation and transfer paperwork. We'll also take care of the taxes and
Department of Motor vehicles registration process. And, you can immediately apply the
trade-in value to your new purchase, right now. You can leave here in less than an hour
in your new XD-100 sedan."
Which dealer will get your business?
Clearly, the second dealer made it easy for you to make the transition from your current
situation to the vision you have in mind of driving off in your new car.
Page 1 of 4 Copyright 2007 The Second Derivative. All Rights Reserved 12/18/2007The same principle applies in the world of software. Vendors who can successfully
create a vision of how customers can transition from their current situation to their
desired Solution will enjoy significant advantages over vendors who do not. In
competitive situations, if everything else is equal, a strong Transition Vision can make
the difference between winning and losing the business.
Creating a Transition Vision
Once a customer is comfortable with a proposed Solution - the set of specific capabilities
they feel they need to address their Critical Business Issues (CBI's), it is time to explore
and discuss how the customer expects to implement and deploy their envisioned solution
into production use. While some customers may have a proscribed process to accomplish
this, most don't and nearly all customers would appreciate guidance from the vendor on
how best to achieve a successful deployment.
One tool to help with this process of building a Transition Vision is known as a Sequence
of Events. This is a brief listing of the key tasks that need to take place, including the
responsible players, start and end dates, and relevant "go - no/go" decision points. It is a
simple version of a Gantt chart.
A Sequence of Events, used in a discussion with the customer, helps build a Transition
Vision with the customer's participation. It demonstrates the vendor's experience in
other, similar situations and helps the customer define a workable plan to achieve their
desired objectives. Here's an example:
Item Start End Responsibility Complete
Meeting to Define General 4/1/08 4/1/08 Customer Business 9
Sequence of Events and Technical Leads;
Professional Services
Define Deployment 4/2/08 4/8/08 Customer Business 9
Objectives, User Deployment and Technical Leads;
Waves and Timing Professional Services
Pre-Installation Review - 4/12/08 4/12/08 Customer IT; Go
Go/No Go Professional Services
Installation and Admin 5/3/08 5/5/08 Customer IT; 9
Training Training
Data Loading/Migration 5/5/08 5/7/08 Customer IT; 9
Professional Services
Configuration/User 5/5/08 5/7/08 Customer IT; 9
Provisioning Creation and Professional Services
Testing
st
1 Wave User Training 5/10/08 5/11/08 Customer Technical 9
Lead and Users;
Training
Page 2 of 4 Copyright 2007 The Second Derivative. All Rights Reserved 12/18/2007st
Roll-out to 1 Wave Users 5/10/08 5/11/08 Customer IT and
Users; Professional
Services
st
Evaluation of 1 Wave 5/24/08 5/28/08 Customer Technical
Implementation Lead and Users; Go /
Training, Professional No Go
Services
Changes to Provisioning, 6/1/08 6/5/08 Customer IT,
Training Customer Technical
Lead; Training,
Professional Services
nd
2 Wave User Training 6/10/08 6/11/08 Customer Technical
Lead and Users;
Training
nd
Roll-out to 2 Wave Users 6/10/08 6/11/08 Customer IT and
Users; Professional
Services
nd
Evaluation of 2 Wave 6/24/08 6/28/08 Customer Technical
Implementation Lead and Users; Go /
Training, Professional No Go
Services
Changes to Provisioning, 7/1/08 7/5/08 Customer IT,
Training Customer Technical
Lead; Training,
Professional Services
rd
3 Wave User Training 7/10/08 7/11/08 Customer Technical
Lead and Users;
Training
rd
Roll-out to 3 Wave Users 7/10/08 7/11/08 Customer IT and
Users; Professional
Services
rd
Evaluation of 3 Wave 7/24/08 7/28/08 Customer Technical
Implementation Lead and Users; Go /
Training, Professional No Go
Services
Summary of Deployment 8/7/08 8/7/08 Customer Business
Status Meeting; Discussion and Technical Leads;
of Future Applications and Professional Services
Deployment
How Do Demos Impact Transition Vision?
Demonstrations are the primary vehicle for communicating what good things your
software provides to customers - and the use of demos extends well beyond a traditional
sales process.
Page 3 of 4 Copyright 2007 The Second Derivative. All Rights Reserved 12/18/2007Demos are often an important part of building and communicating a Transition Vision
into a customer's organization. While the customer's business and technical leads may
have seen the specific capabilities they want in the vendor's offering, it is likely that
many of the target users and other players have not. Demos may be used (or required!) to
generate interest in the target user community - to create "pull" for deployment by the
users themselves.
The same Great Demo! principles of "Do the Last Thing First" apply in these deployment
demo situations, just as they do in the sales process. Users want to know what good thing
the software will do to help them in their day-to-day tasks and processes.
Who will deliver these demos? They may come from the vendor's team - training, SC's,
professional services - and they can also come from members of the customer's
organization. Customer trainers, IT staff, lead users, power users and day-to-day users
may execute demos to others, in both formal and informal situations. Sometimes the
most compelling demos occur when one user says to another, "Hey, take a look at
this!"
Contemplate providing these communities with templates for delivering demos,
particularly to specific end-user groups, to clearly show the value provided to these end-
users right at the beginning of the demo: "Do the Last Thing First". These deployment
demo templates serve as another key component of a Transition Vision.
Transition to Sale
Vendors that successfully build Transition Visions with their prospects do enjoy higher
success rates in sales. The Sequence of Events and deployment-oriented demos are tools
that help this process - and differentiate your organization from the competition.
How well does your organization accomplish these activities today?
Copyright © 2007 The Second Derivative - All Rights Reserved.
For more articles on demonstration effectiveness skills and methods, visit our website at
www.SecondDerivative.com. For demo tips, best practices, tools and techniques, join
the DemoGurus Community Website at www.DemoGurus.com. For more information go
to www.SecondDerivative.com or register at www.DemoGurus.com.
Page 4 of 4 Copyright 2007 The Second Derivative. All Rights Reserved 12/18/2007
1538 Winding Way
Belmont, CA 94002
Phone: +1 650 631 3694
PCohan@SecondDerivative.com
www.SecondDerivative.com
www.DemoGurus.com
Peter E. Cohan, Principal
Transition Vision
"We Love It - But How Are We Going To Get There?"
Which vendor will get the business?
Suppose you are looking at buying a new car You've completed all of your research,
comparisons and test drives, and have reached your decision. You've even determined
what color, interior, packages and extras you want. You are all ready to buy!
You drive to a car dealership, walk in, and are greeted by a salesperson. You say, "I'm
ready to purchase a new XD-100 sedan - I even saw the specific model with the trim and
package I want on your lot. All I need to do is to trade-in my old Zephyr to use the
money to help with the purchase."
The salesperson says, "Terrific! Simply go ahead and sell your old car. Once you have
that done, come back and we'll get you set-up with your new car."
You leave, discouraged, because you don't really want to invest the time and energy to
sell your old car. You've never done it before and don't know how.
You visit a second dealership
As with the first dealer, you see the exact car on their lot - ready to go. You walk into
this dealership, are met by their salesperson, and again say that you are all ready to
purchase. "All I need to do is to trade-in my old Zephyr to use the money to help with
the purchase."
This second salesperson says, "Very good. Simply give us the keys and pink slip to your
old car. We'll give you fair value for it - right out of the Bluebook - and we'll handle all
of the documentation and transfer paperwork. We'll also take care of the taxes and
Department of Motor vehicles registration process. And, you can immediately apply the
trade-in value to your new purchase, right now. You can leave here in less than an hour
in your new XD-100 sedan."
Which dealer will get your business?
Clearly, the second dealer made it easy for you to make the transition from your current
situation to the vision you have in mind of driving off in your new car.
Page 1 of 4 Copyright 2007 The Second Derivative. All Rights Reserved 12/18/2007The same principle applies in the world of software. Vendors who can successfully
create a vision of how customers can transition from their current situation to their
desired Solution will enjoy significant advantages over vendors who do not. In
competitive situations, if everything else is equal, a strong Transition Vision can make
the difference between winning and losing the business.
Creating a Transition Vision
Once a customer is comfortable with a proposed Solution - the set of specific capabilities
they feel they need to address their Critical Business Issues (CBI's), it is time to explore
and discuss how the customer expects to implement and deploy their envisioned solution
into production use. While some customers may have a proscribed process to accomplish
this, most don't and nearly all customers would appreciate guidance from the vendor on
how best to achieve a successful deployment.
One tool to help with this process of building a Transition Vision is known as a Sequence
of Events. This is a brief listing of the key tasks that need to take place, including the
responsible players, start and end dates, and relevant "go - no/go" decision points. It is a
simple version of a Gantt chart.
A Sequence of Events, used in a discussion with the customer, helps build a Transition
Vision with the customer's participation. It demonstrates the vendor's experience in
other, similar situations and helps the customer define a workable plan to achieve their
desired objectives. Here's an example:
Item Start End Responsibility Complete
Meeting to Define General 4/1/08 4/1/08 Customer Business 9
Sequence of Events and Technical Leads;
Professional Services
Define Deployment 4/2/08 4/8/08 Customer Business 9
Objectives, User Deployment and Technical Leads;
Waves and Timing Professional Services
Pre-Installation Review - 4/12/08 4/12/08 Customer IT; Go
Go/No Go Professional Services
Installation and Admin 5/3/08 5/5/08 Customer IT; 9
Training Training
Data Loading/Migration 5/5/08 5/7/08 Customer IT; 9
Professional Services
Configuration/User 5/5/08 5/7/08 Customer IT; 9
Provisioning Creation and Professional Services
Testing
st
1 Wave User Training 5/10/08 5/11/08 Customer Technical 9
Lead and Users;
Training
Page 2 of 4 Copyright 2007 The Second Derivative. All Rights Reserved 12/18/2007st
Roll-out to 1 Wave Users 5/10/08 5/11/08 Customer IT and
Users; Professional
Services
st
Evaluation of 1 Wave 5/24/08 5/28/08 Customer Technical
Implementation Lead and Users; Go /
Training, Professional No Go
Services
Changes to Provisioning, 6/1/08 6/5/08 Customer IT,
Training Customer Technical
Lead; Training,
Professional Services
nd
2 Wave User Training 6/10/08 6/11/08 Customer Technical
Lead and Users;
Training
nd
Roll-out to 2 Wave Users 6/10/08 6/11/08 Customer IT and
Users; Professional
Services
nd
Evaluation of 2 Wave 6/24/08 6/28/08 Customer Technical
Implementation Lead and Users; Go /
Training, Professional No Go
Services
Changes to Provisioning, 7/1/08 7/5/08 Customer IT,
Training Customer Technical
Lead; Training,
Professional Services
rd
3 Wave User Training 7/10/08 7/11/08 Customer Technical
Lead and Users;
Training
rd
Roll-out to 3 Wave Users 7/10/08 7/11/08 Customer IT and
Users; Professional
Services
rd
Evaluation of 3 Wave 7/24/08 7/28/08 Customer Technical
Implementation Lead and Users; Go /
Training, Professional No Go
Services
Summary of Deployment 8/7/08 8/7/08 Customer Business
Status Meeting; Discussion and Technical Leads;
of Future Applications and Professional Services
Deployment
How Do Demos Impact Transition Vision?
Demonstrations are the primary vehicle for communicating what good things your
software provides to customers - and the use of demos extends well beyond a traditional
sales process.
Page 3 of 4 Copyright 2007 The Second Derivative. All Rights Reserved 12/18/2007Demos are often an important part of building and communicating a Transition Vision
into a customer's organization. While the customer's business and technical leads may
have seen the specific capabilities they want in the vendor's offering, it is likely that
many of the target users and other players have not. Demos may be used (or required!) to
generate interest in the target user community - to create "pull" for deployment by the
users themselves.
The same Great Demo! principles of "Do the Last Thing First" apply in these deployment
demo situations, just as they do in the sales process. Users want to know what good thing
the software will do to help them in their day-to-day tasks and processes.
Who will deliver these demos? They may come from the vendor's team - training, SC's,
professional services - and they can also come from members of the customer's
organization. Customer trainers, IT staff, lead users, power users and day-to-day users
may execute demos to others, in both formal and informal situations. Sometimes the
most compelling demos occur when one user says to another, "Hey, take a look at
this!"
Contemplate providing these communities with templates for delivering demos,
particularly to specific end-user groups, to clearly show the value provided to these end-
users right at the beginning of the demo: "Do the Last Thing First". These deployment
demo templates serve as another key component of a Transition Vision.
Transition to Sale
Vendors that successfully build Transition Visions with their prospects do enjoy higher
success rates in sales. The Sequence of Events and deployment-oriented demos are tools
that help this process - and differentiate your organization from the competition.
How well does your organization accomplish these activities today?
Copyright © 2007 The Second Derivative - All Rights Reserved.
For more articles on demonstration effectiveness skills and methods, visit our website at
www.SecondDerivative.com. For demo tips, best practices, tools and techniques, join
the DemoGurus Community Website at www.DemoGurus.com. For more information go
to www.SecondDerivative.com or register at www.DemoGurus.com.
Page 4 of 4 Copyright 2007 The Second Derivative. All Rights Reserved 12/18/2007
