TrendWatch Blog
Another perspective on vendor demos
17-May-2007
Tony has provided some advice to vendors regarding product demos. Those 10 points make essential reading, but there is another perspective. Since I have personally sat in on those demos both as a buyers' advisor and as a vendor (system integrator), I need to add several points to the list. As a customer, when asking vendors to demonstrate their products:
- Ensure all the decision makers you need are in attendance. There is nothing more soul destroying for a vendor after having flown across the continent at their own expense for the meeting to hear that "unfortunately Robert (key influencer and decision maker) is busy and can't attend today."
- If you know what tool you're going to purchase, don't bring in other vendors for fun, or to fake a "competitive" situation simply for your procurement process. It's just not fair or ethical.
- If the vendor is going off on a tangent during the presentation, tell them so and reaffirm your areas of interest. They cannot read your mind.
In short, both sides should always respect the other. As a buyer you should be seeking a partner to work with, not underlings to do your bidding. Mutual respect -- and frankly a bit of common sense on both sides -- can go a long way to improving these notoriously hit-and-miss affairs.
- Submitted by: Alan Pelz-Sharpe, Analyst
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