Presentation coaching that will help you win awards or raise capital!

With the DEMO conference continuing to expand to new markets, coaching you on presenting in those markets is not the same as coaching here in the US.  There are many subtle differences to what you might do and how you do it given that you might be presenting in China or Germany.

As you prepare for DEMO07China, DEMOGermany or DEMOfall07 in San Diego, I am here and ready to help.  Please feel free to call me directly on my moby at 510.579.8530 to talk about anything related to DEMO conferences.

I look forward to helping you create a better experience for yourselves and the attendees at DEMO.

iLighter won an award at DEMOfall 06 with this presentation:

OK.  I give.  You win.  I understand and appreciate that most of you reading this don’t have tons of extra money to hire a demo coach.  I really do understand.  But, you still need one, no matter how good you think you are.

So, instead of using my approach of tackling DEMO as a project, I am offering my demo coaching services ONLY on an hourly basis for DEMO this year.

Call me to discuss your needs and I will work within your budget.  We can work together over the phone, in person, over the Web, using VOIP, or whatever means you have at your disposal.  I am here and ready to help.

I can be reached at 1.510.579.8530 or email me.  Good luck on your way to the stage and make it memorable.

Homestead won an award at DEMO@15 with this presentation:

There are three days remaining before some of you will walk up on stage or to the microphone to give your best demo ever.  I wish you luck and I will keep my fingers crossed that all goes as planned.

Speaking of planning…If you haven’t already planned for a breakdown in your demo, now is the time.  I know I have said it before, but having a backup plan is so important in this venue because you only get one shot at your 6 minute or 1 minute demo.  Once the clock starts, it will click down with no stopping.

So, please be sure that you have a back up plan and more importantly, practice the backup plan so that you won’t be flustered on stage.  If your demo breaks, keep moving and don’t worry.  The audience understands that it’s a pressure cooker situation.  If your demo goes South, just take a moment, collect your thoughts, and keep going with your backup plan.

Unfortunately, I will not be attending this year due to another opportunity for my little business on the other side of the world.  Things get pretty quiet for me right after DEMO and this opportunity will potentially keep me busy for many moons to come.

Break a leg, as they say in show business.  I’ll be watching from afar.

Sadly, I will not be attending the DEMOmobile 2004 conference this year. I am not very happy about that because it’s where I get to do my research and have new stories to tell and examples to draw from.

The good news is I am going to the CEDIA EXPO in Indianapolis. It’s quite different than DEMOmobile. This conference is all about home theaters and custom home installers. It’s the biggest show in the U.S. for home electronics and the creature comforts that go with having your own home theater. I’ll post some notes and photos just for the fun of it. I plan to take copious notes on every product demo I see.

So, if you are reading this as a presenting company at DEMOmobile 2004 (6-minute or 1-minute spot), I hope you have a peak experience in your life this week. If you are well prepared and worked hard at this demo, the results should be a story you tell for many years. Remember, if you have fun, if you are compelling, and if you are passionate while demoing your product, the audience will remember you for good reasons. Be sure and plan out the feelings you want the audience to have when you are finished. How they feel after your demo is the key to attracting people to you and your product.

Until next time…Demo with passion or don’t demo at all.

Aim and practice to finish in under 6-minutes.

During your rehearsals (and I hope you are serious about your rehearsals), if you aim to finish in 5:30, then you give yourself a little float time in case something doesn’t go as planned. You might even aim to finish in 5:15 to be safer. It is better to finish early than finish late.

Don’t even think of going over on your time whether you are on stage or giving a 1-minute mic spot. If you have to be escorted off of the stage or have the mic pulled from your face, you have lost any chance for an award. All the positive feelings you have created in the audience during your demo can turn negative in a heartbeat. Remember, finish in 6-minutes or less!

Music Maestro!

One of the best methods of motivating yourself is through music. Find one or two pieces of music that set you on fire so you can use them to instantly get you in the right frame of mind for your demo.

Personally, I use the Rocky theme song (from the original movie) anytime I need to get motivated. When the movie came out in the summer of 1976, I saw it 12 times in 5 days. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I actually watched the movie 3 times back-to-back on the first day. What can I say. It inspired me to know that I could have anything I really wanted in life if I wanted it bad enough like Rocky did, but am also willing to work at it too. The music and movie are so ingrained in my brain that I don’t even need my MP3 player anymore to listen to it.

Use your inspirational music as often as possible to get you motivated to do your best. Play the music just before you walk out on stage, in your head, of course. Go out on stage and have fun. Smile and look out over the bright lights at the audience who is anxiously awaiting your demo. Demo your product and get the audience excited and inspired to visit your booth. Give it your best shot and let your favorite music pave the way to a DEMOgod Award for you and your company.