The Demo Coach

How to be more memorable?

Nathan Gold — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:47:41 +0000

An elevator pitch can make or break your company, and often does. If you cannot articulate the value of your company, product, service, or cause within 60 seconds, you may not get the chance to be heard. An elevator pitch (or 60 second pitch) should be on the tip of your tongue so that at anytime you can sound credible, convincing, and leave your listener with a memorable moment about you and your company.

Below is one of the most creative examples of an elevator pitch I have seen in a long time. In just 53 seconds, they will capture your attention and you won’t look away until the end. Here it is:

Back from Ireland and England

Nathan Gold — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:41:16 +0000

I have returned from an amazing trip abroad. I met many wonderful people and had the opportunity to present The Top 10 Mistakes People Make In Presentations And How To Avoid Them several times to a very diverse audience of people from many parts of the world. The most fun part was #8, which is Cultural Unawareness. It’s a hoot and a laugh when people explain how a gesture, a word, a picture, and a reference to food mean one thing in one culture and something completely different in another.

I also just received this note from one of the people who joined me for the presentation I recently gave in Liverpool, England. I thought it would be fun to share it with you…

Dear Nathan,

What a pleasure it was to attend your presentation in Liverpool. We met prior to your presentation, during your presentation, and after. You were kind enough to present me with your book on demo presentations. It was so good I read it in one sitting!! I subsequently read it at a slower pace and what was remarkable was how the contents of your presentation reflected the book contents. I assure you it was a memorable presentation. I was the guy who in our pre-meeting chat explained to you my invention and the difficulty I had in getting people to understand what I was talking about. You came up, within a minute, that wonderful description of a car and space ship analogy. I know this was totally effective because of the audience reaction during the networking after your presentation. Thank you.

We in the UK desparately need your skills. In fact I think the whole of Europe does. I recently sat through a European wide series of business presentations that was abysmal without exception. Nathan, it was a joy attending your presentation, I learned a lot and look forward to developing our relationship.

Very best wishes,
Rodney Jackson
Managing Director
Cojac Limited

My host was Steve Smith from Liverpool Vision. Thank you Steve for assembling a great group of people who participated on every level. I had a really enjoyable time with everyone.

Ireland is a wonderful place

Nathan Gold — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:22:43 +0000

I am just finishing up a gig in Dublin, Ireland working with Enterprise Ireland for the second time. I want to publicly acknowledge my hosts Des, Cathie, and Cian for all of their support and help during these past two days. You are truly wonderful people. The start-up companies you support in your program are lucky to have you. I look forward to the next time we get to work together.

I also want to thank Jonathan Baer, from Threshold Ventures. He came with me to Ireland and delivered a compelling presentation on how to raise money. Being an accomplished Silicon Valley venture capitalist and serial entrepreneur, Jon added real solid value for the attendees by helping them really understand how an investor thinks and how to approach them. Thank you Jon!

DEMOspring 2010 was a wonderful experience

Nathan Gold — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:03:40 +0000

With DEMOspring 2010 behind us, everyone is now looking forward to seeing how the experience will continue to pay off. Whether you went to the conference to find investors, get media coverage, attract customers, or just network with really amazing people, it was a huge success. Everyone I spoke with expressed how the quality and caliber of companies assembled by Matt Marshall and the DEMO team were the highest ever and exceeded the expectations of many.

eXaudios was the winner of the $1 Million Media Prize. We worked together remotely from San Francisco to Ramat Gan in Israel for the better part of 6 weeks leading up to the conference. At times, each of the eXaudios team were in different countries when we had practice scheduled. Without fail, Skype kept us together and allowed all of us to connect easily. Each and everyone of the eXaudios team were delightful to work with and I truly hope they see amazing results from all of their effort.

Here’s is their demo reel from the show:

See you next time in the San Francisco Bay Area in September for DEMOfall 2010!

The end is here and the beginning is tomorrow

Nathan Gold — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 03:43:13 +0000

I have reached the end of two full days of dress rehearsals with all of the companies presenting their 6 minutes on stage at DEMOspring 2010 beginning tomorrow. There are a lot of really amazing companies in the line up, so stay tuned for the postings as the conference proceeds. To see a list of the companies presenting, go here: http://demo.com/event/demospring2010/agenda.html#

I have one more coaching session tonight….

Off to DEMOspring 2010 in the morning!

Nathan Gold — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:37:56 +0000

Well, it’s been an amazing few weeks leading up to the DEMOspring 2010 conference in Desert Springs next week. I am really looking forward to seeing how the people perform on stage, especially the ones I coached. I leave in the morning to drive from San Francisco to Palm Springs. It’s a road trip I have been looking forward to since I love to drive. I’ll be sure and let you know how the conference unfolds.

Exactly 14 days until DEMOspring 2010

Nathan Gold — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:37:53 +0000

It may be hard to believe for those preparing for their 6 minutes on stage at DEMOspring 2010, but there are only 14 days left before the first company takes the stage in Palm Desert. It’s crunch time. It’s time to get really serious about committing your scripts to memory so you have enough time to practice and ultimately deliver your demo with emotion and tremendous enthusiasm.

I still have time in my calendar for those of you who want a review of your scripts or 90 second Alpha pitches. Please go here to schedule a review session: https://my.timedriver.com/HGQ3R

And remember, after your full dress rehearsal in Palm Desert on Saturday or Sunday, The Demo Coach station will be available for you to review the recording of your rehearsal. This will be a perfect time to get some last minute coaching for your time on stage or in front of the mic for your Alpha pitch.

DEMOspring 2010 workshops and webinars – taking registrations now

Nathan Gold — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 04:05:37 +0000

This year’s DEMOspring 2010 conference is approaching quickly. It will be here sooner than you think. Once you have been accepted and make the decision to announce at DEMO, it is only the beginning of a journey to one of the most important presentations and demos in your life. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you and your company. Get ready for an amazing experience.

As the official DEMO demo coach, I am excited to offer a complete set of programs that will help you get prepared for your time on stage or in front of the mic for an Alpha pitch. Check out the calendar below for scheduled workshops and for a complete description of all programs, go here.

DEMO Spring 2010 is in the final stages of picking companies

Nathan Gold — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:36:35 +0000

The DEMO Spring 2010 conference is approaching quickly. If you haven’t heard of this conference, it is an amazing stage to announce your product, service, and company to the world. All eyes are on Matt Marshall, DEMO’s new Executive Producer, to see that he and his team put up a dais of companies that match or exceed the quality of the past. I look forward to being in the audience in March along side Chris Shipley.

Here’s a recent note from the DEMO team:

Important Upcoming Deadlines for Demonstrating or Attending at DEMO Spring 2010

March 21-23, JW Marriott Resort, Palm Desert, CA

Demonstrator/AlphaPitch Application Deadline- January 18, 2010

Jan. 18 is the deadline to apply to launch or pitch at DEMO Spring 2010. If you have a product in any stage of development (or represent a company who does), in any of the following vertical segments, we want to hear from you! DEMO Spring 2010 gives you or your clients a first-of-its-kind opportunity to present in one of seven industry-specific launch categories:

• Social and Media
• Health and Life Science
• Clean and Sustaining Technologies
• Cloud
• Enterprise
• Mobile
• Consumer

DEMO is interested in market-ready products, alpha-stage products as well as business plan only initiatives. Please contact Matt Marshall, DEMO Executive Producer at mmarshall@venturebeat.com or go to www.demo.com for complete information and application forms. Take advantage of our quality programming, quality attendance and quality marketing support that yields the most credible launch opportunities.

Early Preferred Attendee Pricing Deadline Extended until January 8, 2010

We’re happy to offer an additional week on our early preferred DEMO attendee registration rates.

Register now to be one of the first to see DEMO Spring 2010 industry-specific launches. Each segment will feature product launches, product pitches by early stage entrepreneurs and dedicated, focused discussions on the funding challenges and opportunities within each DEMO tech segment. You won’t find a better opportunity to explore products from every stage of development—and get in on the ground floor of some of the most innovative new technology we’ve seen in years.

NEW! Save Money with VIP Pricing on DEMO Spring and Fall 2010 Events

Register by Jan. 8, 2010 to attend DEMO Spring and DEMO Fall 2010 and as DEMO VIP member, pay only $1,945 for both shows. That’s a $2,550 savings over paying for each event separately. Here’s your chance to secure the biggest savings on this premier launch event while enjoying a full year of DEMO VIP Membership Benefits.

Or, if DEMO Spring 2010 fits your schedule now, sign-up by January 8 for $1495, a 50% savings off the standard single-show DEMO conference rate.

We look forward to seeing you at DEMO Spring in March either on stage or in the audience!

The DEMO Team

Giving Memorable Product Demos – Praise for the Book

Nathan Gold — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:49:29 +0000

Did you know, our book Giving Memorable Product Demos is now available on Amazon.com? Although local Amazon stores do not carry the title, people abroad can order it on Amazon.com for worldwide delivery.

We are especially proud of the feedback we have received from our early readers. Here are a few of the kind words we were sent:

“Giving Memorable Product Demos is the difference between being forgotten and generating raving fans and profits through every word and action.”
Joel Bauer, Author and Infotainer

“The authors have given a career’s worth of memorable product demos and generously shared their expertise with hundreds of product pitchmen. This book captures all that experience in a concise, valuable, highly-useful text. Giving Memorable Product Demos is a Must Read for every product manager, no matter what your industry.”
Chris Shipley, Executive Producer, The DEMO Conferences

“ANY salesperson will profit from this wonderful book. It talks not only about Product Demos but how to put ideas and feelings in the head of the customer to make them want. Great job done Nathan and Claudio!”
Chris Mulzer, CEO kikidan media, Berlin

“In all things, your growth is limited by the quality of the experts you choose to learn from. To give powerful and compelling demos, you can do no better than learning from Sennhauser & Gold. This is it; this is the pinnacle. If you don’t want to leave your future demos to chance, get this book!”
Jonathan Altfeld, Trainer of targeted uses of NLP, & author of NLP & Hypnosis home-study programs such as “Finding Your Irresistible Voice” and “The Metaphor Machine.”

“Finally a book dedicated to the art of giving successful product demos. The advice given by the authors is right on and will make even the most seasoned presenter more effective while planning, preparing, and executing their demo.”
Kate Purmal, President, Kate Purmal Consulting

“If giving technological demos is important to your business, then ‘Giving Memorable Product Demos’ is a lifesaver. In it, Nathan and Claudio arm you with all the strategies you need to educate, entertain, and influence your audience, so that they’re excited to do business with you.”
Mark Levy, Founder of Levy Innovation LLC, and author or co-creator of four books, including “How to Persuade People Who Don’t Want to be Persuaded”

“This is a bible for all people who think they understand how to demo products. It shows you exactly how to KISS!”
J. Dennis Wolfe, Insurance Broker-Owner and Author

“Open this book and you’ll find that it’s much more than a primer for young entrepreneurs. It starts out with a simple idea: inventory and critique your presentation skills using a video camera in one continuous take. From that point on, Gold and Sennhauser show entrepreneurs and other presenters how to build and deliver effective live product demonstrations using basic and proven techniques.”
Jim Forbes, Executive Producer of the DEMO Conference

If you have read the book already, we would love to hear from you. Please comment below. We want to hear it all… the good, the bad, and the ugly.