
Just do the Demo - ciscoriordan
http://ricksegal.typepad.com/pmv/2009/05/just-do-the-demo.html
======
davi
_"It’s a compliment when you are asked to skip the slides and just do the
demo. Really."_

Back in 1999 I was at the bottom of the hierarchy of a 2000-person company,
presenting to the CFO. After two slides she said, "OK, what's your recommended
solution?"

I said, "I haven't finished laying out the problem!"

She said, "That's fine, what are your recommendations?"

I was young and stupid and insisted on showing her how significant the problem
was before going on to the recommendations section. I had thought out the
problem so well, and I felt upper management _had_ to understand the arguments
I was making.

In retrospect, I can imagine that she had some trust in the tech people
working there, and _believed_ when she was told there was a problem. But I had
run into so many mid-level people who didn't understand that there even _was_
a problem, that I felt I had to sell the CFO something she was already sold
on.

I think this is part of that mystical quality, 'experience': realizing when
the reality of someone you're talking to is different from the realities of
the last 99 people you talked to, and adjusting the message accordingly.

I can imagine that, in terms of evaluating pitches, VCs and angels inhabit
very different realities than one's friends & colleagues.

------
RiderOfGiraffes
In part this comes down to some advice I was given many, many years ago:

 _Learn to listen._

It's not just to listen to the exact words, but also to the message behind
them. Learn to find the message, and if you're not sure what the message is,
ask questions to elucidate.

In the case given the message is something like _"I see your point, I trust
you, move along, I don't need convincing."_

If you think the do still need convincing, ask. They're being blunt with you,
you be straight with them.

For neuro-typicals this is fairly easy. For most tech people it's a skill
waiting to be learned.

Learn it - it's valuable. Trust me, and move on.

~~~
wglb
Very, very good advice.

To make a parallel, quoting Issac Asimov "The most exciting phrase to hear in
science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!)
but 'That's funny ...'". Meaning that you need to pay attention to the small
messages, and you do that by listening.

------
Steve0

      After making Michael Arrington "no hand shake" jokes...

Apparently MA is from Techcrunch. I can't find a reference to his hand shake
jokes though.

Does anyone would like to fill me in?

~~~
cl3m
[http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/09/hand-shaking-is-so-
medi...](http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/09/hand-shaking-is-so-medieval-
lets-end-it/)

