
Ask HN: I’ve built a product that aids a company. They’ve invited me to demo it… - chicago_
Hi all,<p>I’ve (very recently) built an MVP that makes integrating with another very well known service much more straightforward. I already have a good relationship with this company and I’ve been asked to demo the product to a very senior person in a few weeks time. How would you suggest approaching the demo?<p>It’ll be fairly informal, but I’m thinking we bring a very short deck explaining who we are and where the product is right now, followed by a demo and then a roadmap - using the rest of our time to listen rather than talk.<p>Does this sound like a good plan, would you suggest?
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davismwfl
I have done this in the past successfully and also had a prior company try to
get my architecture/design to build their own.

First, don't bother with an NDA that is just a waste of time at this point,
you are doing pre-sales work here treat it as such. You should walk in as if
you didn't know them and were going to a client to talk about this cool new
product you built.

In order:

1\. State your Agenda to the team

2\. Ask them what they hope to learn from the meeting.

3\. Do a basic presentation on what the product is and how it can solve the
integration problem and the value you can see in the product. Make sure you
address anything they specifically mentioned wanting to learn from the meeting
(with a couple of exceptions see #4&5).

4\. Do a basic demo to show you have something real (MVP is fine) but don't
get pulled into design/architecture discussions, just show it works. Talking
about the types of technology you used is fine, just stay out of the details
or IP side of it.

5\. Talk, but do not show anything about roadmapping. Just give specific
enough but still vague direction that they know you see the problem and have a
plan. They may press for timelines or details depending on their goals, do
your best to deflect some of that until you know their intent.

6\. Ask lots of follow up questions, see what they think and ask them directly
if this is something they can see using and be bold, ask how you get them
signed up. That gives you the basis for the next steps.

Assuming they show interest but want more details on the system, then that is
where you can go to the next level of engagement and say you'd be happy to
share more details once you have a mutual NDA in place. In that NDA you can
also protect yourself from them "stealing" the idea and doing it on their own.
Technically it just gives you the ability to sue them if they did that, but it
generally keeps honest people honest.

Good luck! This is an awesome way to start as a lot of times the prior
relationship can be a huge win for both of you. Just be aware you are dealing
with them as a potential vendor now so the rules are different.

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NonEUCitizen
Have a lawyer draft an NDA and make them sign it before the demo.

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jerrre
You could ask what their reason is for wanting you to demo it?

