The sponsoring executive is requested to send a letter or email to all intended workshop attendees. The intent of this communication is to stress the importance of the event and to encourage thorough preparation by each attendee prior to the event.
A sample memo is provided below.
Dear colleagues,
The pre-sales demonstration plays a key role in our ability to sell software. Although we invest regularly in training on selling techniques and product functionality for our sales and application engineers, we believe that now is the time to also invest in affecting a step-function change (for rookies and veterans alike) in your ability to deliver high-impact product demonstrations and presentations.
I am therefore pleased to invite you to attend our Demo Skills Workshop, <dates> in <location>. This workshop will be led by Wayne McClelland, often complimented during his 25-year career with SDRC (a 2500-person engineering software company acquired by EDS in 2001) as being "one of the few software executives who can authoritatively demo the software". Wayne combines energy, knowledge of the industry, and an uncanny connection with the audience to deliver highly credible and motivational presentations. I encourage you to learn more about the workshop at:
We will begin each day at <time start -- suggest 8:30am>, concluding day one at about <time end day 1 -- suggest 5:30pm> and day two at about <time end day 2 -- suggest 4:00pm>. I urge you to be on time... in this workshop, sessions build upon one another, so we just can't accept any late arrivals or early departures. A detailed agenda is available at the above website.
But training is an investment from both sides. In order to get the most out of training, the participants must put their best efforts into it. The first part of that is preparation. Within a few days, you will be receiving a script for the hands-on "demo slice" that will be used as the primary training vehicle during the workshop. I urge all of you to allocate and spend thetime necessary to thoroughly rehearse the demo script... in advance of the workshop. From experience, this means at least 10 times successfully through the demonstration, including a thorough command of the simultaneous narration. The second part is to come to the workshop with a completely open mind, eager to soak up good ideas and to accept constructive critique from Wayne and your colleagues.
You will need to bring the following with you to the training:
Application Engineers and Demo-capable Salespersons -- your laptop computer with all application software modules and data files that you'll need to perform your demo. Make sure software licenses are current.
Salespersons -- a couple (if any!) PowerPoint slides that you'll use to introduce your software solution.
I have no doubt that you will find this training highly beneficial and I look forward to seeing you at the session.
Friendly regards,
<sponsoring exec>