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That time a potential client told me my demo was 'too technical'
Last Thursday I had a Zoom call with a guy from a mid-sized logistics company in Omaha. I spent about 20 minutes walking through how our API integrates with their existing warehouse system, showing real data flows and error handling. He cuts me off and says 'Look, I just need something that works, I don't care about all this tech talk.' I get that he wants simple, but how do you show value without explaining how it actually functions? Has anyone else had a prospect shut you down for diving into the details?
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kevin_carr17d ago
Look, I just need something that works, I don't care about all this tech talk." Yeah, I GET that sentiment but I think you're right to push back here. If you just hand somebody a black box and say "trust me it works," they're gonna be the FIRST person screaming at you when something breaks and they have no clue why. I've seen it happen - a buddy of mine sold a "simple" POS system to a restaurant, skipped the technical walkthrough because the owner wanted it easy, and then when the credit card processor had an error, the owner was totally lost and blamed my buddy for "selling broken junk." You showing how your API handles errors isn't being too technical, it's being HONEST about what they're buying. That Omaha guy probably just wanted you to skip the nitty gritty and get to the bottom line faster, not that he didn't want ANY explanation.
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Selling to non-technical buyers is actually a different skill than what most devs think. You were probably talking features when that guy wanted benefits. Instead of showing how your API handles errors, you could have said "this means your warehouse never stops shipping even if the network goes down." Same info, totally different framing. The real trick is to translate every technical detail into a business outcome he actually cares about. That Omaha guy was giving you a gift - he told you exactly how he wants to buy. Most prospects just ghost you instead.
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