For many Microsoft Certified and Gold Partners out there, they often overlook a very useful resource that is made available to them as part of their "Partner Box" which they should get each quarter. That resource is the "Demo Showcase". The Demo Showcase is a collection of pre-created demos that could be used as part of a sales engagement. These demo's aren't just Flash or PowerPoint Demos, although those are available to partners as well, but are actual virtual machine images that you run using Virtual PC to drive a real-time demo.
Most partners today will create their own demo and invest a great amount of time to install, configure, and test a cool demo. While this may still be required as Demo Showcase won't fit every demo need, there are many of the common scenarios that are covered in the Demo Showcase or you could build a new demo scenario using the images that already exist.
The Demo Showcase provides the virtual machines, supporting content (files, emails, etc.), and a demo script. The demo script has a detailed step-by-step set of instructions as well as an explanation of what each step is doing and its business impact.
The core scenarios that are covered in the Demo Showcase are:
- Information Worker
- Business Intelligence
- Infrastructure
- Microsoft Dynamics AX
Within each core scenario above, there is a collection of individual scenarios that have their own set of demo scripts. The scenarios used within a demo are more than just showing off a given product. Instead it focuses on a business issue such as RPF creation and collaboration and how people/roles within an organization work through a given business issue using Microsoft Products. So you may have a scenario that requires touching Windows Vista, Office SharePoint Server 2007, Exchange Server 2007, and Office 2007. By driving a demo this way, it removes the direct selling of a given product (at least at this stage) and focuses the customer at seeing how Microsoft products and assist people in solving real world business issues.
So, to get started with the Demo Showcase today, check your partner box or visit the Demo Showcase site to order the DVD's. When you get the DVD's, had them to your technical sales person or engineer as they'll be the best one that will get the demo up and running.
Learn more about the Demo Showcase here: https://partner.microsoft.com/global/40029037?msp_id=Demoshowcaseconrada
Microsoft Mid-Atlantic Partner Site: http://www.microsoftmaa.com/