In your first meeting, the VP says: "Just show us a demo next week and we will decide." How do you respond?

Strong answer

Say yes to speed and redirect to the decision: "Happy to show something next week. So the demo actually helps you decide, can we spend 20 minutes now on what you would need to see to say yes, and on whose data?" Then capture two or three success criteria, the user it is for, and one real example task. Build the demo on their real (or realistic) data for that task, and open the demo by restating the criteria. Afterwards, send a one-page summary of what was shown against the criteria and the proposed next step. This keeps momentum while making sure the demo is judged on something other than vibes.

Weak-answer indicators

• Refuses to demo until discovery is complete
• Builds a generic demo on public data
• No criteria agreed