POC Best Practices: Level-up Your POCs / POVs with Evaluation Plans
Want more of your Proof of Concept (POCs) / Proof of Value (POVs) to finish on time, in scope, and with demonstrated success? Then level-up your Evaluation Plans. 💪 😎
An Evaluation Plan brings structure to your POC/POV, aligns you and your buyer on what needs to get done/shown/tested/proved, and defines success.
Creating an Evaluation Plan can be challenging:
âž¡ Buyers may not know what their use cases should be.
âž¡ Buyers do not always know how to test their use cases.
âž¡ Buyers are busy with their regular job activities and do have time to figure out the best way to test out your product.
Show your buyer that you are experienced and value their time by recommending a list of use cases that will demonstrate how your product solves their business problems.
Guide buyers to test the most valuable features of your product.
If your POC/POV is part of a competitive deal, include special use cases for which you know you will excel and your competitor(s) will struggle. Highlight your key differentiators.
Before you begin the POC/POV, get explicit buy-in and approval from your buyer on the Evaluation Plan.
You may not say it exactly like this… but your goal is to get your buyer to agree upfront that if you complete the Evaluation Plan with demonstrated success… you will be their ‘vendor of choice’ (VOC).
If they do not agree, then your Evaluation Plan is not yet complete. Ask what else must be included before they can agree.
Getting upfront buy-in is your primary way to avoid scope creep during your POCs/POVs.
A well-designed Evaluation Plan brings your POC/POV to a logical conclusion as quickly as possible with demonstrated success.
And that’s what it’s all about! 🙌
Want to level-up your POCs/POVs? Talk to one of our presales experts about about how Homerun can help. Click here to get started!
