Today’s Morning Buzz is by Billy Trakas, GovTech professional and founder of Plateia.ai. Connect with Billy on LinkedIn.
What I’m eating: Trader Joes Chocolate Ice Cream cones
What I’m watching: “Platonic” on Apple TV
A hobby I enjoy: Off-roading in the Colorado mountains. Living in Denver has its perks when you need to escape the city life for actual fresh air
Let’s talk about that email sitting in your inbox right now:
“Hi [Your Name], I’d love to show you our innovative solution that’s transforming cities just like yours! Could we grab 15 minutes for a quick demo?”
Seems harmless enough, right? It’s educational, it’s free, and maybe you’ll actually learn something useful.
Here’s what I’ve learned after countless conversations with city managers and IT directors: that “free” demo often comes with hidden costs that can derail your planning process before it even starts.
What Actually Happens During That “Quick” Demo
The Setup: “Thanks for joining! Before we start, tell me about your current challenges.” (Which sounds helpful, but you’ve just given them a roadmap for the next hour.)
The Show: A presentation that covers every feature they’ve ever built, whether you need it or not. “And here’s our advanced analytics dashboard!” clicks through 20 screens while you wonder how this relates to your original question
The Close: “Do you have any questions?” You have several, but you’re also 45 minutes into what was supposed to be a 15-minute call.
The Follow-up: Six emails, two calendar invites for “next steps,” and somehow you’re now on their newsletter about emerging civic technology trends.
Sound familiar?
The Real Cost of “Free” Demos
Time Multiplication: That 15-minute demo becomes an hour-long call, plus follow-up research, plus forwarding materials to colleagues, plus explaining to your team why you’re suddenly exploring AI-powered solutions for problems you didn’t know you had.
Decision Anchoring: You’ve now seen ONE approach to solving your challenge. Every other solution will be mentally compared to whatever this vendor showed you first, which can skew your entire evaluation process.
Information Overload: Vendors know their market better than you do. They’ll use demo time to position against competitors you haven’t considered yet, creating urgency before you understand all your options.
Relationship Dynamics: Government professionals value relationships. It’s part of what makes us effective. But vendors know this too, and they invest in personal connections that make objective evaluation more challenging later.
Red Flags That Should Give You Pause
- They won’t share basic information without a live demo
- The demo includes multiple team members you weren’t expecting
- They can’t clearly explain who their competition is
- Their case studies don’t include governments similar to yours
- They create artificial urgency (“This pricing is only available this quarter”)
Better Questions to Ask Before Agreeing to Demo
Questions for yourself:
- Have we clearly defined what problem we’re trying to solve?
- Do we have budget allocated for this type of solution?
- Who else needs to be involved in this evaluation?
Questions for the vendor:
- “Can you send a written overview before we schedule time?”
- “Who else will be joining the call?”
- “Can you share references from governments our size facing similar challenges?”
A More Strategic Approach
If you decide to move forward with demos, here’s how to make them actually useful:
- Do your homework first: Spend 20 minutes researching the vendor and understanding the basic market landscape. This puts you in control of the conversation.
- Set clear expectations: Tell them exactly what you want to see and how much time you have. Good vendors appreciate the clarity.
- Focus on questions, not features: Don’t get distracted by impressive functionality. Write down the questions that arise. Those are what you’ll need to research later.
- Compare before committing: Plan to see multiple solutions before making any decisions. This is where marketplace platforms can help you understand options without pressure.
- Schedule internal discussions first: Before agreeing to vendor follow-up, process what you learned with your team and decide on next steps.
The Bigger Picture
I’m not anti-vendor or anti-demo. Some excellent government technology partnerships started with thoughtful vendor conversations. But the current system where vendors control the information flow and governments make decisions through sales presentations isn’t serving anyone well.
That’s exactly why we built Plateia.ai: to help local governments explore solutions and understand markets before entering sales processes. When you do take that demo call, you should be driving the conversation based on your needs and timeline.
Why This Actually Matters
Here’s the thing that keeps me up at night: I’ve watched talented government professionals make technology decisions they regret for years, not because they chose the wrong features, but because they got caught up in someone else’s sales process instead of following their own evaluation process.
Every “quick demo” that turns into an impulse purchase is taxpayer money that could have been spent more strategically. Every rushed procurement is a missed opportunity to solve the real problem your residents are facing.
When you control the demo process, you’re not just protecting your time. You’re protecting your ability to make decisions that actually serve your community’s long-term interests.
Moving Forward
The next time you get that demo request, remember that your time and attention are valuable resources. A good vendor will respect your process, provide information transparently, and help you understand how their solution fits into the broader market.
A vendor who creates artificial urgency, won’t share basic information upfront, or makes comparison shopping difficult? That’s probably not the long-term technology partner you want.
Your residents deserve thoughtful, strategic technology decisions. That starts with being intentional about how you evaluate solutions — even during those “quick” demos.
The best procurement decisions happen when you’re informed, prepared, and in control of the process. Don’t let a sales presentation become your planning process.
Have your own demo experiences to share? I collect vendor stories like Pokemon cards. Connect with me on LinkedIn.