Notes on Giving Great Demos

Dec 02, 2019

3 minutes

Time for my bi-annual posting. 🙂

Great article from Gong.io on giving great demos. I’ve picked up so many tidbits that I summarized them and want to share.

1. Flip Your Product Demo Upside Down

Start the demo with the outcome
Winning product demos mirror the same priorities raised during discovery calls
This is approach is called “solution mapping” and it helps you get straight to the point

2. Give Them A Taste During Your Product Demo, Not A Drowning

Give shorter, concentrated product demos
9 minutes of main demo time (not including questions)
Don’t dilute your message with an endless number of value props (stick to one… MAYBE two at the most

3. Focus Your Product Demo On The Status Quo’s Pain Points

Focusing your message on the pain of the status quo is more persuasive than focusing on benefits
Show your buyer that their current state is unsustainable, and they’ll be willing to move away from it ASAP.
NOT lose $25,000 they already have than they are motivated to earn an extra $25,000

4. Maintain Control Of The Product Demo

Discuss pricing at the end.
Respond to objections by asking questions. Responding with a question does two things:
- It makes the buyer feel heard.
- It gets your buyer to reveal their real pain point, which helps you address their objection.

5. Avoid Using Generic Social Proof During Your Product Demo

Using endorsements from big customers might win credibility with a few buyers, but chances are it’s going to work against you.
Buyers want to see themselves in a product, and they can’t do that if you keep citing A-listers.
Instead of naming a few big customer names, rattle off 5-7 names of customers that are from your buyer’s tribe — other companies in their industry, operating at their level.

6. Don’t Model ROI During Your Product Demo

Attempting to model ROI at any point in the sales process correlates with a 27% drop in your likelihood of closing a deal.
Tell customer stories that focus on before and after.
There are no ROI model assumptions for your buyer to argue with. You’re simply telling a story of what one of your customers achieved.

7. Solidify Next Steps At The Beginning And End

Spend more time talking about next steps at the end of your product demo.
Securing next steps during a first call is the easiest sales cycle decreaser ever.
Get agreement from your customer at the BEGINNING of the call to discuss next steps, rather than penciling them in at the last minute.