Do you start a software demo with the big picture? How do you close it? Do you
have to be in sales mode? Is the focus on demonstrating the key features? We
cover the key tips of 10 companies on giving software product demos that work.
New tech: Get Next Generation Screen Sharing for Demos
Key lessons learned
We've picked out a few common and not so common points of advice from these
companies.
You're probably aware of the following.
-
A demo is not a demo of the product.
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It's not about features.
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It's about the pain point.
You may not have heard these additional gems:
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The product being demoed is not the hero - YOUR PROSPECT IS THE HERO.
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Have a playbook and use it flexibly, don't have a set structure.
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Create a vision of what the product will do for them.
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Highlight the highlights.
1. Close.io say to always go from macro to micro
"They should never watch you demo something and not know what the purpose of
it is. If a prospect wonders, “Why is this guy showing me this?”, then you
haven’t properly explained first what it is you’re going to demonstrate."
In addition, Close.io recommend:
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Begin with a bang.
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Speak their language.
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Answer some questions with questions.
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Dimensionalise the value you provide.
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Highlighting the highlights.
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End with strong clear call to action.
Read more on how to give product demos that
sell
2. The goal of the demo is not to demo your product.
"Instead, the goals of the demo are:
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Identify the prospect’s pain that they’re hoping to solve (QUALIFY!)
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Identify if your product is a good fit to solve the pain (QUALIFY!)
-
Leave the prospect believing that (1) your product is a great solution to
the pain and (2) your employees really know their stuff"
See how to Demo Your SaaS
Product
by the Salsify co-founder
I'm going to add an additional point to this. Yes, the company has a pain
point but what if in most cases they don't feel much pain? You may want to
pitch "Stakes" rather than "Pain". Read more on strategic sales narratives
here.
3. Your Product Demo Sucks Because It's Focused on Your Product
"Good demos don't have to be perfect for the product. They have to be perfect
for the audience.
"You don't want a rock solid, set-in-stone plan. You want a playbook. You want
to know all the plays but only run the ones you need in the moment.
"As quickly as possible, get to 'here's what you told me your goal is, here's
the challenge you told me is in the way, here's what it will look like when
our product takes down that challenge.
"Silence is not the enemy. You need to make friends with it before you demo."
Learn more on demo mistakes and lessons
learned
by Rob Falcone
How to demo your product to your TOUGHEST non-tech users
Some users struggle with technology.
You can't set up screen sharing with them every time.
You need next generation screen sharing, built for the web, built for sales
and onboarding.
You can demo and onboard your least tech savvy customers using Upscope
4. Do a pre-demo call the day before
"Hi, I wanted to call to check I have everything straight for tomorrow’s demo,
if that’s ok?
"We’re meeting at X Location for X Amount of time, right?
"You won’t be the final decision maker and she won’t be attending right?"
See Everything I Wish I’d Known Before I Started Demoing
SaaS
5. You ask me out on a date. I did not agree for a sleepover
"Don’t be so insecure.
"I agreed to be on a date. Don’t overdo and say something stupid like I love
you!. Wave hands at me at the corridor. Send me a joke. Plan an accidental
meeting at the water cooler. Be there. Don’t be there.
"Most prospects keep their cards close. This is to allow themselves the time
& the space required to make a decision. Respect that."
See a company co-founder's view of SaaS demos as the
customer
6. Ask the 3 magic questions
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Does this address the questions you had?
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Can you see yourself using it?
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What would be the impact on your business?
"You will need to go through this process and ask each question multiple times
to illustrate how your tool can solve multiple pain points for the customer."
See the blueprint for great customer
demos
7. Demio give an incentive to book the demo
"We wanted to give website visitors a good reason for jumping on a demo, so we
came up with the idea of offering $50 in Demio credits to anyone who took the
time.
"This works great for a few reasons:
"We don’t apply the credit until after they sign up, so we’re still getting
revenue from day 1, unlike a free trial.
"It increases the chances they will be a customer for at least 60 days, since
the free credit is applied to the second billing. This gives the customer more
time to get onboarded into the system."
See the 3 main ways to promote your
demo
8. Customers don't buy if you have commission breath
"If you're trying to get someone to buy and you're not listening and you go
through all your objection crap sales technique, you have what's called
commission breath and your customers smell it and feel it and they will never
buy from you"
See more on how to ace your product
demo.
Also see the Rocket Demo Builder by
the same author and never give a boring demo again.
9. Have meaningful data. The users expect to see their stuff
"Normally I am trying to create some real data as much as possible so they
recognize what they see. Our Dutch clients will not understand a Bulgarian
address format or a Bulgarian name – they cannot recognize which is the first
and last name. So I’d better browse the Internet and find some Dutch names and
addresses."
10. The Product Being Demo’d is Yoda, Not Luke Skywalker
"The product being demoed is not the hero - YOUR PROSPECT IS THE HERO. You
need to be telling your prospect’s story. Your product is the muse or the
enabler. In a demo, the sales rep plays the role of Yoda to your prospect’s
Luke Skywalker"
Learn how to design a better demo experience to shorten the sales
cycle
11. Don't use screen sharing to demo to customers
Don't use traditional screen sharing. It's not interactive. Customers tune
out.
Use next generation 'web' screen sharing.
Why?
You can have customers see exactly what you want them to see in one click,
without downloads AND then scroll and click WITH you on your screen or
theirs.
It has reduced demo and onboarding time by 43% while increasing
conversions because the customer is participating all the way.
-
No fear of them seeing your slack notifications or desktop. They won't.
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No blurry screen share. It's pixel perfect.
-
No worries about them tuning out mentally. They participate.
Learn about next generation screen sharing here.
Next: 25 companies show you their best SaaS pricing
models
Also see: Onboarding emails didn’t work? See a drip campaign that
converts
