Technical product demos can be a challenge–here’s 7 tips that will help you do a great demo next time out.
1) Know your audience
Gathering data about your prospect’s needs before the demo is like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle. Some information comes from sales, some from a demo request form and some is gathered on-the fly during the demo.
The key is to piece together what each decision maker cares about and why. Armed with this information you can be sure to cover the topics they care about and to drop the ones they don’t.
2) Know your product
You’re the product expert; prospects expect you to know how your product solves problems. As a rule of thumb, if you can’t answer 85-90 percent of the questions asked during the demo–you’re not ready.
3) Understand the issues faced by your prospects
Compelling demonstrations demand a deep understanding of the issues faced by your prospects and customers. Understanding lets you to map the benefits of your product to your prospects needs.
4) Use a story based structure
Structured demos are memorable demos. If you just string together feature after feature, the prospect won’t remember what you showed them. Instead, why not try a time-compressed story based on a “day in the life” of your prospect. This style demo mirrors what happens in their word, making it easy to follow and remember.
5) Use customer stories and references
Customer stories show how your product solves problems and third party references can do amazing things for your credibility. Ask other members of your team for stories they use and build a collection for all to share.
6) Practice your demo
If your demo looks clunky prospects will get spooked. Find a safe way to show the good stuff, then practice until you can do it on autopilot.
7) Add some spice
The last thing you should do to improve your product demos is to add some spice, specifically: humor, quotes and props.
- Humor can put your audience at ease and help them feel more comfortable with you.
- Quotes, as long as they are relevant to your product, can make a demo more memorable and interesting.
- Props are a great way to clarify a point or to punctuate your demo to make a specific feature stand out.
If you are interested in improving your product demonstrations, please visit our product demo training page.
Have a tip that improved your demo? Let us know in the comments section below.
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