Product Demos that Sell: Tips for Incredible Sales Demonstrations

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Anyone who has ever worked in the tech industry or for a startup company knows the power of a good sales demo. Some firms have actually become more famous for their product launches than the products themselves. While you probably don’t want to take things this far, it does serve as a pretty graphic reminder of the fact that demonstrating a product to potential users is quite possibly the best way of ensuring that you’ll eventually make a sale.

Keep in mind that holding a bad demo is potentially worse than holding no demo at all. Some enterprising individuals have even taken it upon themselves to come up with lists of the worst product demos in a year. Customers have a tendency to make light of poor demonstrations for a far longer period of time than your products are likely to be on the market.

That being said, companies that know how to put together a good demo will reap the rewards for years to come. In many cases, it all starts with a big picture view of the market.

Starting Big & Moving into the Details Later

Countless product demos focus on individual features, which can in turn lose consumers who aren’t really sure why they need something to begin with. You need to make the problem your product solves clear in the first place. Solutions that are in search of a problem usually don’t do very well in the marketplace.

One you show your prospective customers that you understand their pain and want to help solve it, you’ll be in a much better position to make a sale. Many of the most successful demonstrators have actually waited until people ask them questions about the individual aspects of a product to showcase these features.

Individuals who are looking for more sales demo tips might also want to consider a little traditional wisdom. For years, sales managers told those working with them to put their prospects in control, because customers that are in control are more apt to take risks and buy a new product. It turns out that this idea was actually spot on. Marketing specialists have found that putting a customer in control of their situation can drastically improve conversion rates.

This is probably due to the fact that customers end up feeling as though their buying decision is self-directed, so they won’t think that they’re at all being used or taken advantage of. Capitalizing on emotions like these can lead to more successful product launches than you had ever thought possible.

Prospects often have a habit of tuning out during product demos. Think back to the last demonstration that you sat through personally. More than likely, you thought that it wasn’t really all that different from most of the other ones you experienced.

It’s important to establish an active tone to make sure that they stay engaged the whole time. Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean that you should try silly gimmicks to draw attention to yourself. A demo should always be about the product and not you. That being said, you will want to create an interactive demo that allows your prospects to test your product in a way that they might actually end up using it in the wild.

Depending on the type of product you’re demoing, you might also want to focus more on perceived value than the price.

Balancing User Expectations with Your Launch Price

Putting too much emphasis on your product’s launch price could potentially derail your demo, since it encourages prospects to focus on something other than the way that they could use your product to solve a real issue. Prices are subject when they lack context anyway, which means that they can never show potential consumers the utility that comes with purchasing your product.

Focusing on the genuine value your product provides is far more important. Your customers should always be your company’s end goal. When potential clients mention that they’re suffering from specific problems, try to show them how your software can eliminate that hurdle for them. You may even be able to illustrate how much money your product could save them as a result.

At the same time, you’ll want to take the opportunity to leverage the power of questions.

Leveraging Questions to Improve Your Conversion Rate

Be attentive to what your clients have been saying. If you have a collection of emails or phone call logs to draw from, then make sure that you do. Everything they’ve asked you a question about in the past is a potential revenue stream for your organization. Eventually you’ll want to be able to judge their expressions and learn more about their needs as a result.

Despite a number of trite expressions to the contrary, products don’t sell themselves. That being said, your customers will help you to sell your own products at your demos if they’re properly engaged. Prospects that are genuinely interested in a product will start to ask questions that will provide you with additional opportunities to sell your products.

You might even notice that your clients have started to use certain pieces of industry jargon. This might again prove to be a sales opportunity.

Keeping the Lines of Communication Open

Writing follow-up emails has always been more of an art than a science, so there’s no real surefire way to do it that will keep your clients engaged. Instead, you’ll want to keep every line of communication open that you possibly can, especially if your demo was for multiple products. In some cases, you might even be asked to schedule a second demonstration.

If this happens, then you’ll certainly want to capitalize on the opportunity. Clients who make this kind of request are more than likely serious about your solution and therefore more apt to actually buy into not only your product but also the message and lifestyle your brand represents.

Philip Piletic
Techloot
I have several years of experience in marketing and startups, and regularly contribute to a number of online platforms related to technology, marketing and small business. I closely follow how Big Data, Internet of Things, Cloud and other rising technologies grew to shape our everyday lives. Currently working as managing editor for a UK tech site.

1 COMMENT

  1. A perfect and much-needed post! I lead the product demonstration team at my company. Product demos indeed helped our company grow. Philip, your tips worked great. It helped me to change my product demo strategies. Do share more useful marketing strategies.

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