How to Ensure Your Demo Leads to Further Engagement and Not a Dead End
A successful demo is more than just a chance to show off your tool. It’s a strategic opportunity to move your prospect forward in the sales process. But here’s the problem: too many demos end with a polite “Thanks, we’ll get back to you,” and no clear next steps. So, how do you make sure […]
How to Use Storytelling to Make Your Demo Memorable
Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools you can use in a demo. Research shows that stories are 7x more memorable than plain facts. They create an emotional connection, help your audience visualize success, and make your message stick. But here’s the catch: traditional storytelling techniques don’t always work in demos. Why? In a […]
How to Respond When a Customer Says, “That’s Great!” During a Demo
Positive feedback during a demo feels like a win. When a customer says, “That’s great!” it’s easy to interpret it as validation that your product is resonating and solving their problem. And yes, that feedback is worth celebrating! But here’s where many solution engineers go wrong: they jump to conclusions, double down on the complimented […]
How to Tailor a Demo for Different Audiences
Delivering a successful demo often comes down to one key skill: tailoring your approach to the audience. Whether you’re presenting to executives, team leads, end users, or IT stakeholders, a generic software walkthrough simply won’t work. Each group has different priorities, and failing to address them effectively risks losing their interest—or worse, their confidence in […]
How to Prepare for a Demo When You Have Limited Customer Information
Preparing for a demo can be challenging when you don’t have much information about the customer. It’s tempting to rely on assumptions, but that approach often backfires, leading to irrelevant demos and disengaged prospects. Instead, consider turning your demo into a discovery demo, where you gather insights while showing value. Here’s how you can structure […]
Why Feature Discipline Matters in Demos
When it comes to software demos, there’s a delicate balance between showing enough features to impress and showing so many that you overwhelm your audience. I’ve thought a lot about this, especially how the number of features you present impacts two key things: And here’s the spoiler: “It’s better to have than to need” does […]
When 3rd-Party Consultants Are ‚Helping‘ with Vendor Selection – and How to Avoid Their Feature Checklist Mess
If you’ve ever had to deal with external consultants during a customer’s vendor selection process, you know the struggle. You walk into the meeting, ready to solve the customer’s problem, and then it happens. The consultant shows up with their massive feature matrix. “Does your product do this?”“Can you show us that?” Suddenly, the focus […]
Customers Buy Insights, Not Features
Here’s the hard truth about software demos: Most prospects come in expecting a “feature parade.” They’ve seen it a hundred times before: vendors clicking through endless menus, highlighting every feature, and checking all the boxes on a checklist. Why? Because that’s what they’re used to. And as vendors, we often fall into the same trap. […]
What House-Flipping Shows Taught Me About Software Demos
Let’s talk about one of my guilty pleasures: house-flipping shows. You know the ones—people find a run-down property, add some magic, and voila, it’s a dream home. Or those “our-new-beach-house” shows where they take you through perfectly furnished spaces that look like a Pinterest board. But here’s the thing: why are the houses always fully […]
Why Presales and Demos need to learn from Marketing
Marketing teams invest loads of time and money generating demo requests, constantly testing, and improving. They tweak the “Book a Demo” button, adjust CTA colors, and A/B test every detail. Why? Because when you invest that much, you’ve got to know what works. But when presales takes over to deliver the actual demo…well, let’s just […]
