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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
One (!) Facial Hair and a Lot of Jargon: My Early Days in Presales 🥸
When I first started as a presales consultant (yep, that was my official title back in the day), I was desperate to look knowledgeable. I thought that if I looked smart, I’d feel smart, and that confidence would rub off on my clients. Fresh out of university, armed with a business degree and a master’s […]
14 Lessons in Presales: What I’d Tell My Younger Self
Looking back, there’s a lot I wish I’d known earlier in my sales journey. Here’s a list of the top 14 pieces of advice I’d give to my younger self. Whether you’re new to sales or seasoned but looking for fresh perspectives, these lessons are sure to resonate. 1. You’re in Sales Now—Own It! The […]
Why People Don’t Buy Software for Features—They Buy It for the Insights
When it comes to software, most people aren’t looking for a long list of features. They’re looking for solutions to their problems. It’s the difference between saying, “Here’s what you can do with this software” and “Here’s how this software makes your life easier.” One hits the mark. The other misses entirely. Customers don’t want […]
What Stand-Up Comedy Can Teach You About Giving Better Demos 🎤
Last week, I went to Europe’s biggest stand-up comedy show – 1Live Cologne Comedy XXL. It was a blast. One comedian, Marco Gianni, really stood out. I hadn’t heard of him before, but he told a story that cracked me up. And the funny part? The story itself wasn’t even that great. There wasn’t a […]
9 Simple Ways to Regain Your Audience’s Attention During Your Next Demo
You Can’t Sell to Your Customers If You Put Them to Sleep 😴 Your demo isn’t just about showing off your product’s features and hoping for the best. It’s about managing your audience’s attention, making sure they stay focused and don’t drift off to check Slack, email, or their phones. Here’s the thing: talking at […]
Small Tweaks, Big Gains: Improving Demo Conversion
When companies look to grow their sales, the default strategy often revolves around ramping up lead generation and increasing demo requests. It’s not uncommon to see businesses boosting their ad spend by 10x in pursuit of more prospects. But here’s a question worth asking: what’s the point of drawing in more prospects if your conversion […]
