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 […]
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 […]
