What really gets me fired up is hearing feedback like this after a demo:
„It went well, we covered all features.“
„Great, I could respond to all their questions!“
„They seemed really intrigued and asked a lot of questions.“
Hearing this makes me cringe. This is NOT how you measure demo success.
It’s not about cramming as many features as possible into your 60-minute session.
It’s not about your ability to answer all their questions.
It’s not about the number of questions they ask.
The only measure that counts is this:
Did we make any progress in our customer’s buying journey?
What Is Demo Success, Really?
Before you walk into your demo, you need to define what success looks like. Don’t demo just because it’s the next step in your sales process. Don’t demo just because the customer asked for it. A demo without a clear purpose is a waste of time—yours and theirs.
No Demo Without Alignment on Success
Every demo needs to be aligned with a clear goal. What does success look like for this particular demo? If you don’t have internal alignment on this before the meeting, then your demo is meaningless.
Your demo isn’t the end goal—it’s a tool.
- A tool to move your customer forward in their decision-making process.
- A tool to disqualify them if necessary.
But if you’re not clear on what progress looks like, your demo has no direction.
Defining Success Before the Demo
Success could mean a number of things, depending on where your prospect is in their journey. Here are a few examples:
- Getting access to the decision maker: If your demo helps secure a follow-up with the real decision-maker, that’s a win.
- Approval that your solution meets all their requirements: Maybe you need them to confirm that your product is the right fit, checking off their critical requirements.
- Quantifying the value you can deliver: If you can show them the ROI and that leads to commercial next steps, that’s demo success.
Move Away from „All Features Covered“
Covering all features does not equal success. In fact, focusing on that alone is missing the point. Your demo should be about making tangible progress, not simply checking off a list of features. If that’s how you’re measuring your demo, you’re missing the mark.
Your Demo Is a Tool, Not the Goal
Remember, your demo is just a tool to help you achieve progress. It’s not about the number of features or how well you answered their questions. It’s about moving the needle in their buying journey. If your demo isn’t achieving that, then it’s not worth a penny.
Stop measuring your demo by how much you covered. Start measuring it by how much progress you made.
