Product Demos That Sell: How to Deliver Winning SaaS Demos

by Steli Efti

One of the biggest mistakes that teams and companies make is they don't sell the demo!

Demos are sales tools, period. Too many people give product demos as if they are product training sessions.

The purpose of your product demo is demonstrate value, not features and functionalities.

If you give a demo and you give it remotely—meaning you can’t see eye to eye with the person because they’re not in the same room as you—you have to highlight the precise moment when prospects need to pay full attention to you.

Too many demos don’t have a close. They end with no purpose, no direction, no conversion, no “this is the next step I want you to take.”

“If it was completely up to you, what three things would you change about your existing system?” Then ask, “What are the three best things about your existing system?” If appropriate, ask, “What are the three things you’d like demonstrated when I come back?”

In settings where consumers know that the message source has a persuasion motive, the optimal number of positive claims is three. More claims are better until the fourth claim, at which time consumers’ persuasion knowledge causes them to see all the claims with skepticism.—Kurt Carlson and Suzanne Shu

An experienced demo pro will complete the demo within the agreed upon timeframe. An inexperienced person will apologize for going over time until the prospect cuts them off.

How can you make sure that your three most important points still stick in your prospect’s mind? Just ask them one of these questions: •What were the highlights of this conversation for you?