Sales demos are essentially short presentations made to convince a customer to buy a product. Sales representatives usually pitch a product or service in a demo and convincingly present its features to close a deal. The pitch could be a demonstration of the product song with a detailed explanation of how it can help prospects. Although they sound effortless, mastering the art of giving sales demos is something that comes with time. To cut short the time taken to attain that expertise, let’s look at a few things that can help.
How a sales demo works
The key features of an ideal sales demo are
- Conciseness
- Relevance
- Catchiness
- Simplicity and clarity
- Convincing words
Sales demos are never robotic, and they certainly get influenced by the sales rep’s thinking. There’s no one right way to go about these things. It’s usually variable depending on what is being presented and who’s presenting it. So, these above points matter a lot, but you should never treat this as a checklist for demos. It’s good to have these parameters satisfied, but it’s not necessary to play by the rules.
Once you’ve demonstrated the product, you hope the micro-conversion will turn into a fully converted customer. If done right, the demo should make a prospect interested in purchasing the product. Instead of selling the features, try to sell benefits for faster conversion.
Read More: Key takeaways from lost deals that can help you evolve
What goes behind a great demo
A great demo is never a coincidence. It’s through a series of rehearsals, research, and polishing work that a sales rep curates the perfect demo for a specific product or service. Here’s a list of everything the top sales reps keep in mind before pitching to a prospect.
Researching the background of prospects
Before selling something, you’ll need to know who you’re selling to. That’s because the demo would be more targeted and relevant to the prospects if it solves a problem they’re encountering or is relatable. Finding a weak point for the prospect will ensure faster closure as well as customer loyalty. The better you know them, the less frazzled you’ll be during the demo, and things will go smoothly. Don’t be too open about your knowledge of the prospect, but use it to your advantage when necessary.
Working on tweaks after initial prospect interaction
After knowing who you’re selling to, know what you’re selling really well. There’s nothing worse than a sales rep lacking vital information about the product they’re pitching. So, based on the feedback you get from the prospect, add or remove things from your demo until you get it just right.
For instance, if the prospect asks for more clarity about a particular aspect, make a PPT with all helpful inclusions for enhanced understanding during the demo. Remove as many roadblocks as possible to make the demo smooth. The PPT should contain personalized touches like witty references or specific product details relevant to the prospect’s company/brand type. All these additions can amplify the prospect’s interest in your pitch. When explaining the product or service specifications, mention its relevance to the customer’s life, and each step should hint at solving a problem. This part of the demo is solely present to clear any doubts or confusion from the customer’s mind. So, keep your mind uncluttered and stay focused on your end goal.
Apart from being the most critical part of the demo, this is also the most difficult to get right. Give too many details, and the prospect is bored. Too less, and the doubts remain uncleared. Figuring out the right amount of product information to pitch during a demo is a little tricky. Still, deals will close relatively easily if one pays close attention to a prospect’s life and focuses on giving them a first-hand experience of the product they’re selling.
Planning the trajectory of the demo beforehand
All the best-performing sales reps know how to have complete control of the conversation. They know all the tricks to drive a demo to where they want. The critical thing is to plan all the routes the demo could take and be prepared for all possible reactions of the prospect. Planning your demo also makes it more refined and catchy. If you’re using any resources like apps or a PPT, you should be able to access it with just a click. There are several methods you can adopt to make your demo enjoyable. Follow the ones that are relevant to your prospect and product.
Working on soft skills
Sales happen from one human to another human. So, take care of your tone and brush up on your soft skills before the demo. No one buys from a bot. So, sounding more personal and friendly will increase the chances of deal closure and build great customer rapport. That’s because you seem trustworthy, convincing, and well-meaning when you sound good.
Listening to the prospect and being responsive
This is the only aspect you’ll have no control over before the demo. You can only listen to the customer’s queries, resolve them, and build trust during the pitch. Any concerns, doubts, or negative response needs to be given more importance than you’d think. Creating positive points is vital, but so is cutting down the negative ones. This part is ever-changing, depending on the prospect, so it’s slightly tricky to ace. Just remember, until a doubt is answered for a prospect, you can’t move on to the next step, or you’d lose the deal then and there.
Conclusion
Even the best reps take some time before learning to nail a sales demo. It takes good observation, smooth communication, and deep focus to conduct the best demos and gain closures. This guide contains all the hacks suitable for beginners and experienced reps to manage their prospects better and gain more conversions through demos. If understood properly, this should suffice in giving your demos an edge over others.
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