Is your product demo working for or against you?
A few years ago I worked for a company that instructed their sales organization to demo product in every call. This came directly from the top and was strictly enforced. As you can imagine this strategy was ineffective and the unnatural pressure it put on the reps turned off prospects. The software solutions I sold were complex and adoption required a significant amount of customization and setup in order to align with the client’s pedagogical methods and preferences. That said, I knew each of the products inside and out and could deliver an impactful product demo myself with ease. I’m pretty free spirited and success comes easiest to me when I am able to rely on my own critical thinking and EQ.
As an account rep with a good deal of autonomy, I chose to break the rules and focused my sales calls on listening to understand the needs of my prospects before jumping solutions.
Delivering a solution demo to a customer without a diagnosed problem is like a doctor discussing treatment plans with a healthy patient.
Holding the demo pays off significantly, here is why :
SaaS products can be easily commoditized and it’s likely you and your competitors are highlighting the same features in the generic demo.
Statistically the most influential factor in the buying process is the client/vendor relationship. Avoid the urge to demo until you’ve established a need and built rapport.
Complex decisions are made emotionally and rationalized later, an ill-timed point and click demo builds no emotion and is an easy out for the prospective client. Demos typically end with the customer asking about cost— cost without buy-in is a dead end.
It’s more respectful. Holding another professional captive to your presentation without earning the time is tone deaf and self-oriented. Simply put, business is not won this way.
A company that expects reps to demo in every call is short sighted. Sales is intuitive folks, use your best judgment… keep in mind nobody will fault you for breaking the rules if you pull in strong numbers.
Go get ‘em!
