A remote solution demo is a great way to showcase your product or service to potential customers, but it doesn't end there. You need to follow up and get feedback to move the deal forward and improve your sales skills. Here are some tips on how to do that effectively.
As soon as possible after the demo, send a thank-you email to the attendees. Express your appreciation for their time and interest, and summarize the main points and benefits of your solution. Include a clear call to action, such as scheduling a next meeting, asking for a referral, or requesting a decision. Attach any relevant documents, such as a proposal, a case study, or a testimonial.
Review your notes and recap why you think you can help. Short sections on: 1. Recap 2. Resources aligned with what you spoke about. 3. Clear next steps. 4. Confirm the next steps. Lastly, end on a high note. Make sure you are on the same page.
Feedback is essential for understanding your prospects' needs, objections, and expectations. It also helps you improve your presentation skills and address any gaps or issues in your solution. You can ask for feedback in different ways, such as using a survey tool, a phone call, or a video chat. Make sure you ask open-ended questions, such as what they liked and disliked about the demo, what their main concerns or challenges are, and how your solution can help them achieve their goals.
Ask for feedback, before, during and after the presentation. If you are in software sales, what environment do they run on? What are their security compliance requirements? How many locations and users are going to be using it? How many remotely? What other solutions have they used in the past or are looking at? How is your solution ultimately going to save the time, make them more efficient and save them money/ resources? What type of implementation timeframe are they looking at? Does their CIO need to be involved? Who is going to be reviewing the T&C’s?
Don't let the momentum die after the demo. You need to stay in touch with your prospects and nurture the relationship until they are ready to buy. You can use various methods to follow up, such as email, phone, social media, or messaging apps. The key is to provide value, not to be pushy or spammy. You can share useful content, such as blog posts, ebooks, webinars, or podcasts, that relate to their pain points or interests. You can also offer additional demos, trials, or consultations, if needed.
This is critical. We all are busy. Sometimes the prospective customer has the very best intentions to respond to you and move forward, but they get called into other projects and things that feel more important. If you can help them find the value of moving this along you will be that much closer to converting them to a customer and putting them on the roadmap to become a user.
1. Share helpful content that speaks to them. 2. Follow their company on LinkedIn and the key people on LinkedIn. 3. Doing this will give you regular updates on key items that are important and timely to the company. You can leverage that information for unique ways to follow up. If you really are an excellent fit for their needs - they will want to talk to you. Follow-up shouldn't really be a thing when you are talking to a company that really needs your help. It will become natural and won't feel like a step in the process.
To optimize your remote solution demo process, you need to track and measure your results. You can use a CRM system, a spreadsheet, or a dashboard to record and analyze data, such as the number of demos, the attendance rate, the conversion rate, the feedback score, and the revenue generated. You can also compare your results with your goals and benchmarks, and identify areas for improvement or best practices.
The final step is to learn from your experience and improve your remote solution demo skills. You can do this by reviewing your feedback, recording your demos, and watching them critically. You can also seek advice from your peers, managers, or mentors, and ask for their input and suggestions. You can also enroll in online courses, read books, or listen to podcasts that teach you how to deliver effective remote solution demos.
You should have a clear understanding of the customers decision making process: timeline, decision makers and influencers, who of those will be on the demo. Pre demo: - Schedule a follow-up call with the customer 1-2 days after the demo to discuss any questions and considerations that have arisen from demo and receive feedback from the customer. This is an opportunity to highlight your expertise and Trusted Partner abilities, and to move the discussion towards closure of the sale. - Draft your follow-up email, thanking the customer for their time, summarising how the product meets their needs and remind them of the call that is diarised. Post demo: Send the drafted email immediately after the demo.
Before you suggest a Demo you need to know what the customer wants and needs are. The only way I do a demo is if I know it is going to make my company and product stand out and we have built the trust to make a decision. Demo's are a great time to generate discussion on how they want their solution to look and finalize a list of things they need. It can also be a great time to reintroduce people who have been less involved than your Coach or Champion back into the discussion.
Try to answer those points but avoiding any personal interpretation and using only real information 1 Did you have a clear idea about the roles of the people involved? Sometime people have "artistic" role description or use "manager" or "director" even if they don't have any kind of responsibility 2 Did you have a clear focus/aim of the people involved? Maybe someone is losing its power, someone else is using us to drive the change but to other directions 3 Who's the people involved able to spend or driving the people who spends the money? 4 Did you set up a deadline and verified if that it's true? An undefined or a "hope" deadline is always a bad deal 5 Finally, did you understand who is the real champion and driver od this project?