Sales engineering demos are crucial for showcasing your product's value and capabilities to potential customers. But how do you make sure your demos stand out from the competition and resonate with your audience? Here are some tips to help you deliver effective and engaging sales engineering demos that can boost your conversion rates and customer satisfaction.
Before you prepare and deliver your demo, you need to understand who you are talking to and what they care about. Research your prospects' pain points, goals, challenges, and expectations. Tailor your demo to their specific needs and use cases. Avoid generic or irrelevant features that might confuse or bore them. Focus on the benefits and outcomes that your product can deliver for them, not just the technical details.
A key concept to keep in mind is that you should not be telling the customer what your product does. Instead, focus on what they can accomplish by using your product. Taking an outcomes based approach helps the customer internalize the value they will receive and helps build them as champions.
Having done many software/hardware product presentations in a combined sales and sales engineer role I would offer to put the prospect “in the drivers seat” rather than spectator. “Just tell me what you want to do and I’ll guide you”. Then I’d ask “What do you use regularly with your existing solution and what do you like about it?” It helps overcome fear of transition and by asking “What do you like” it helps create a positive and therefore open experience. From there I can mix in new features and explain the benefits to them.
This is something I think gets overlooked way too often. I like to understand who I am presenting to (names, titles, roles in the sales process, etc.) so I can tailor my demos to salient points that they may be interested in. This goes a long way with providing a solution demonstration to them. It also leaves them feeling like they are being presented with not just a product pitch, but a partnership presentation.
Most importantly, in my opinion it’s about how you can engage them during the demo, thoroughly understanding their business in detail any news article which talks about how are they performing or doing(positive or negative) and basis on that how you can add value with your product for them. Tailoring of the demo based on value selling plays an important role and it makes sure they get engaged during the demo. And, at the end we need to recap in a nutshell what we talked about which increases the recall value and topics which we discussed during demo.
Always tell a story. Set the stage and establish the characters based on your customer and the personas therein. Your demo should be about how the solution is able to overcome the conflict or adversity that the customer is facing. Finally, end your demo by evaluating the lessons learned during that story.
A good sales engineering demo should have a clear and logical structure that guides your audience through your product's value proposition. Plan your agenda ahead of time and share it with your prospects at the beginning of the demo. This will help you set the expectations, establish the flow, and avoid any surprises or distractions. Your agenda should include an introduction, a main body, and a conclusion. The introduction should briefly summarize the problem you are solving, the solution you are offering, and the agenda itself. The main body should demonstrate how your product works and how it can help your prospects achieve their desired outcomes. The conclusion should recap the main points, address any questions or objections, and provide a clear call to action.
Don't PLAN YOUR AGENDA! Make sure to know what you will be presenting, and the strong points that your product/ service can offer, but don't stick to your plan, make it more conversational, make it a story type, and make your audience realize that the problem that you think exists ACTUALLY exists. Ask questions and tell them about your experience in a similar industry, but be flexible, from technical to cost to solutions. Planning makes your more like robot, but be a consultant and know your end goal.
I prefer having a flexible structure for demos rather than a rigid agenda. A brief intro summarizing the problem, solution, and flow sets expectations. But over-planning limits dynamically addressing questions and goals revealed during the demo. Strict agendas pressure presenters to stick to script rather than listen and adapt. Some structure helps guide the audience, but room for interaction lets me understand their needs and challenges. Overly detailed agendas hamper customer-focused demos in my experience. The conclusion recaps key points and next steps. Balance between structure and flexibility makes for an engaging, conversational demo.
An agenda can be helpful as long as it's meaningful to the customer. "Intro, demo, Q&A," aka the agenda to every demo ever, isn't a real agenda. Your agenda can be a way to highlight the value you're going to showcase, a way to defer questions ("we'll talk about that in section 4, do you mind holding your question until then?"), or just simply something to keep you on track. That said, don't stick to your agenda if it's clearly not landing. Ask questions and be ready to pivot based on the audience's reaction.
Other than making a few jokes at the beginning of any presentation, what I love doing is starting with a “our understanding of your goals” slide. It allows me to confirm some key discovery assumptions that were made, and keep the demonstration focused on only what matters to them. The nice added benefits is that allows me to add a few additional considerations to test the waters for future work. Maybe they didn’t realize other capabilities that our company has, and it’s a nice way to highlight them to gauge their needs now or down the road.
Some of this area yes with structure, but also keep in mind that prospects can get Demo nausea and if everything is too standard how can you be that different? I kept my demo's interactive with customers, even to the point of allowing them access to the environment. I sent a Sales Engineer onsite to have a 1:1 walk through with several key stakeholders as well as primary users. We got their buy-in and green light every time.
A sales engineering demo is not a one-way presentation, but a two-way conversation. You want to keep your audience interested and involved throughout the demo. Use interactive elements such as polls, quizzes, or live Q&A to solicit feedback and gauge their reactions. Ask open-ended questions to uncover their needs, preferences, and objections. Use stories, anecdotes, or testimonials to illustrate your product's value and relevance. Use humor, emotion, or surprise to create memorable moments and connections. And most importantly, listen to your audience and adapt your demo accordingly.
A simple trick is to use the names from your audience as the personas you are using to demonstrate. Randomly hearing your name in a meeting is guaranteed to get your attention in any meeting!
It is incredibly important to make the prospects feel like active participants in your demo, especially in a virtual setting. You'll want to make sure that your audience is not nodding off or getting bored. Talk to your prospects, not talk at them. Encourage them to voice out their opinions, feedback, and questions. Acknowledge their insights and respond with intelligent questions to dig deeper into their situation and engage with them further.
During a demo, ask the audience if a particular part of the demo so far has struck a chord with them - this can reveal requirements or interests previously not considered. This can also trigger attendees to mentally review what they have seen, cementing this session in memory.
There's nothing worse than delivering a 45 minute monologue on a technical topic and end with, any questions? Then dead air. That's a mission failure. I always set the stage at the beginning of a conversation and that's truly what I'm hoping for is a conversation, to ask questions throughout. Please interrupt me! I'm also a big fan of humor, look we're all human beings craving some kind of human interaction. If I can get a chuckle out of my Harry Potter themed lab environment then I've got at least one point in my favor.
Exactly what Paul mentioned below, interaction is key. Plus depending on what you are up against in terms of competition finding ways to stand out an focus on the "People buy from People" approach. Body language is important, while a Sales Engineer is handling the demo, it's the rest of the teams job to gage the room and adjust the presentation when you can see people drifting or wanting to focus more on a particular area.
Your sales engineering demo is your opportunity to show off your product's features and capabilities. But you don't want to overwhelm or bore your audience with too much information or too many details. You want to highlight the key differentiators and benefits that make your product stand out from the competition and match your prospects' needs. Use clear and simple language to explain how your product works and why it matters. Use visual aids such as screenshots, videos, or animations to demonstrate your product's functionality and usability. Use real data, scenarios, or examples to show your product's performance and impact. And use best practices such as zooming, highlighting, or annotating to draw attention to the most important aspects of your product.
When showcasing your product, it is essential to remember that you are giving a demonstration and NOT training. Especially when you've given demonstrations of the same product for years, it's easy to fall into the fallacy that everything you know is important for your audience to know. You want to showcase the VALUE your prospect will get with the product early and often in the discussion, but first you need to know the specific value they will get. This might depend on who your audience is and how they will interact. In my experience prospects like to hear stories from companies similar to theirs. Even if it's just a single line, use language and phrasing that they will relate to.
A good way to stay focused and show what matters most is to do discovery throughout the demo. Specially if your product has several ways to do something, you definitely want to show the one that would resonate most. Jump out of your demo to talk through a pain point, then immediately jump back in to show how your product solves it. It should make for a natural feeling demo that leaves out the fluff. Also product mastery is king. The better you know your product, the less you’ll need a pre-defined demo track
One of the most common mistakes made when showcasing your product is when you get in the tech bubble and you use tech lingo. The best way to overcome this is to create use cases for your audience focusing on the gaps you see from your own research and showcasing how you can fill in those gaps with your product. With this method, you will be more relevant and more engaging with your prospects.
We believe that our solutions should be a direct answer to the challenges and pain points our customers face. Our sales engineers take the time to deeply understand the specific issues and goals of each client, and they craft demonstrations that demonstrate how our software can address these challenges effectively. It's not just about listing a set of features; it's about showing how these features come together to provide a comprehensive, tailored solution.
Maximize your demo’s impact by strategically showcasing your product. Highlight key features that set you apart, focusing on benefits directly aligned with prospect needs. Clarify complex functionalities using simple language and visual aids like videos or animations for more compelling storytelling. Incorporate real-world scenarios to demonstrate authentic impact, making abstracts tangible. Emphasize crucial aspects through best practices like zooming or highlighting, guiding your audience’s attention to your product’s strengths, ensuring a focused and memorable demonstration.
No matter how well you prepare and deliver your sales engineering demo, you will likely face some objections or questions from your prospects. These can be related to your product's features, pricing, implementation, security, or compatibility. You need to anticipate and overcome these objections before they become deal-breakers. The best way to do this is to address them proactively during your demo, rather than waiting for them to come up at the end. You can use techniques such as acknowledging, reframing, or reversing to handle objections effectively. You can also use testimonials, case studies, or third-party validations to support your claims and build trust.
I agree anticipating and addressing objections proactively is key. When I lack an immediate answer, I've found it's better to gather questions for follow-up rather than compromise with hasty responses. Carefully handling objections avoids jeopardizing the demo. Experience helps predict concerns to navigate smoothly. I acknowledge objections, then reframe positively or clarify later. Validations and case studies also preemptively build trust. An open dialogue guides customers through issues, staying solution-focused. Responding effectively requires planning, poise and experience. I've learned patience in responding pays off more than quick, flawed reactions in the moment.
Objections are inevitable in sales demos. Proactively tackle potential hurdles by integrating responses into your presentation, addressing concerns about features, cost, or security before they become roadblocks. Employ strategies like acknowledging concerns, reframing viewpoints, or utilizing reversal techniques to dispel apprehensions effectively. Reinforce your position with testimonials or case studies, showcasing real-world success stories and third-party endorsements to substantiate your claims, thereby fostering confidence and mitigating any reservations your prospects might harbor.
Your sales engineering demo is not the end of your sales cycle, but a crucial step towards closing the deal. You need to follow up with your prospects after the demo and keep the momentum going. You can do this by sending a thank-you email, a recap of the main points, a recording of the demo, or any additional resources that might be helpful. You can also ask for feedback, referrals, or testimonials from your prospects. And you can use various closing techniques such as trial closes, urgency closes, or assumptive closes to move them closer to the final decision.
We understand that making a purchase decision is a significant commitment, and our goal is to provide all the necessary support and information to help our clients make an informed choice. Our post-demo follow-up goes beyond just seeking feedback; it's about actively listening to the customer's thoughts and concerns and then proposing tailored solutions. We are eager to engage in a two-way dialogue with our potential clients to answer any questions, alleviate doubts, and discuss how our software aligns with their unique requirements. We genuinely want to know, "What can we do to close the sale?" This approach ensures that the customer feels heard and valued, ultimately increasing the likelihood of a successful partnership.
It's crucial to maintain engagement after demos to progress the sales cycle. I have strategies tailored to each demo but sending a follow-up email with the answers raised during the previous meetings, with materials like datasheets and presentations, is a consistent first step. This keeps customers engaged. A free trial is often the next step, where I prioritize customer feedback on the proposed solutions. This feedback allows me to tailor the offer and improve the customer experience. Overall, persistent engagement is key from demo through close.
The follow up email is crucial and while generally you see account executives or managers sending this out - it is important to have the SE's voice reflected on it, their availability as a contact and if there were follow up actions expected of the SE - those should be clearly laid out(demo instances, builds, technical info etc) and at the same time the Salesperson should make it clear that it will be the SE following up on those topics. The delineation in relationship between SE and customer/prospect vs that of the salesperson should be set to ensure the "customer champion" narrative that SEs hold.
To communicate value effectively, tailor your message to three main organizational layers - Organizational Level (C-suite): Focus on financial metrics. - Departmental Level (Managers to VPs): Highlight resource allocation and KPI alignment. - Functional Level (Individuals to Team Leads): time savings and operational efficiencies. The discovery process is crucial here; it provides the insights you'll need to craft targeted demo scripts and value propositions. Align these to the business goals and 'value languages' of EACH level: money, resources, time. Example: By reducing diagnostic time per developer from 5 hours to 5 minutes, you free up team resources to deliver three new features by EOQ, strengthening your company's competitive edge.
Do as much research and discovery about the customer as possible prior to the demo. Learn more about the customer’s industry, the industry forces that are creating the need to change, how your product helps makes this change easier, and understanding why they need to change now. If you can get time with the key stakeholders, spend some time carrying out discovery to understand and quantify the impact of the problems they face today. Armed with this information you can now speak to how your product solves these problems.
Aside from deep solution knowledge, presentation skills, and interpersonal skills, the ability to improvise is a trait that separates the excellent SEs from the great ones. Whether it's objection handling, navigating external circumstances (e.g. laptop dies before the meeting), or ditching a demo agenda based on a newly discovered customer requirement, the ability to adapt in a sales cycle will set you apart from your competitors and reinforce your "trusted advisor" status with the prospect/customer.
Open with a story and make sure you communicate to the audience why they should be listening. If you’ve presented a slide, screen, or topic, be absolutely sure you’ve answered “so what does this mean for me as the listener, and why should *I* care.?”
Be extremely Dynamic. Never go with your flow always. If you feel that customer excitement is aligned more towards one feature / benefit, you should be able to change the flow and give more info about those in a candid way. This also ensures that you are able to drive the audience and keep them engaged.