Common Product Demo Mistakes

Over the years, I've mapped innumerable number of product demos for trade shows, events, webinars and more, working with sales, product management, and technical sales. I've also sat through a few product demos in my role evaluating and selecting marketing technologies. Here are the top common mistakes I've made (and corrected!) or experienced with product demos.

One Size Fits All

Who are you talking to? I've been in demos when the presenter jumps straight into a standard product demo without understanding my goals and needs.

Whether a trade show or a webinar, research your prospective audience and their role in the buying process, which may impact how they perceive the demo or what they would like to hear. Each persona has different needs, for example:

• User - this person will your product every day. Though this person's needs are more tactical in nature, she may have a voice in the purchase, so consider her pain points and how your software alleviates them.
• Influencer - this person may not use the product or hold the final decision, but her opinion about the product carries weight. Typically she may be an IT person looking into security protocol or a third-party consultant hired by the company to screen vendors.
• Decision Maker - finally the person who owns ultimate purchasing power. Her role tends to be based on business outcomes. She's interested in understanding what tangible ROI will this deliver (e.g. time savings, cost savings, bottom line ROI) and will allocating budget for your product perform better than existing technology or other line items in her budget.

Complex, Overly Designed Demos

Ever sat through an hour demo that mind-numbingly reviewed each feature available? Even the most complex concepts can be told simply. Depending on your role (see above), the demo walks you through a story regarding the key features and benefits.

• Script out the demo: This may resolve a significant portion of ineffective demos - develop a script that highlights the key messages and features that you're seeking to cover for your demo. The script can be designed to provide 5-minute overviews or 20 minute "deep dives" that go a little bit deeper.
• Live vs powerpoint demos: I'm torn on this. I understand the need to have a powerpoint as a back up in case there is no internet involved. My concern arises when the powerpoint becomes the key demo material and your sales team becomes unfamiliar with the live product. If you decide to develop a powerpoint preso, then create it to "simulate" a live demo with "clickable" areas that would take you to another slide. Resist the urge to add call out buttons, detailed text descriptions and extra information that would take away from the product demo itself.
• Practice. Cut. Practice some more: Sometimes a script looks great on paper but doesn't translate well when conducting a real demo. Conduct mock demos to see what flows well, what doesn't and where you have to cut. Be judicious to ensure the right balance of benefits, messages and product.

Conclusion - Good Demos Can Make Your Company

When I was in PR, I helped several start ups pitch, prepare and demo at a conference known as DEMO. With only 5 minutes, you had to demo your product to a room full of journalists and investors. So the next time your sales team or executive does a product demo, keep this in mind. You never know who is in the audience. Who knows? It may make or break your company.

This post is an edited version of a blog post that originally appeared on my blog, PR Meets Marketing, on August 23, 2016.

About

Cece Salomon-Lee is director of product and video marketing for Lanyon Solutions, Inc. and author of PR Meets Marketing, which explores the intersection of public relations, marketing, and social media. This post represents Cece's personal opinions and are not representative of her company's.

Photo Credit: By Rob Lee via Flickr