5 Crucial Steps for the Perfect Demo

Sales is changing rapidly, and online meetings are now indispensable for generating new business. It is crucial to ensure that you deliver a virtually perfect demo. A good demo shows the prospect exactly how their specific problems can be solved.

The goal is for the prospect to imagine what their situation looks like when they use your solution. You let them look one year into the future through a kind of VR headset. But how do you set up such a perfect demo? In this blog, I'll walk you through the five most effective steps to maximize your sales opportunities.

The Foundation of a Perfect Demo

A perfect demo must appeal to the prospect and encourage them to put on those 'VR glasses', so they can experience firsthand how your solution can make their life easier. If you don't tailor the demo to the prospect's specific problems, it's just like showing a random PowerPoint presentation.

Your listeners won't really pay attention, simply because it's not relevant to them. The key to success? Personalization and relevance in every slide, every sentence, every example you share.

Step 1: No Discovery, No Demo

People are only interested in things that are relevant to them. So you need to know what to show to make an impression. For this, you use a <a href="/nl/wiki/discovery-call" class="text-[#4368b0] hover: text-[#ed6e1c] underline">discovery call</a> - a qualification conversation that you conduct prior to the demo.

In this call, you investigate the prospect's specific targets or problems and what phase of the buying process they're in. There are two options that determine how you should approach your demo:

Don't they belong to either of these two categories? Then don't give a demo, because they probably won't switch. This may sound harsh, but it saves both you and the prospect valuable time.

Step 2: Less is More

The brain can only process a limited amount of information. Presenting too many options makes it difficult for the brain to make a decision - and that's obviously disastrous for sales.

A groundbreaking study in California examined the effect of the number of options on buying behavior. Supermarket visitors could taste 24 different flavors of jam in the first week. Many people tried the jam, but ultimately only 3% bought a jar. The second week, they offered just 6 types of jam. Now 27% of visitors bought a jar.

Take a critical look at your own demo and what you could actually remove. We had 23 slides in our demo and reduced it to 11. The result? Much more specific questions and ultimately more closed demos.

Step 3: Anchoring - The Art of Setting Reference Points

Anchors are reference points that the brain creates to make quick decisions. In other words: the brain uses anchors as starting points and reference points when evaluating new information.

How does a prospect know if your price is good or not? They compare it to what they already know, like competitors or substitutes. By strategically placing anchors yourself, you can guide your prospect's perception.

Step 4: Power of Pictures - Make it Visual

The human brain is visually oriented. As a result, it is much better at processing images than words. So make your demo visual!

Scientific research has shown that demos without images or slides with only text stick much less with prospects. When a demo has no images, only 10% of prospects remember the story after 72 hours. Add relevant visuals and that percentage skyrockets.

Step 5: Become a Storyteller

Everyone loves a good story. Research shows that when you tell stories to a prospect, they don't just listen, but also start visualizing the story. The easier it is for a prospect to visualize the story, the greater the chance it will influence them.

When telling a story, the following three elements are crucial:

Conclusion: Transform Your Demos

Giving the perfect demo is of crucial importance in modern sales, especially when generating new business opportunities. By following the steps above, you can better engage the prospect and clearly show them how your solution can solve their problems.

Remember: a demo is not a product presentation. It's a shared journey toward a better future for your prospect. Start with discovery, keep it simple, use anchors, make it visual, and tell stories that resonate. This is how you transform every demo from a boring presentation into a persuasive sales tool.