8 proven tips for delivering a successful sales demo
Written by Syed Balkhi | 2nd October 2024
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People are often skeptical when purchasing products or services, especially when they’re not familiar with the brand and don’t know what to expect.
The fact that there are countless alternatives often confuses people, making it difficult for them to make up their minds.
People’s primary concern is whether the product or service will live up to their expectations.
No one wants to make a purchase and regret it, which is why many people visit a site multiple times but do not buy anything.
This is where your sales representatives shine. A smart, well-trained team can help potential customers by sharing detailed, benefit-driven sales demos.
To make your sales demos even more impactful, we are sharing eight proven tips that will help you train your sales team to deliver successful sales demos and score more sales.
What is a sales demo?
Before exploring tips to help you showcase your solutions more effectively, let’s talk about sales demos and how they work.
A sales demo is a meeting, either in-person or on a video call, where a sales rep educates potential customers about the value of their products or services and how to maximize the benefits of these solutions.
This important process should highlight features or capabilities and show customers how your product will add value to their lives and help them address pain points.
Tips to deliver a successful sales demo
Now that we’ve discussed sales demos, let’s dive into effective tips to help convert more sales.
1. Know your customers
The key to delivering a successful sales demo is knowing your customers. Each person has different needs, interests, and preferences.
You can’t expect one size to fit all when delivering a sales demo. Some of your customers may be looking for less expensive alternatives, whereas to others, quality trumps everything else.
This is why 78% of businesses invest in platforms that help them analyze and leverage customer data.
You can use this data to create buyer personas, which are fictional profiles that highlight the needs of your customers. This information will help you better understand your audience, so you can plan your sales demo around what they want or need from your brand.
2. Study your competition
Another useful tip to deliver a successful sales demo is to study your competitors and analyze their strengths or weaknesses.
Knowing what your competitors offer enables you to plan your demonstrations more effectively, increasing your chances of making the sale.
For example, if you offer certain features or capabilities that are generally unavailable in other solutions, you can capitalize on that and gain a competitive edge.
Furthermore, being familiar with your competitors’ pricing prepares you to offer better deals and increases your chances of securing a sale.
3. Personalize your sales demos
Around 85% of customers prefer businesses that offer them personalized experiences that align with their needs or preferences.
Every customer has different needs and goals when looking for solutions to their problems. Your sales demo should clearly address the questions they have before deciding to buy.
This will increase your chances of convincing potential customers to try the solutions you offer. One way to do this is to ask people to fill out a short questionnaire before the demo. You can use their answers to address their concerns and questions.
4. Practice makes you perfect
You won’t get a second chance with your customers if you make a mistake during a sales demo.
Not only could you lose a customer, but it may also have a drastic impact on your brand’s reputation. So, it’s important to fine-tune your script, improve your message delivery, and practice sales demos before interacting with your customers.
There’s no room for error when delivering a sales demo. Even an insignificant mistake may prove to be a deal breaker for you.
5. Offer an interactive experience
You are less likely to engage your customers with sales demos that seem like a monologue. Especially if the appointment is virtual, consider making your demo an interactive experience to improve engagement.
In-person sales demos are a bit simpler to execute. Your potential customers get to interact with your products and try them out before making a purchase decision.
Things become a bit complex when virtual demos come into play. When your potential customers aren’t physically present, engaging them may be easier said than done.
This is where simpleshow comes into play, allowing you to create engaging explainer videos and product demonstrations that offer an immersive experience to your potential customers.
6. Embrace a conversational tone
To deliver a successful sales demo, it’s important that you make it a welcoming experience for your potential customers.
You shouldn’t dive straight into talking about the features or capabilities of the solutions you offer. Instead, you should prioritize building trust with your potential customers at the start of the demo.
Pick up the pace as you go, and don’t rush into things. It’s best not to overwhelm your customers by providing them with excessive information.
Be patient and friendly with your audience. Think of it as a conversation rather than you trying hard to score a deal.
7. Welcome questions
A common mistake is making your sales demos a one-sided interaction. Don’t just be the one who talks. Encourage your potential customers to participate by reminding them that they’re welcome to ask any questions.
It ensures effective communication and facilitates interaction between you and your customers on a deeper level.
Furthermore, you will get to know your customers’ pain points and be their guide, helping them find suitable solutions to their problems.
8. Ensure continuous improvement
Whether you’re trying to engage your audience through video presentations or in-person demos, continuous improvement is your key to success.
Analyze your reps’ performance during sales demos to identify areas for improvement and refine your sales processes. This will help you build a team of highly skilled sales professionals and minimize the risk of losing potential customers.
Remember to follow up with your customers after every demo to gather feedback on their experience, and even conduct split testing for different demos that help you identify the most converting versions.
Start closing
There you have it: the eight proven tips to deliver successful sales demos and increase your chances of closing deals.
If you’ve been striving to improve the way your representatives interact with your potential customers and facilitate the sales process, the recommendations in this article will help.
Author's bio
Syed Balkhi is the founder of WPBeginner, the largest free WordPress resource site. With over 10 years of experience, he’s the leading WordPress expert in the industry. You can learn more about Syed and his portfolio of companies by following him on his social media networks.
