7 keys to creating the wow effect in a demo

The "wow" effect during a demo.

That moment when time stands still. You sense that things are finally going to speed up and that your sales cycle is coming to an end.

Thanks to your demo, your prospect is convinced of the value of your product or service.

With practice, making a demo may seem simple and intuitive, but beware.

Even with sales experience and a good knowledge of your product, giving a convincing demonstration is a very difficult exercise.

Time is money. Your prospect's attention span is not unlimited.

If you make a blurry demo, it's a waste of time for all parties. It doesn't convince the prospect to work with you.

That's why we anonymously analyzed over 40,000 demos to understand the common characteristics of successful demos. Some of the results are counter-intuitive.

Start your demo at the end

In life, it's often said that you should save the best for last.

Instinctively, sales people think they have to start by creating anticipation, like before the end of a fireworks display.

In the demo, the opposite is true.

Otherwise, you'll lose your prospect and his attention.

Before the demo, you've made a great discovery: you know which features best match its use case.

For example, for software: instead of starting with features, start with the results your customers get from using your software, then introduce one or two key features.

In a demo, we always start with the result. Then you move on to the best features.

Give your prospect a taste.

One day, Chalom Malka (Aircall's sales manager) told me in a benevolent (but annoyed) tone: "a good demo lasts no more than 5 minutes...".

So we checked and...

Shalom is right.

Even if you love your product and could talk about it for hours, don't do it. Give your prospect a taste and avoid long demos. Give your prospect a taste and avoid long demos.

You don't want to give your prospect the impression that they've wasted their time.

Complete the demo in 10 to 15 minutes maximum.

Sales people tend to make their demos too long, too tempted to show off every feature. They think they have a better chance.

During a demonstration, if what you present to your prospect doesn't perfectly match his needs, you run the risk of proving to him that your product isn't made for him.
Furthermore, the less time you spend on the demonstration phase, the more time the prospect has to ask you questions.

Let your prospect express himself, and you'll know the level of granularity he expects from you.

Depending on their questions, you can give them more or less detail.

Don't dilute your message and stick to the most important features.

Focus your demo on the prospect's challenges.

Most sales people spend too much time selling all the benefits of their solution.

They don't take the time to talk about their prospects' problems.

If you make your prospect aware that his situation is no longer tenable, he'll be all the more inclined to buy your solution.

This sentence from Larry Ellison, CEO and founder of Oracle, literally revolutionized the way I sell.
" Generally speaking, prospects tend to devote more energy to avoiding losses than to reaping the benefits."

Clearly explain the dangers of the status quo for your prospect. Emphasize that it is not sustainable in the long term.

For example:

"Today, you tell me that your best salespeople are outstanding in the way they handle the most recurring objections, but they don't share them internally.

"To remedy this, some time ago you created a documentation to share their best practices."

"What is the risk of continuing to work in this way?"

"Do you think this situation should be remedied? ".

Keep control of the conversation

Stay in control so you can address certain topics at the right time.

Always prepare your demos in advance.

This is what enables you to answer your prospects' questions, however complex they may be.

Don't be surprised.

Preparation tip: before each sales meeting. Think of all the objections your prospect might raise.

Always be prepared for the worst.

To deal effectively with an objection, answer the questions.

The best salespeople do it 50% of the time, the average salesperson only 30%.

Don't broach the subject of price until you've shown them the value of your product.

If you let your prospect tell you about prices too soon, your chances of success plummet.

Use social proof intelligently.

Social proof consists of citing the name of one of your customers to convince a prospect that your solution works.

All salespeople do.

Here again, the figures do not lie.

Sellers who use these techniques reduce their closing rate by 22%.

The reason is simple: if your product works so well for the giants, why should it work for a start-up or SME?

After all, their challenges are not at all the same: your prospect won't recognize himself in the brands.

They may think your product isn't for them.

Rather than talking about your best-known customers, choose companies that are similar to your prospect (same industry, same number of employees, similar products, same size, same age, etc.).

It's best to choose companies that have solved the same problems as your prospect with your solution.

For him, it makes much more sense than a big company that doesn't look like him.

In the demo, don't talk about return on investment, try to...

Using ROI language can be just as detrimental to your offer as using social proof.

The prospect will question your figures.

Instead, create two images of their business: one of the current situation, and the other once your solution has been implemented.

This way, you armor yourself.

Tell them about your customers' results. Focus on your customer's problem and how your solution solved it.

The rest will follow.

Discuss next steps at the beginning and end of the call.

To speed up your sales cycle, spend 50% more time talking about next steps at the beginning and end of your calls.

The best way to do this is to make it clear from the outset:

"By the end of this call, I'd like you to tell me if what I'm showing you is relevant and you'd like us to go further, or if you're not interested and we'll avoid wasting our time."

This has the advantage of being clear and laying the foundations.

Conclusion

The demo is the key moment to turn an interested prospect into a satisfied customer.

If you're not careful, you can ruin everything. The longer the conversation, the more you lose the person you're talking to.

Your prospect's attention wanes as the conversation progresses. Keep it short. Get to the point:

If you had to remember just one thing:

Be brief and to the point. Let your prospect ask you questions.

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Better,