Have you witnessed a phenomenal product demonstration with poor audience reception?
I have.
In fact, I have sat through many such product demonstrations. Of course, for me, sitting through software demonstrations is part of my job as a Pre-Sales professional. I am immune to product demonstrations, whether good or bad.
That said, our prospects and clients must not be punished by our arrogance and monotony.
When we do so, they, in turn, punish us by ghosting us forever.
Here's Why A Pure Product Demonstration Rarely Closes the Deal
This is my (simple) answer to the question in the header.
Clients come in all shapes and sizes. They come with different problems to solve.
A business owner may have the following issues at the back of his head.
- Hiring the right people.
- Motivating salespeople to sell more.
- Finding ways to follow up with clients without forgetting to follow up.
- Buy inventory.
- Sell inventory.
- Produce more units of physical goods while reducing scape.
- Getting his corporate brand out there.
- Buying advertisement space.
- Digital transformation for further workplace efficiency.
- Squeezing 2% productivity year on year.
I guarantee you the (real) list is longer than this one. The trouble is, we never know what issues the business owner has today.
We risk losing the attention of our clients and prospects when we become obsessed with a product showcase.
Our chance of winning that deal is close to 0%.
"Don't try to tell the customer what he wants. If you want to be smart, be smart in the shower. Then get out, go to work and serve the customer!"
Forget About the Product (For Now). Focus on Understanding the Client.
Don't get me wrong. Product demonstration has its place in the marketing and sales funnel. We need to assess when to schedule one.
In my opinion, a product demonstration is (just) one arrow in our quiver. We need to use all tools and techniques at our disposal to understand our clients and their pain points.
For example, a coffee chat.
Now, you might disagree with me. You may thumb your nose at me because this is a soft marketing approach.
But that is irrelevant. Soft or sophisticated marketing techniques mean nothing to me if I cannot land a client contract.
The shortest journey to effective marketing and sales closure comprises 4 simple steps.
- Get clients and prospects to share their needs, pain points, pressing issues.
- Let them talk.
- Figure out how to use your product to solve their problems.
- Tell them explicitly that you have a solution to their problems.
Realize I never focus on the product.
I use the product as an avenue to solve their problems.
Author's Note: When you solve your client's business problem(s), they will solve your revenue problem(s).When You Have a Way to Solve Your Client's Problem — Show Them
"It's not about having the right opportunities. It's about handling the opportunities right."
I love this quote because it is so bloody realistic.
Having the right opportunities is analogous to having high-quality leads (a C-Level executive running a Fortune 500 or a high net worth individual, so to speak). The potential to close a 10 million dollar is right in front of you.
Can you close the deal?
Yes, you can, IF you can guide your clients and prospects through your thought processes.
Notice that big IF.
And that IF is predicated on the following groundwork and preparation.
You found out why clients and prospects seek you out. You understood what issues they have today. You have positioned your product as the unabated problem-solver.
Done all that? Great.
Now, it is time for a show-and-tell.
This is how you can execute a product demonstration without blowing it.
- Use the words your clients and prospects use.
- Address their pain points using your product's features.
- Notice, this is vastly different from telling them what this or that button does.
- When you demonstrate how one problem can be resolved using your product, slip in the benefits they enjoy.
- Is it less time to complete? Say it.
- Is it fewer steps for execution? Say it.
- Does it involve fewer people to get work done? Say it. Loudly.
Focus all attention on the clients and prospects throughout the product demonstration. I guarantee you one thing, at minimum, if you do so.
You will get the next appointment if you ask for it.
Summary
The smoking hot way to market your product… is to forget about it.
This is not to say we must forget about the product forever. As effective marketers or sales professionals, we must align our eyes on the client in front of us.
And then, throughout your conversation with your client, position your product as a turnkey solution to their issues.
You have a higher chance of winning a contract.
As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure. Because our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.