The best product demo is a conversation driven by mutual curiosity. Don’t set your PowerPoints on stun. Your goal is to learn more about a prospect’s current situation and needs while they want to learn more about your product and services and how you can help them.
Set Your PowerPoints on Stun
Too often founders treat a presentation or demo as an opportunity to download information about their product instead of a chance to learn more about their customer’s needs. They don’t ask questions and are surprised it means they put their powerpoints on stun: the audience sits in polite silence during and after your talk.
Q: I didn’t get any questions at the end of a recent demo. The audience was quiet and respectful and our point of contact said “It’s an interesting product, you’ve given us a lot to think about.” But it’s been two weeks and I haven’t had any response to my two follow up e-mails and a voicemail.
A: It’s very likely that they felt your product was not a fit with their needs and being polite was the fastest way to get you out of the room. Avoid the temptation to demo to early by first getting agreement on what the key business is that they are looking for help on and then clarifying what are two or three capabilities they believe they need to address their needs. A crisp presentation that demonstrates those capabilities–and only those capabilities–should lead to a longer conversation.
Q: I didn’t get any questions during a recent demo, and two of the key audience members spent a lot of time e-mailing on a tablet or texting on a phone. What can I do when a prospects starts to multi-task?
A: If you have a whiteboard or flip chart, ask them a question and let them use it to sketch an answer. If you open with a very brief intro that confirms their critical business issue and the capabilities they are looking for, it’s less likely they will tune you out.
If you are not sure what business challenge they are looking for help with, open with some questions about what they are using now, what their current workflow looks like, and where they are looking for help. Diagnose before you prescribe, and you should be able to get their attention. If that does not work, then you may be a “check in the box” that they have talked to enough vendors (also known as “column fodder,” where they can compare your offering to several others, including their first choice).
Another alternative for a large group is to offer a menu of features or capabilities and ask for a show of hands to prioritize what you should show first.
If it’s a senior person or decision-maker who is tuning you out, you need to engage them. If it’s only one person in a group of five or six and everyone else is engaged, I would not be as concerned. They may either be bored (in which case engaging them will help) or worried about another situation (sick child, major service outage, urgent text from their boss), in which case they may need to leave.
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