10 Rules for Better Product Demos

The customer may want to take control of the demo, and you should go along with their suggestions as much as possible to avoid annoying them by sticking rigidly to a script.

A good demo should 'prove' that the sales claims about the offering are true, clearly showing why it should be important to the decision-makers.

Repetition does not add credibility, it only makes the product demo boring. A feature should only be shown more than once if demonstrating how it solves a completely different problem.

Unless you are 100% certain that a specific feature is of interest to the customer, do not demo it.

Unless demoing for the customer's engineers, focus on what the product will do for the prospect's firm, not on how it functions internally. Avoid using jargon or 'techie-talk'.

Avoid using business jargon or marketing buzzwords like 'best in class' and 'leading edge', as these make you sound foolish.

The main risk associated with product demos is that something can go wrong with the product, such as a technical glitch, demoing the wrong feature, or the customer growing bored.

The key to a successful product demo is to keep it simple and highlight only a small handful of high-value features, rather than showcasing a feature-rich demo that may leave the impression that the product is overly complex.

The demo should be scripted, with the "talking" part of the demo accommodating the rhythm of the product. If a feature takes 10 seconds to execute, the script should fill that time with appropriate patter to avoid the feature seeming slow or pokey.

It is important to rehearse the entire demonstration at least 5 times before presenting it to a customer, in order to be fully prepared and ensure a smooth execution.

You should always do an onsite test to ensure the equipment at the customer site or conference facility will work properly, as you should never assume the equipment will work as expected.

The focus of the demo should be on how the product will help the customer, not just on demonstrating how the product works. Every feature demonstrated must be tied directly to a customer problem or opportunity.