Never demo – Sell the concept to the CEO, COO, CFO, VP first
The killer demo kills the concept of your solution
Why should you demo your solution during a sales presentation?
The chances are you have:
- An unforeseen error
- A hiccup or a glitch
- A missing connection
- Been addressing the wrong problem
- Giving the function and features the attention, instead of the concept
And the demo falls apart. No interest. No trust.
Thus avoid all risks and don’t demo.
A demo can only increase:
- The number of questions on specific features and functions
- The chances to failure.
- The focus on convincing the decision makers
A demo addresses the problems of managers and users.
Not of the decision makers.
Your decision makers are from the C-Level: CEO, COO, CFO, CTO, VP Sales, VP Marketing
They are:
- Probably not completely aware of the problems your solution addresses.
- Usually far away from the daily tasks your solution is addressing.
Sell the concept and the benefits (for the C-Level)
You need to address matters that interest the C-Level:
- Tangible Benefits
- Intangible benefits
Not so much for the company, but for themselves if possible.
The concept needs to be outlined in just a few paragraphs.
In order to make sure they understand and envision the concept.
If you can sell the concept and the benefits of the solution and bring the trust.
Why should you take the risk to demo and get lost in translating the operational problems to the C-Level?
Problems with a demo:
- You talk instead of asking questions – your potential customers should be talking
- You are enthusiastic about your product demo, but you forget about the C-Level interests
- The managers will pose questions to you by the managers, not by the C-Level
- Managers are interested but they aren’t the decision takers
- The C-Level who possibly don’t understand or see the point of your demo
- Demos take too much time during the presentation for the C-Level
- You address problems the C-Level never has heard of
- You miss the to bring forward the benefits because of all the functions and features
- You will be explaining every feature, but forget to paint the whole picture: the concept
- Risks of failure of the demo
The killer demo is likely to kill your sales.
Getting the buy-in: afterwards
Getting the buy-in from the users or managers the solution is intended for has its importance.
You will have to demo to the managers in order to get their support, but that should be after you have convinced the C-Level of:
- The concept of the solution
- The trust that brings the company
- The vision of the future.
Reason:
Giving a demo of a complex product or solution will demand time, people and investment.
Thus you should be spending this money only after having convinced the C-Level.
When to demo?
- The needs are clearly defined
- The decision makers are known
- The decision process is agreed upon
- The C-Level are convinced of the concept and understand the tangible and intangible benefits.
First sell the concept with the benefits to the CEO, COO, CFO, CTO, VP Sales or VP Marketing.
Then organize a demo for the managers and users. It will be hard for them to kill your sales.
More from LEADS Explorer
- The 5 questions to ask the CEO like a CEO
- Four Ways to Sell To a CEO: Back to the future?
- The seat to choose at the sales meeting
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