How to Build the Right Sales Demo Environment

Often, we find ourselves stuck in our demos. Either we fail to provide a compelling example, or our demo environments are not conducive to a practical demonstration. Whatever the reason, it's necessary to build the right sales demo environment to maintain credibility with our audience.

What is the right sales demo environment?

The right sales demo environment lets you effectively show off your product or service in an engaging way, without any technical hitches. It should be able to proceed smoothly and keep your audience riveted throughout the entire presentation.

Tips to build the right sales demo environment in 2022:

To help you out, Storylane has put together a few tips on how you can create the right sales demo environment.

Never Call It a Demo

If you're presenting to potential customers, never call it a demo. The minute you say that word, people start to tune out. They've been there and done that, and they know that most demos are dry, boring, and not worth their time.

The word "demo" often registers as a show or a performance in our minds. In other words, unrealistic. And when people see or hear something that seems unreal, they're less likely to believe in it.

Your goal is to make your audience think that what you're about to show them is the real thing.

Instead of calling it a demo, try using terms like "interactive experience," "guided tour," or "product showcase."

It's all about setting the right expectations and ensuring your audience knows that they're in for an enlightening experience, not a snooze-fest.

Avoid Being Too Perfect

Nobody likes a show-off. When you're demonstrating your product, don't go overboard and try to make it look perfect. Remember, you're presenting to real people who can see through an act.

Show them how your product or service can help them in their everyday lives. Show them the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Include problems, exceptions, and opportunities in your demo so your audience can see that you're being honest and transparent.

Provide examples of how your customer can solve their problems if something goes wrong. Be relatable and show them that you understand their pain points.

Exhibit opportunities for improvement so they can see that you're always looking for ways to make your product better.

Be the Customer

When you're creating a demo, always put yourself in the shoes of your target customer. What would they want to see? What would they care about? What kind of data or examples would be most relevant to them?

Create a demo environment that's as close to the actual customer environment as possible.

Market Alignment

Your demo should be tailored to the needs of your target market. It should address their pain points and present solutions that are relevant to them.

Use terms, data, and examples that are familiar to them. And most importantly, make sure that your product or service is something they need.

Market Maturity

If you're presenting to a mature market, your demo should focus on the benefits and features of your product or service.

But if you're targeting an early adopter market, you might want to focus on your product or service as a potential game-changer.

For example, if you're presenting a new CRM platform to a mature market customer, then you might want to focus on how you measure deal insights and forecast pipeline.

But if you're presenting the same CRM platform to an early adopter customer, you might want to focus more on how lead tracking will help their growth.

Use a Checklist

Create a checklist of things to do before, during, and after your demo. This way, you can be sure that you've covered everything and prepared for anything.

Checklists reduce risks and help you avoid mistakes.

Make Sure Your Mouse Cursor Is Visible Enough

This might seem like a small thing, but it can make a big difference in the overall demo experience. If you're using a mouse during your demo, make sure that the cursor is visible enough. Customers will want to see where your cursor is and what you're clicking on.

The last thing you want is for your audience to get confused or lost because they can't see your mouse cursor.

Review and Refresh Your Data

Make sure to review and refresh your data before each demo. This will ensure that your demo is always up-to-date and relevant.

We hear you - this is painful to maintain with good sanity data and in a reliable sandbox environment. Check out how Storylane can help you here.

Make Sure the Zoom is working

When setting up your demo, make sure the screenshare permissions are configured correctly on your laptop. Check Zoom can share your screen, and your mac or windows is updated correctly

Check Demo Availability

There's nothing worse than presenting a demo only to find out that it's unavailable or doesn't work.

Always check ahead of time to ensure that your demo is available and working correctly. (or better to use rock-solid demo environment by replicating in Storylane)

Check the performance of your demo. Make sure that it's fast and responsive. Customers want to try your demo because they think your product or service will help them solve their problems.

Make Your Demo Available Offline

In some cases, you might not be able to present your demo online. Maybe the customer doesn't have a good internet connection, or maybe they're not comfortable with sharing their data.

Whatever the case, always make sure that your demo is available offline. That way, you'll still be able to present your demo, even if there's no internet connection.  (With Storylane's frontend copy of your demo environment - you can cache your entire demo on the browser)

Avoid Fictional Names

When creating user profiles or giving examples, avoid using fictional names. It might seem like a good idea because you can come up with more memorable characters. But it may backfire on you.

Using celebrity names or made-up words can be distracting and might even offend some people. It'll also make your demo seem contrived.

You want your audience to see themselves in your examples. They should be able to relate to the characters or scenarios that you're presenting.

Use realistic names, addresses, and other information that your target market can identify with easily.

Add Region or Country Related Data

If you're presenting to an international audience, add region or country-specific data to your demo. This demonstrates that you're catering to their needs. It makes your demo more relevant and relatable to your audience.

For example, if you're selling a food delivery app, include local restaurants in your demo. If you're presenting a new e-commerce platform, use data from the region or country you're in.

Use Current Events or Dates

If you want your demo to be more relevant and engaging, then use current events or dates in your presentation.

For example, if you're presenting a new financial app, use current stock market data. If you're selling a new fitness tracker, use the latest marathon data.

Conclusion

The right sales demo environment is customer-focused, relevant, and trustworthy. And most importantly, it's an environment that will help you close more deals. By following the practices we've set forth here, you can create your audience's right sales demo environment.