How to Prepare for Successful Remote Demos - Part 1

Can you believe it's been more than two years since we started relying on remote product demos? WHAT? Yes! But the challenge now is there are 'n' other companies like yours trying to reach prospects. In the next 5 mins, you will learn everything about challenges in the remote product demos. Not only that, but the best practices to offer an effective remote sales demo also. Let's dive in!

What Are the Challenges During the Product Demo?

#1 Defining too many objectives

A remote product demo is like any other marketing tactic. It needs a clear and measurable goal. At times, people get ambitious and define too many goals. When you have too many goals, the content gets watered down. You try to explain too many things, but none with depth. Thus, the effectiveness of the sales demo becomes very low.

We'll give you the cheat sheet. Ask yourself these questions and answer them from your business's perspective.

What is the business goal you want to accomplish?

Who is your target audience?

What action should your audience take after viewing the product demo?

#2 Not Knowing Your Audience

Knowing your target audience is critical. Sadly, most of the product demo presenters spend no or very little time understanding this. When you don't know the target audience, the product demo follows a one-fit-for-all approach. And it does not resonate well with many prospects. Make sure you know these before the demo,

What are the concerns of your target audience?

What are their needs?

Which is the best medium for the sales demo?

Which is the best language to communicate with them?

#3 Keeping the Attention Span Alive

Did you know you will lose your viewers' interest in less than 2.7 minutes? Even if your demo is very impactful, it isn't easy to talk about everything with less than three minutes of your viewers' attention. This is where your objective comes back to the limelight. Focus only on how your product can make life better for your audience. Never make the mistake of bombarding them with too many things at once.

#4 Never Ending Technical Glitches

The biggest turn-off is when your system runs into an error during a product demo. Or your screen freezes. Or all that one can hear is, 'Can you hear me me--me--hello--mee?'  We've all had experiences with it at least once or twice.

Sometimes, the glitch may not even be with the tools you're using. But with the product, you're demoing. Here comes the worst part - redirecting the demo to 404 error. HORROR!

Want to avoid this? Use Storylane's robust demo software that will let you face failures like these. Yes! Storylane offers more than interactive product tours. 

Jump into the next section and learn the best practices to follow for remote product demos.

Must-Have Best Practises for an Effective Remote Product Demo

#1 Do Your Homework!

You cannot skip this step. The product demo looks very watered down when you skip your research and often fails. Miss it, get ready to face the cyclones till the end.

You must understand your prospects' challenges even before pitching the value of your software via the product demo.

The main goals of your homework should be to:

Qualify for the product demo: Understand if your prospect even needs to see your product in the first place.

Identify pain points: Ask specific, targeted questions to identify 3-4 key pain points your prospect is looking out to solve.

Establish rapport: Dig deep to know your prospects' evaluation criteria, personal motivation, company goals, and industry benchmarks.

Identify the right stakeholders: Decide if the person you're going to present the demo to is the decision-maker to know your stakes.

Sell the product demo: Attract quality prospects by showcasing your Interactive product demo and excite them to learn about your product further.

#2 Don't Take Too Long to Schedule the Demo

Scheduling the demo is a challenge but not when you do it right away. Grab the opportunity and schedule the demo when you have your prospect's attention. Send them a few time slots and ask them to pick the best slot that works for them. Don't feel tired to send a follow-up email with your calendar link or suggested time slots immediately after the first call.

We'll let you a thumb rule to follow: Schedule the product demo within 5 business days since your first call/email with them (Of course, after proper research!). The reasons are straightforward:

·      The competition is too high. You don't want to be in a difficult situation where your competitor closes the deal before you even have the chance to show your product demo.

·      Create a sense of urgency with prospects. This way, your prospects will prioritize you and not the other tasks/meetings.

Still, scared of a no-show during the product demo? Follow these simple five simple rules, and you will not regret:

Less is more: Keep the time slot short. Schedule the sales demo only for 30 minutes (max 45 minutes). The optimum time would be between 3 pm and 5 pm as prospects have the headspace after a proper lunch. Everything sounds better when you're tummy is yummy!

Prepare, prepare, prepare: Find enough time to prepare for the product demo. Try not to schedule demos in less than 2 hours' notice. But include 15 minutes of preparation time before every demo. Back-to-back demos are unavoidable.

Send reminders: Your prospects are as busy as you. It is natural for them to forget the scheduled product demo. But you cannot miss an opportunity because they are forgetful. Send an email reminder before the demo. But don't send too many reminders.

Include key decision-makers: Ensure at least one key decision-maker in the product demo. This will help you cut down on scheduling multiple demos because the crucial stakeholder did not get the correct feedback from the attendee.

Automate scheduling: Scheduling is essential but can be a tedious, time-intensive process. Don't spend your valuable time checking multiple calendars for available slots or sending invites manually. Include software that helps you automate manual scheduling tasks to remove friction.

#3 Draft an Agenda

If you want to present a well-thought-out and carefully planned live demo, you must follow an agenda. You have to arrive at the agenda tailored to your prospect's challenges and business goals.

It's easy to get lost in talking about your product's features and functionalities. But how is it going to help your prospect/customer? They are here to hear how it solves their business challenges.

We'll help you get started. Use these steps in the agenda for the perfect product demo:

- Intro – 5 minutes: Connect with your prospect, establish trust and create a friendship.

- Summarize and set the stage – 5 minutes: Summarize where their business is right now, their pain points and how the solution will help them at a high level.

- Solution Mapping – 15 minutes: Show them your product in action but position it around the challenges it solves for the prospects. Focus on the three most significant pain points and how the product solves them effortlessly.

- Next steps – 5 minutes: Summarize the conversation and help them do the same. Get your prospect's understanding of the following steps and get confirmation.

Don't forget to inform your prospects about the agenda at the beginning of the demo. This sets the expectations right and lets everyone stay organized.

#4 Create a Personal Connection

One of the primary motivations for a prospect to get through with the product demo is trust in you. Kiss your conversion goodbye if you cannot establish an emotional connection and trust your prospects.

Here're are a few things that you can follow to establish a personal connection:

- Know your prospect: Get to know your prospect. Who the person is, and what is their company into it? Look up their social media profiles on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Do a quick search for their name and company on Google. Check your CRM for previous interactions or conversations in the past.

- Speak their language: Always make an effort to speak their language. Look at their website's previous email exchanges and pay attention to the words they use. Try to use the exact words and phrases to connect with them.

- Keep your video on: Let your prospect see your face. They are more likely to empathize with you when you do this and listen to you. It's easier to gauge their reactions and interests when you nudge them to turn their videos on.

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#5 Set the Stage Right

Frame your entire conversation in a way where you position the prospect as the focus. Your product needs to be the hero of the demo. No doubt in it. But not to the extent that your prospect feels like he is in an introduction Bollywood number, not knowing why they are. It's also your opportunity to tell your prospect that you have clearly understood their expectation. Only then you'll get their full attention and go all in for the product demo.

How Can Storylane Help You?

Wait! We can hear you. You want to know more, right? Of course! This is just part 1 of the best practices to follow during a remote product demo. Look out for more interesting tips in the next blog. But we don’t want to disappoint you. Here’s how Storylane helps in remote product demos.

Allow prospects to experience the product demo after talking to you. Share it with your buyer champion so they can make a faster buying decision. Most B2B buyers do not make the purchase decision during the demo call. They do it after an internal discussion. Just imagine how offering an interactive product demo will be valuable to your closing? 

Stay tuned for ‘How to Prepare for Successful Remote Demos - Part 2’

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