There are millions of products available in the market for sale. They are either displayed on the shelves of the stores or hover in the endless scrolls of the web pages. In most cases, the buyers are uncertain about buying a product as they do not have the product experience.
To eliminate this ambiguity amongst the buyers, a product demonstration is a widespread technique practiced by many manufacturers.
Giving an excellent demo that helps in selling the product is the bread and butter of any salesperson. Many representatives struggle to deliver a good demo which leads to a decreased conversion rate and hence, suffers on the work front.
A demo allows the customer to have a better insight into the product, and if convinced, they are sure to turn into a regular customer. There are chances that these customers promote the product to their friends and colleagues through word of mouth.
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What Exactly Is A Product Demo?
A product demo can be defined as a representation of the features, benefits, and value of the product or service to an existing or prospective consumer. In general, it encompasses clear demonstrations of all the core features as well as the capabilities it has to offer. However, the main objective of a product demo is to successfully close a deal or make a sale.
What Are The Objectives Of A Product Demo?
A) Developing A Strong Desire
First of all, there is this basic objective of a product demonstration — to create an extremely strong desire about possessing the product or service in the mind of a prospect. A product demonstration does have the ability to create a desire of knowing more about the product or attracting the prospect towards it.
B) Generating A Positive Attraction Or Interest Towards The Product
Sometimes the prospect doesn't have a calm state of mind and they keep on asking questions or doubting their own decision whether to go for the product or not. This happens when they are not completely familiar with or knowledgeable about the product. Hence, a product demonstration helps in breaking all the barriers and brings the customer one step closer to the product. And creating a positive attitude in regard to the product is known as part and parcel of the persuasion procedure in the world of sales.
C) Convincing The Prospect To Become A Paying Customer
A simple conversation or a presentation is actually an oral expression or description of your products & services. It does have an influence in the mind of your prospect but it doesn't help in converting the prospect into a customer. A product demo is what applies the approach of multi-sense and helps the prospect to come up with a positive conclusion.
The successful demo is all about proper planning and personalization!
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There are a few ways to effectively deliver the demo to the clients and convince them to buy the product. They are as follows:
1) Know Your Competitors
Every product has some competitors already holding a place in the market. Consumers always want the best product with an equally best deal. Thus, it is essential to give a unique and robust demo that leaves the potential customer dazzled and impressed. For this, doing thorough research about competitive products plays a vital role in promoting the product. The weaknesses and strengths of competitive products should be noted and used for comparison with your product.
Make use of all the creativity to create an angle for marketing the product. More uniqueness and innovation in the demo can differentiate your product from other products already available in the market. A new way to describe even an ordinary product can work wonders in the minds of buyers. Researching the competitors and finding unique ways to give a demo of your product is the most effective way to win customers' hearts.
2) Customize The Demo
Every customer is different and has different requirements. So, every demo must match the customer's needs. At this point, research about the target audience is beneficial. Gathering information regarding their business, goals, and challenges will help in delivering a good demo.
The role of the person who will be attending the demo on behalf of the company should be identified beforehand. There should be two to three value propositions to be recognized by the company. The product should help the company reach its goals, and hence, it should be identified before delivering the demo.
An agenda should be set, and a structure of the demo has to be made. It should be sent to the client before the meeting. In addition to that, the amount of time required to cover all the points should be mentioned. The demo should cater to the needs of the customer. Straightforwardness and simplicity is the key to a successful demo.
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3) Prepare and Practice
Demos are often proven to be more difficult as compared to a presentation. In the demo, the representative has to focus on the customer, the mechanics of the demo, and its effect on the customer. So, practicing a demo before delivering it to the client is the best way to nail it at the final time. The representative should know the demo inside out to ensure effective delivery.
The materials and devices that will be used for the demo should be checked and tested for any errors. A malfunction in the middle of the demo is sure to break the link, and the audience will also get distracted from the main agenda. The demo should be well-scripted to eliminate any unnecessary stories that will divert the focus.
4) Keep The Customer Engaged
To pursue a customer, it is vital to make them feel connected to the product. It is crucial to create an atmosphere that helps in keeping the customer involved and engaged. The in-person demonstration allows the customer to get a feel of the product. In the demo, the customer is even entitled to test the product. It helps in validating the facts provided by the representative.
A sensory experience is significant to keep the customers engaged. The visual, tactile, and auditory faculties are very appealing to the audience. Seeing the product in action helps in making useful and accurate decisions. The representatives should keep in mind that they should not talk only about the product. They should connect with the audience and become a mediator between the customer and the product. Involving the audience in a conversation is an effective way to draw their focus and keep them engaged.
5) Always Treat Your Demo As A Normal Conversation
A product demonstration should be like any other conversation and it must start at a nice pace with formal greetings and general courtesy. Never try to load your attendee with a bucket full of information at the starting point itself and most importantly, stop rushing. You need to take it slowly by allowing the attendee to understand every single point that you have to explain. Make them comfortable by asking how they have been or how they are doing, it might also be related to the things that you have found out at the time of your research. Put efforts into building a good rapport. You are too close to closing the deal, but remember not to be too quick on jumping into the details of the product.
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6) Length Of Your Demo
Well, there is no such fixed, data-backed time frame for presenting a demo of a product but still, 15 to 20 minutes seems like a plausible length. Although, when it comes to a product demo, it should not be only limited to the features of your product or complicated technical difficulties, you will undoubtedly have to mention those things. All this says that your potential consumer should be able to focus on the specific information being provided and not get worn out too easily. Speaking for way too long and presenting a lot of things can definitely make the prospect uninterested. So, try to keep it short and interesting.
7) Clear All Your Doubts
Even after conducting in-depth research, there might be some doubts or questions that you are confused about! So, it's a great time to ask for answers and collect valuable data which can be helpful for you in the future. Tell your potential customer that you want to know or understand their needs and expectations. According to them, what is the biggest challenge in the long term and what are the existing pain points that have an effect on their work? What stresses them out as a team member or a leader? What are their needs? Are they having any thoughts about your offer, how do they feel about the product? Ask these questions and resolve your doubts.
8) Close The Deal
The customers believe in what they see. An excellent and to-the-point demo will directly strike a chord in the minds of the buyers. Now is the best time to ask the buyer about their thinking regarding the product. You can ask about the next step that has to be taken that will help in moving the sale forward. This is a crucial step that has to be followed; the buyer may think that the demo was just a waste of time. As the demo comes to an end, some time should be kept aside for any last-minute questions from the buyer. If something was uncovered during the demo, it could be sent via email, and even the next meeting date can be set up for the final decision to be taken regarding buying the product.
9) Monitoring And Tracking
How will you improve your demos or sales calls if you do not put in effort in order to measure the complete process of your product demonstrations? If you do not track your sales calls or do not analyze the work your salespeople are doing, then I guess everything would be in vain! There will be zero chance that sales calls conducted by your sales team will drive valuable results in the long run if you do not track or monitor your sales calls. It is mandatory to analyze each and every step of your conversation by utilizing sales call monitoring and then assess the complete performance of every sales representative.
The Bottom Line
We have that now you get to know how to improve your sales calls. A demo call that will help you proceed towards a successfully closed deal is what needs to be valued always. Always remember that your job is to convince your prospect that your product will solve all of their issues and make their work easier & efficient. In order to do so, you need to begin with the right set of questions, communicate about the essential features of your product, adjust according to the way of communication of your customer, follow your strategic plan but try to be flexible and lastly, set a precise next step.
You must try to treat every single demo call in an individual manner and if something new or unique comes up at the time of your call, do react in a normal way. Never try to be a salesperson who just sticks to a specific plan and doesn't put effort to convert it into a deal. And most importantly, relax and be calm! Do not allow the stress to empower your mind as you might start to make some mistakes.
The demo should not be limited to a single target audience and customized according to different types of customers. One should focus on the needs of the customer and not only on selling the product. The demo should be creative and memorable to leave a long-lasting impression in the mind of the customer. All this is sure to convert the potential buyer into a regular customer.
