5-Step Demo Checklist

Keith Weightman
May 25, 2024

Here’s what we’ll cover:

A 5-Step Checklist to review before every demo

Estimated reading time: 2 min 21 seconds

The Separation is in the Preparation

The best sellers leave nothing to chance regarding their demos.

They know the separation is in the preparation.

Yet most sellers do 1 of 3 things:

Can it - provide “canned” demos for each buyer
Wing it - “They’ve done the demo 100 times”
Delegate it - Let the SC own the demo

All of the above is why most demos suck.

Here’s a 5-step checklist for less sucky demos:

Step 1: What’s the FAA?

Every ‘real’ deal has one.

It’s an acronym for what the buyer is trying to Fix, Accomplish, or Avoid?

Why is it a priority and why now?

This will become the foundation for your storyline. (more on this later)

Step 2: Define Win Themes

What are the 1-3 “win themes”?

Are they unique to your solution or company?

Weave these into your message to help answer “why us?”

Step 3: Craft the Story

95% of demos are trainings disguised as demos.

Lacking structure and jumping aimlessly from feature to feature.

The best are told as stories using the buyer’s language.

They flow logically and help the buyer visualize how they’d use your product.

Write your story as an outline or word-for-word script.

Step 4 Prep the environment

I hate when sellers say “Sorry, ignore the demo data”

This is almost always in your control.

ALWAYS prep your demo with their terminology, workflow, etc.

Plan out the exact:

Pages
Clicks
Fields

Control the controllable and avoid having to say:

“Sorry, my internet has been spotty all day”

“This is a demo environment so sometimes it’s a bit wonky”

“I think someone messed with my demo data”

Don’t be lazy.

Step 5: Schedule the Dry Run

Never do a demo without a dry run.

It will allow you to make changes to the story and flow.

How often has your SC said something during a demo and you thought…

“What the hell are they saying right now?”

If you didn’t do a dry run - it’s your fault…not theirs.

Own the prep. Own the outcome.

That’s all for today. See you next week for a free 1pg. account plan template to better manage key accounts.

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