The opening of an extraordinary sales demonstration is similar in a way to the opening scene of the movie Jurassic Park. In a Jeep, the doctors are being shown a tour of the theme park by Hammond. In shock and amazement, their jaws drop as they all see a Brachiosaurus. It’s a great moment.
\While you presentation will probably not have quite this much excitement, it’s important to start off your presentation in strong fashion. And follow up by explaining how it works. Here are 7 tips to help you give the perfect sales demonstration.
1. Start Strong!: It’s important to magnetize the audience from the start. Peter Cohan, author of “Great Demo!: How to Create and Execute Stunning Software Demonstrations”, believes that you have about one minute to captivate your audience and personally I second this. Start with the absolute coolest feature of your presentation – inspire with wonderment and pertinaciously blow people’s mind up front. Avoid trying to build a crescendo; the tone of the presentation is set in the opening.
2. Be a Connector: The best sales demonstrators are what I like to call “Connectors.” What is a connector? A connector deftly engages the audience and champions the product and brand to convert the public into loyal fans. For example, one of my first ventures was a t-shirt brand where I created and sold merchandise at local shows. You are tirelessly repping your brand; marketing, pushing product, and going to events. Its yeoman’s work, but it’s essential to building your brand.
3. Get Organized Well in Advance: Absolute rule number one in my book is to get everything formulated well in advance. It’s never good to do any last minute shuffling as this will make you look bush-league. For example, know where your sales presentations are on your hard drive and have the slides queued up and ready to go. Be prepared whether its 6 minutes or an hour long.
4. Bring Value to the Demo: It’s essential to have intrinsic value in a demonstration. In other words, have a great commodity to show the world. An awesome product equals a great PR opportunity. It’s like bringing a pot of gold. Otherwise, you may be better holding off until your product is amazing or it will come across as very nondescript.
5. Go at it Alone: I have never been a fan of a group demo. While it may seem like a great idea to show that you are on the same page with another collaborator, it muddies the waters. Remember the average attention span of adults is approximately 15 to 20 minutes. It’s hard enough to do it alone. With more than one person, it’s five times harder. If you are looking for a duet, hit the Karaoke bar.
6. Answer Questions at the End: Its way more advantageous to take questions at the end of the demo. Your focus should always be on the demo and you truly don’t know what people might ask. Better to play it smart and stay on course.
7. End on a High Note: So you started your presentation strong and astounded their minds in the opening minute. You deftly moved into the “how”: explaining the technology, advantages and how this is something they simply cannot live without. End the presentation by pulling out one more rabbit out of the hat. It’s a great cliffhanger for the next demo. It’s a great way to keep the audience excited for more!
