Stop Teaching the "How to" Demo

One way startups light money on fire is to hire new sales reps but not set them up to succeed. One key point of failure: Training new reps on the "how to" demo.

What's the "how to" demo?

It shows the viewer "how to" use the product.

It's the most natural demo for your product team to script out. They're concerned about the user flow and the "how to' demo is all about that user flow.

But that's not what sales reps need.

They need to be able to demo value, not "how to" use the product.

So how do you give them the tools to do that?

1. Start the demo with Summary Slides

These outline the problems your product solves, the solutions you offer, and the impacts you generate.

Create one slide for each of Problem, Solution, and Impact (P - S - I; hence P.S.I. Selling!).

The demo is basically an exercise in proving these points.

2. Break the demo up into sections with one section for each element of your solution

Think of an element of the Solution as the set of features that combine to solve one of the prospect's Problems.

If you sell project management software, you're not demoing a bunch of buttons. You're demoing the way that managers stop tasks from falling through the cracks.

3. Propose specific and valuable next steps at the end of the demo

Good reps propose specific next steps. They might say: “As a next step, let’s reconvene for a scoping call.”

Great reps also say why those next steps are valuable to the prospect. They might say: “As a next step, let’s reconvene for a scoping call. That will enable me to share a proposal that addresses your specific needs so you can make an informed decision.”

Here's what it looks like in practice:

Happy selling!

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If you liked this article, have a look at our piece on the Affirm - Ask - Benefit Framework to see how to keep the process moving forward after you've done an excellent demo. You can also check out the P.S.I. Selling Content Page for more insights on sales communication, strategy, and leadership.

Want to build a sales process that proves value and a team that can execute? Get in touch.

For more about the author, check out Mike's bio.