What is a sales demonstration?

This is when someone shows you how a product or service is used to basically convince you to buy it. Think of it as a live advertisement that lets you see the benefits offered and how it works. Sales representatives walk you through on the best features of a product and highlight on how it can either solve or meet your needs. They might even show tips and tricks on how to better take advantage of the product or service and answer your questions.

This is a great sales tactic of making customers understand your business more and helps them decide if they want to make a purchase.

Difference between Sales demo vs Product demo

To make it short, a sales demo is providing a potential customer with information and showing them how a product or service works while a product demo is the same but focuses more on current customers.

Sales demonstration basics

These are done by sales representatives in physical stores or even online platforms, where they record themselves demonstrating a product or service and put it up on a company website. Companies invest in creating sales demonstrations to help them connect with their customers, satisfy their needs, or even gain feedback and insights about what they offer. Potential customers are then curious about the products and services and may want to learn more about it before actually purchasing.

There are different types of approach in providing a sales demo.

1. A potential customer signs up for newsletters and requests more information about the company and what it offers.

2. When they contact a sales representative and ask questions and clarifications of what they offer.

3. When a potential customer asks for recommendations, suggestions or even consultations.

How to deliver a sales demonstration

In today’s technology, there are tons of ways to provide and deliver a sales demo. This all depends on what your target audience is and how they can be attracted and interested by it. Some companies would want to showcase these sales demos through online platforms, social media or their own website because this makes it easier for potential customers to reach them and do their own research based on how the company has managed their website. Some may even go old school and put up flyers or posters at their physical store showing a time and day where potential customers can come in and observe a sales demo about their products and services.

Here are some delivery channels that companies can use to promote sales demos:

1. Phone call
2. Email
3. In-person
4. Automated/pre-recorded videos
5. Live streams

Sales demonstration steps

• Research your potential customers
• Confirm the sales demo
• Plan your sales demo before the meeting
• Humanize the sales demo
• Set an agenda for the demo
• Summarize past conversations
• Provide background
• Explain the product or service
• Address any questions the prospect has
• Set expectations for next steps

1. Research your potential customers

This is the first step you take to successfully deliver a sales demo. Sales representatives should have a deeper understanding on what customers need and what their pain points to better deliver and sell the products or services they offer. Employees are expected to tailor fit and personalize their demos to meet a customer needs and finally make a sale.

2. Confirm the sales demo

This is something that should always be planned by representatives in advance. They need to make sure that the demo is still working for potential customers or if there something they can do better to catch more people’s attention.

3. Humanize the sales demo

Avoid sounding like a robot or like you are reading a script. Be spontaneous and energetic when doing a sales demo to avoid coming off as pushy and untrustworthy. You can try building rapport, tailor fit your product to their needs, answer their questions well and give valuable information about your products. This can help you have a breakthrough with your potential customers.

4. Set an agenda

Always try to follow an agenda and stick to your objectives. Make sure to inform your audience about your agenda before starting so that they know what to expect out of the demo and not waste their time if they are not interested. This sets expectations and needs for potential customers.

5. Explain the product or service

Of course, when doing a sales demo, you need to educate and explain to your audience about the product or services. For products, you can tell them about the ingredient made to create a wonderful product and in service tell them all you know about how they can advantage of them.

This starts with an overview of the products, how it is made and what basic features it offers. Representatives are the expected to explain why this product exists and link to how and when a customer might need it.