In my years as a presales professional, I’ve discovered something counterintuitive: Demos are overrated. Yes, you read that correctly. And no, I’m not trying to be provocative just for clicks.
The presales industry puts demos on a pedestal. Think about it: when you hire an SC, that final round is the demo round. Feedback often centers on demo performance. Managers run demo roundtables. SCs are frequently introduced as “the person who’s going to run the demo today.” Most books in our space focus primarily on demos.
But what’s the reality of a demo’s importance?
What really matters in sales
To answer this, we need to understand what actually drives a sale. If you strip everything else away, here’s all that needs to be accomplished: The person with purchasing authority must be convinced that buying your solution puts their company, team, or department in a better position than doing anything else with that money. Period.
This is a dense statement, let’s unpack it a bit.
The person who has the ability to purchase has the responsibility to improve their team. They often will have KPIs they are measured against, which likely track towards improving revenue, lowering cost, or reducing risk. It’s not enough, though to just say that your product can lower costs. Your investment has to lower cost or drive revenue better than spending that same amount of money on something else entirely … or even on doing nothing!
I have personally witnessed a CEO turning down an IT project since while the project would have improved the efficiency of the engineering team, it came nowhere near the return they could get by investing it in more physical retail locations.
This is the reality your buyers face. They’re not just evaluating if your solution is good, they’re evaluating if it’s the best use of limited resources.
The path to a successful sale
Working backward from the final signature, what needs to happen for a sale to close?
- Your champion needs to understand the specific value your solution brings
- They need to trust you completely
- They need to believe you understand their business
I’ve already covered the first point. Let’s break down the last two:
Trust without understanding: If customers trust your honesty but don’t think you understand their business, they’ll assume your solution works just fine … but it just won’t work for them.
Understanding without trust: If customers think you grasp their challenges but don’t trust you, they won’t believe your claims about how your solution can help.
When both are present, along with a clear value proposition, your champion will confidently advocate for your solution internally. These are the keys to closing a deal.
How to build trust and understanding
The most powerful way to build understanding? Not demos, but discovery. Ask thoughtful questions about their business. Show genuine interest. My favorite question:
“Is there anything I should be asking about your business that I haven’t asked yet?”
When you demonstrate that your questions are specifically for understanding their business, trust naturally grows. Discovery is the key towards closing a deal.
This is why demos are overrated. We place the importance of demonstrating as the top capability of any solutions consultant, but in reality there are far more important skills and activities that are needed in order to close the sale. This is not saying that you should never demo, I’m merely saying our value of demo skills is too high.
So when should you demo?
Demo every single time someone asks to see one. Every. Single. Time. But only when they ask.
When a customer says, “Can I see a demo?” your response should be: “Yes. What specifically would you like to see?”
Demos aren’t gateways to building trust or showcasing value. They’re simply demonstrations of features. Important, but not the centerpiece of your sale. Deals will move faster and smoother when we stop trying to progress our deals and build trust with demonstrations, and instead use them as a tool in our toolbox. Focus instead on proper discovery and enabling your buyer to sell on your behalf.