Running a demonstration that suits the buyer rather than you

5 days ago
3 min read

Introduction

A demonstration prepared in advance shows everything the supplier is proud of. A demonstration that converts shows the two or three things this particular buyer came to see. These are almost never the same, and the difference is usually the whole reason a promising conversation goes quiet afterwards.

The buyer arrives with a specific problem and a limited amount of attention. Spending the first twenty minutes on background and capability uses both up before reaching the part they cared about. Finding out what that part is, before you start, is a five-minute conversation that changes the outcome more than any improvement to the demonstration itself.

1. Running a demonstration that suits the buyer starts before it begins

The preparation call.

What they want to see, what they are trying to solve, who will be there. Five minutes beforehand, and the whole session becomes relevant rather than generic. It also signals that you value their time, which is part of the impression.

2. Show the thing they came for first

The ordering.

Not the introduction, not the background, not the history. Whatever they said they needed, in the first few minutes, while their attention is complete. The company introduction can go at the end, if at all.

3. Use their situation, not a generic example

The specificity.

Their kind of job, their sector, their numbers where you have them. A demonstration using somebody else's example requires the buyer to do the translation, and some will not. Ask for their figures in the preparation call. Preparing one relevant example is worth more than polishing a generic one.

4. Cover less than you prepared

The discipline.

Two or three things, properly, rather than eight briefly. What is remembered is what was shown in depth, and breadth is what makes a session forgettable. Cutting material is the main preparation work.

5. Stop and ask regularly

The interaction.

A demonstration delivered without pause is a presentation. Pausing to ask whether this matches their situation keeps it a conversation and tells you whether to continue down this path. It also surfaces the questions that would otherwise go unasked.

6. Show the limitations honestly

The credibility move.

What it does not do, where it would not suit them, what would be awkward. Buyers expect a sales demonstration; honesty about limits is unexpected and disproportionately persuasive. It also prevents the discovery arriving during delivery.

7. Let them try it if that is possible

The strongest version.

Somebody who has used something themselves has a different relationship with it than somebody who watched. Where a trial or hands-on is possible, it outperforms any demonstration. Even five minutes of their own hands on it changes the conversation.

8. Agree the next step before finishing

The step most often missed.

What happens now, by when, and who does what. A demonstration ending in general good feeling and no commitment is a common and expensive outcome. Ask the question before the session loses momentum.

9. Send a short summary afterwards

The reinforcement.

What was shown, what was agreed, what happens next. Particularly important where somebody else has to be told, which is most business purchases. Write it so it can be forwarded without explanation.

Be careful about demonstrating something that does not yet exist, or capabilities you cannot reliably deliver. What is shown creates an expectation and, in a commercial context, potentially a representation, and the disappointment lands during delivery.

Conclusion

Show the two or three things this buyer came to see.

Find out beforehand what they want to see and who will attend, lead with that rather than with background, use their situation as the example, cover less in more depth, pause regularly to check it matches their needs, be honest about limitations, let them try it themselves where that is possible, agree a specific next step before finishing, and send a short written summary afterwards.