TSE 652: Stop Using The Demo as a Crutch (DaaC)

Are you relying solely on your demo thinking that is what’s going to close the deal? Well, you better stop it as early as now because it won’t get you anywhere. See, it’s not how many demos you get to present. It’s not a numbers game in this case. It’s about quality.

When I was working in the SaaS world, what I noticed all the time was that salespeople would focus on the demo. They would expect the demo to close the deal for them. I had that same mindset as well. That’s because I sucked at selling and didn’t have the capability to help persuade my clients to make the decision. But it didn’t work!

That is not how you sell. That is not the way to sell.

Too many sales reps are crutching on the demo. Way too many of them are just waiting for the demo and hoping it would close the deal that when the person sees the software, they’re going to instantly buy it.

What to do before doing any demonstration:

• Get to know the prospect.
• Check out their website. Find out what they do. Look at their products and services to get an idea.
• Understand their business model and how they make money.
• Understand their top 3-4 issues and why they would purchase your solution if they came to your website.

Things to consider during your first call:

1. Your first conversation is just to call them to set the appointment.
2. Go deeper into that business question.

In the book, The Science of Selling, David talks about the science of asking powerful questions and he recommends these three levels:

• 1st level: Surface-level answers like asking them for a review about some information you gave them. It’s just a basic follow-up question.
• 2nd level: What features did you and your team think were most important?
• 3rd level: Go down to the reason and the true root of the problem. (Ex. If you had that feature, how would that positively impact your role?)

3. Find out who else needs to be on the demonstration.

• The CEO is not the only person making the decision. There may be an office manager, a spouse, or a partner involved in the decision-making.
• Stop making assumptions. Make sure you get to the right people in the demonstration.
• If there are other key individuals in the decision-making process, find out what’s most important to them. You may need to do multiple calls.

4. Find out the budget.

Figure out their budget and their time frame.

Stop using Demo as a Crutch!

• Before giving any demo, have a meaningful discussion around the things I’ve mentioned above. Only then will your demos are more likely to close because you’re going to focus on things that matter the most and emphasize that.
• Today is the day you start your independence from just being dependent on the demo to close. You need to make that mental decision.
• If you’re a sales leader, train your seller to be a really good seller. Take time to train them, mold them, and teach them.

Episode Resources:

The Science of Selling by David Hoffeld

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