Live Demo FAQ: 8 most frequently asked questions about live demos

We collected the 8 most common FAQs we are getting asked from our community; we believe the following questions and answers can become super handy when preparing for a demonstration or when working on your demo skills; feel free to reach out and continue reading our blog for more discovery and demo success ;)

How should you start your live demo call?

When beginning a live demo, greet your prospect and thank them for joining. Start by Introducing yourself, your company, and the product, then provide a context, background, and a brief overview of the demo; later, while in the demo, start with the strongest components and features. 

What should you never say during a demo?

Whatever you do, never say the following during a demo:

1. Excuse me; I need to go for a second. 
2. This feature is so cool!
3. I already explained it.
4. Sorry, I have to answer this call.
5. I don’t remember what that button does.
6. I don’t want to go into much detail about this.

How should you behave while giving a live demo?

1. Listen. Your prospect is the subject of the call, not the software. Listen 80% of the time, and speak 20% of it.
2. Keep your hands where we can see them. Stop typing, it’s annoying, and it makes the other person feel like you are not listening. Keep your hands off the keyboard.
3. Don’t apologize. The software glitches, and something breaks. Don’t apologize or call out the faults. Keep the conversation running while you get things back in order.

What is a demo experience?

Demo experience refers to the actual experience of your prospect during a demo. How you present your product’s or service’s value and how the core features and capabilities of the product are presented affect the demo experience.

What are the most important parts of a sales demo?

The most important parts of a sales demo are researching the prospect in advance, planning the demo, the chosen agenda, background, the product's explanations, addressing prospects' questions, the summary, and setting expectations. Always make sure to have a clear beginning, middle, and end of your sales demo call.

How can I improve my demo skills?

If you want to improve your demo skills, you should customize each demo to the prospect; the demo should be aligned with the prospect's story. In addition, don’t underestimate the power of rehearsal and testing. It has been established that the more you are fluent in the vocabulary and confident in the “sound of your own voice,” you establish credibility and authority early in the conversation.
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When asked a question about your solution, try to dive deep and understand the question behind the question. During a discovery or a demo call, the prospect will have questions about your solution capabilities; in most cases, they just want to be sure you can fulfill their needs rather than getting a specific answer. Try to understand the use case; your conversation will move away from features to benefits. 

How do you make a demo interesting?

Demos should be interesting and fun, don’t forget to be yourself (positive, enthusiastic, and energetic), your prospects will sense if you are nervous, and of course, if you are negative, it will make them anxious as well. Improvise when it is right, show highlights, keep it recognizable and relevant, be a storyteller, and always keep in mind the process outcomes and the benefits.

What do you say at the end of a demo?

At the end phase of the demo, recap what you said in the demo, emphasize how your product solves the prospect's main pain points, and wrap it up with a clear call to action that urges the prospect to progress to the next step. After the demo, don’t forget to send a follow-up email. This is a key milestone in your relationship with your prospect.

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