Cybersecurity has an image problem. Over the years we’ve created the perception that every single cybersecurity product is “complex”. It requires a team of technical experts (usually the pre-sales team) to explain every nook and cranny of the solution, another set of technical professionals to deploy it, and yet another group to train you how to use it. When it comes to large, complex deployments and environments this might still be the case. But this doesn’t mean this perception should automatically extend to every single product across the cybersecurity industry. 

To make matters worse, when you give a demo the complexity is often introduced by us (the seller)…not the product itself! What do I mean by this? Well, when pre-sales teams are trained on the solutions that they sell, the training is often inwardly focused and very technical in nature. So it’s no surprise that when giving a demo, pre-sales teams deep dive into the technical features and capabilities of their solution…completely bypassing the problem area itself.

Given all of this context it’s no wonder we’ve arrived at a place where most people believe that cybersecurity solutions are too complex to demo effectively. But what if this “stigma” was simply just a myth? How could we approach cybersecurity demos differently?

It’s Time for a Demo!

Whenever we approach a demo, our first instinct is to dive into the product. After all, the buyer is looking to “see” what our product looks like and how it functions. The problem with diving right in, is that we tend to go a little too deep. Configuration details, step by step integrations, features that are even rarely used by most customers. This over-rotation during demos is what tends to get us into trouble…so if we are fortunate enough to get some time with a buyer, how can we structure our demo to make the most impact without making our solution appear too complex.

Great question.

First, let’s drop the “speeds and feeds” approach to demoing our solution. In a 30 minute demo, after intros, and people fumbling around for the mute button, we often have only 15 - 20 minutes to demo. It’s not a lot of time so we need to stay extremely focused on how we can deliver the best value within that short window. If this is the first time you are meeting with the buyer, aligning your demo to their business case, and not the technical details, is the best way to achieve this outcome.

Second, keep the conversation very focused. Most cybersecurity solutions are good at a dozen or so use cases…but that doesn’t mean you need to cover every single one! Most buyers have a single use case (or two) that align to the problem they are trying to solve. Once you understand the business case, walk through the top 2 - 3 use cases that make the most sense. As you walk through each use case, look for signs of a micro buy-in (head nods, engaging questions, etc.) which you can use to set your next meeting to dive deeper (at a technical level) on just those core use cases…a much more efficient and focused use of (everyone’s) time.

Finally, capture a lot of notes during your initial demos. You should start to see a theme developing to which you can align your “core” u both across multiple industries and industry specific. You can then use this theme to craft your core uses and develop a demo workflow. 

Let’s Save Your Time and Mine

Creating a demo workflow is only one half of the equation though. The other half is automating your demos in a way that delivers the best buyer experience. If you have your core use cases established, build them into a product tour right on your website (saving your buyer time and you). If they resonate, you can do a live demo to dive deeper or even personalize your delivery based on those initial core use cases. This is a big win for repeatability, which in turn decreases the time to value!

With the complexity officially removed from your demo workflow…this myth is officially busted!