The challenge for businesses is not just to grab attention but to hold it long enough to convert interest into sales. Why? Because modern buyers are informed, tech-savvy, and craving personalised experiences. They've done their homework long before talking to you, and they want more than a generic sales pitch. 

They're after an interactive dialogue that addresses their unique needs. So how do you capture and maintain their interest throughout the entire sales process? By offering them an amazing product demo that goes beyond mere presentation and provides a relevant, truly interactive, hands-on experience. It should allow potential customers to interact with your product, understand its features, and visualise its benefits.

This blog post will explain why a memorable product demo experience could be the game-changer for your sales strategy and how you can create one. Let’s begin.

Understanding the Modern Buyers

The landscape of buying, especially in the software industry, has undergone a seismic shift. Today's modern buyers are not passive recipients of product information but active drivers of their purchasing journey. They prefer control and personalization in their buying journey. 

Modern buyers are empowered with information. They have access to plenty of resources, reviews, and pricing options before they even speak to a sales representative. They are more likely to engage with vendors who understand their unique requirements and can demonstrate value in a personalised manner.

This is where you’ll need product demo experience as it helps showcase how the product or service solves the specific challenges or needs of the buyer. It's not just about displaying features but about showing how those features can be applied in the context of the buyer's own environment.

Where Do Product Demos Fall Short?

As per a report, 66% of consumers prefer self-guided product demos over face-to-face sessions. While the traditional product demos may have been effective in the past, they now struggle to engage modern buyers for various reasons.

• Selling rather than Assisting the Buyer: The initial blunder many make is centering the demo solely around the product, neglecting the customer's actual concerns. What buyers really want to know is how your product can fix their specific challenges. A demo that's predominantly selling the product oftentimes fails to resonate with the audience, making it less effective.
• Ineffective Narrative: It’s widely known that there are multiple stakeholders in any software buying decision. The vendors don’t get to meet and interact with many of them. The product demos are frequently tailored to the audience in the room while failing to address the needs and concerns of the hidden stakeholders.
• The Drive for Personalization delays the Product Demonstration to the Buyer. ‘Just show me the demo’ is a frequent request from buyers early in the sales process. The traditional school of selling puts emphasis on doing a thorough discovery before showing the product to the prospect. This approach however fails to acknowledge the buyer’s need creating a suboptimal buying experience.
• Does Not Help in Explaining Complex Concepts: Oftentimes explaining complex software to uneducated buyers is a tough nut to crack. Especially if you have a mix of business and technical people in the room, desiring a very different narrative. The one-size-fits-all approach can leave the non-technical audience confused, while the technical folk can crave more questions. All that, both helping the Buying Committee get the necessary information to convert to purchase.  
• Lack of  Engagement Because of One-Way Communication: All the above can lead to a sales monologue rather than a true dialogue with the buyer. This one-way communication fails to engage the audience, making the demo feel more like a lecture than an interactive experience.

Product Demo Experience: The New Playbook to Influence Buyer Behaviour

Knowing that a product demo can make or break any deal, how can the vendors build a winning product demo experience?

What is Product Demo Experience?

A product demo experience refers to the process of showcasing and explaining a product's capabilities to prospects in the most buyer-friendly way.  Shifting focus from the product demo to the product demo experience forces the vendors to put the buyer in the center of the sales process and revolve the demos around their needs.In order to assist this new approach in the B2B software selling Product Demo Experience Platforms emerged. Let’s look into those solutions!

Key Elements of Product Demo Experience Platform

Here are the key elements that make up a robust product demo experience platform

• Ability to Create Demo Libraries with Ready-to-Use Demo Templates. Acknowledging the buyer’s need is a cornerstone of enhancing the product demo experience. Vendors can now create on-demand Demo Libraries for the buyers to explore on their own terms. 
• Ability to Quickly Conduct Last Mile Personalisations: The Product Demo Experience platforms created an easy-to-use, no-code interface allowing even non-technical team members to tailor the existing demo templates to the specific need. 

• Storytelling: Thanks to the ease of building demos, vendors can now create a series of snack-bite-size demos, unveiling the full product story to the buyer step by step. The product demo is no longer a one-time event- it is a journey with multiple episodes. Each one is easy to digest on its own and put together telling a rich and complex product story.
• Engagement Features: The leading Product Demo Experience platform caters for a strong engagement between the buyer and the vendor, even before they meet face to face. Allowing for video narrative inclusion, encouraging the prospects to communicate with the vendor, and through the skillful placement of Call to Actions (CTAs) the prospects remain engaged throughout the buying process. 
• Analytics and Tracking: Product Demo Experience captures data on user interaction and engagement levels, providing invaluable insights into the demo's effectiveness and highlighting areas for improvement. With this knowledge, the vendors can continuously enhance the Demo Experience. 
• Seamless Integration: The platform can integrate with other business tools like CRM systems or marketing platforms building seamless journeys for the buyers and therefore further exchanging their experience. 

Why Should You Invest in Product Demo Experience Platforms?

Investing in a product demo experience platform is a strategic move that can bring significant benefits to your business.

• Enhanced Customer Experience: Product Demo Experience platforms were built to create the most Buyer-friendly sales process addressing their key needs of learning about the product on their own terms.
• Sales Pipeline Quality Improvement- thanks to the on-demand demo availability, the prospects enter the sales process as educated buyers. Those who didn't want to buy, opt out from the sales process altogether. 
• Shortened Sales Cycles: The instant availability of the demos reduces the wait time between the meetings, keeping the engagement and velocity up. 
• Higher Conversion Rates: Having a better quality pipeline and removing letting the sales & presales teams focus on winnable deals, results in higher win rates. 
• Competitive Edge: When the market's packed with options, a top-notch, interactive demo can really set you apart. It lets you present your product in a way that clicks with modern consumers
• Data-Driven Insights: With built-in analytics and tracking, you can capture invaluable data on how buyers interact with your demo. These insights can guide improvements, helping you fine-tune both the demo and your overall sales strategy.

7 Persuasion Strategies Led by Product Demo Experience

Product demo experiences are about persuading potential customers that your product is the solution they've been looking for. Here are seven key persuasion strategies that can be led by a well-crafted product demo experience:

1. To Be Relevant 

Give your prospects a choice of the demos they can watch, based on their industry, persona or use case. That way, even early on in the buying journey they will feel understood which helps build trust and credibility. 

2. Encourage Active Participation with an Interactive Demo

Encourage active participation from the prospect. Ask for feedback or use the CTAs (share the demo, visit my LinkedIn profile). This not only keeps them engaged but also allows for real-time adjustments based on their feedback, seamlessly leading into the narrative you're about to weave.

3. Weave a Narrative Around Your Product

With the prospect now actively engaged, weave a compelling narrative around your product. Use storytelling to contextualise its features and benefits, making it easier for the prospect to visualise how it fits into their world. This narrative can be further enhanced by leveraging demo galleries.

4. Leverage Demo Galleries for Precision Delivery

Demo galleries allow you to curate a selection of demo experiences tailored to different buyer personas or industries. By doing so, you can deliver a more precise and targeted narrative, which in turn makes the demo more impactful and effective. However a compelling narrative and targeted delivery are not enough; you also need to focus on visual appeal and data.

5. Be Visually Appealing and Present with Real Data

A visually appealing demo backed by real data not only captures attention but also lends credibility to your narrative. This combination of visual appeal and data-driven insights sets the stage for focusing on solutions rather than just features.

6. Sell Solutions/Pain Points Then Features

Now that you've captured their attention and built credibility, shift the focus from features to solutions. Address the prospect's pain points and show how your product provides the solution they've been looking for. This approach naturally leads to the final step—keeping them engaged even after the demo ends.

7. Keep Prospects Engaged Even After the Demo Ends

The demo experience shouldn't end when the presentation does. Keep the prospect engaged with follow-up materials, personalised offers, or even a recorded version of the demo. This ensures that your product remains top-of-mind, finalising a persuasive product demo experience.

How to Choose the Right Tool for Creating the Best Product Demo Experiences?

Creating a compelling product demo is an art form, but even the most skilled artist needs the right tools. In a competitive market, choosing the right platform for your product demo can make all the difference. Here's a comprehensive guide that not only lists the steps but also connects them to give you a holistic view of the selection process.

Define Your Objectives and Requirements

The starting point of your journey is to get clear on what you're aiming for. Are you trying to ramp up engagement, make your sales process smoother, or maybe a bit of both? Knowing your goals will serve as a map, guiding you through the sea of available tools.

Research and Shortlist Options

Once you have defined your objectives, you can now start researching the demo creation platforms available in the market. Search for platforms that match up with what you're trying to achieve and narrow it down to a few top picks.

Evaluate Features and Capabilities

This is where you start evaluating the features and capabilities of each tool on your shortlist. You need functionalities that are aligned with your objectives, whether it be customization, analytics, or automation. 

The right features can significantly enhance your demo, making it more engaging and effective. For instance, creating a 100% clone of your product through Demoboost, which your revenue teams can then personalise and share with clients without delay.

Consider Scalability and Flexibility

As your business grows, your demo tool should be able to grow with you. Check for scalability and flexibility, ensuring that the platform can adapt to your evolving needs. This is a crucial step because a tool that fits your current size but can't scale will eventually become a bottleneck, hindering growth.

Check for Integration and Compatibility

Once you've ensured scalability, ensure that your demo tool can work with others. Check for integration capabilities with your existing systems like CRM or marketing automation tools. Seamless integration ensures a smooth workflow and makes tracking and analysis easier.

Assess User Experience and Support

The user experience is fundamental as even the most feature-rich, scalable, and integrated tool can fall flat if it's not user-friendly. Look for platforms that offer an intuitive interface and robust customer support. For instance, unlike any platform, Demoboost offers free customer service and live demo support from day one. This will lead to an easier user experience, making the investment worthwhile.

Compare Pricing and ROI

Finally, let's talk about the numbers. Evaluate the pricing against the potential return on investment. While going for the least expensive option might be tempting, keep in mind that getting good value is more crucial than just saving a few bucks. Choose a tool like Demoboost that offers the best balance of features, scalability, and support for the price.

Book a demo today for the ultimate product demo experience.