Never forget the product demo

Sometime we build great products that don't demo as well as they should.

Here are some thoughts I have about the demo:

• Understand your product - I know this sounds pretty basic, but you would be surprised how the lack of preparation can quickly become apparent. Know your value proposition! You have to have objection handling down pat, you should know where you are different from the competition so that you can hit home some key points. Be prepared to answer pricing questions. Walk through the demo both mentally and with the product. Practice, practice, practice!
• Understand the demo viewer - Most of these viewers (depending on where you are in the sales process) are either getting an introduction to your product and trying to gauge/compare the value of your product vs. the competition. They are typically not interested in every single detail of your product. I typically like to get to know the demo viewer a little bit by asking them what they do and what they are interested in learning about. Is the viewer the key decision maker, an influencer, the user, etc. Tailor the demo to the demo viewer. As a product manager, I also like to inquire about the viewer's perceptions of the product. What do they like and not like? There is a lot of information to be found in these nuggets of information.
• Build a product that demo's well - Sometimes products are too complicated with bells and whistles that can confuse someone who is looking to make an initial impression about the product. It is as if your product has all the features of every power user, but it somehow can't convey its value to majority of non-power users. For example, instead of just a plain "Open" option, you can add an "Recently Opened" option. This would make the demo pretty easy and minimize steps that waste precious time. Also, be aware if you need to incorporate some dummy data? Be mindful, of how credible the data looks and how well it will look when demo'd.

Just some thoughts...any tips from my readers?