Demo Environment #6: The Deep Dive Demo

Congratulations!  You’re first demo went so well that you were awarded the dubious honor of presenting your solution all over again!  Hooray!  But seriously, chances are in your initial demo you hit all the high points, and on this follow up, you are expected to do a deeper dive.  Here you really get to show off your depth (or lack) of knowledge.  You get to show some of the more detailed features of your solution and really roll your sleeves up.  But there are some unique features to a follow up demo that can be taken advantage of due to the nature behind a follow up demo.

There are 3 common goals for a follow up demo from the client’s perspective.

1. Cover topics that you did not get to on the first demo.  With almost all demos done online these days, the average demo session that people can stomach is 1-2 hours.  If you have a complex solution, this is only enough time to cover the topics of highest priority.  So an Act II is often needed. 
2. Dive deeper into topics that you presented earlier.  Due to time constraints, not only is the breadth of your initial demo limited, so is the depth.  You may show some really nice reports, but you didn’t show how that report was created, or how the data got there.
3. Introduce your solution to other stakeholders. Sometimes on these follow up demos, the client will bring in some new faces, such as executives or technical team members.  In these cases, it’s a bit of a tightrope act to balance showing depth, while sprinkling in some of the pizzazz you showed the first time for the new folks.   

These are common objectives in a follow up demo.  And here are a few tips to turn the follow up demo into the final demo that seals the deal.

1. Do a Re-Discovery.  By now the client will be familiar with your solution so when you ask them ahead of time what they want to cover, they can give you more than, “oh i just want to see what the user interface looks like.’  Ask them to be very specific.  Then take their list, and organize it into a checklist roughly in the order that you will show them.  This will serve as your agenda and then ultimately at the end of the demo, a validation list.  Show them the list at the end to get mutual confirmation that you showed them everything they asked to see to their satisfaction.  This is very powerful because you are using their own words, leaving little room for objection.  The Re-Discovery is also a good time to find out who you are really competing against, since the field will be narrowed.  Use this information to craft your demo tailored to beat that competitor. 
2. Geek out a little.  If the request is for more depth on topics you introduced on the initial demo, it’s OK to get into the weeds a little bit.  Showing them what’s behind the curtain, that it’s not all just smoke and mirrors, provides confidence in your solution.  You just need to show enough of these details until you reach the confidence level required for them to assume the rest is all solid under the covers.  Be careful not to go too far into the weeds for too long, especially if there are some first time viewers or executives on the demo.  Your knowledge and expertise serve as a proxy for the support they will be getting once they are customers.
3. Recap with feeling.  Take the time at the beginning of the follow up demo to recap the benefits you demonstrated from the initial demo.  You can tie together feature and benefits, but the focus is on the value you presented before.  And state it as an assertion tied to emotion.  “In our last meeting you loved how you can get the information you need, while reducing wasted inefficiencies.  Specifically you said ‘the automation could save us a lot of time each month’, reducing a ton of stress.” There’s a good chance that since your initial demo, they have seen a bunch of other vendors, and things start to blur together.  But the goal of the recap is not to remind them of the features they saw from you, but to implant a feeling, a positive emotion, that is associated to you and your solution.  So recap the last demo, but attach some feel good to it. 
4. Recruit the prospect.  One of the best feelings I get on a demo is when an audience member starts selling your solution to their colleagues for you.  There is great opportunity in a follow up demo for this, because there will be people in the audience that have already seen your solution, and can therefore be advocates.  It’s your job to create these situations.  Draw it out by asking leading questions.  “Janet (department manager), I remember you really like this feature the last time we showed it to you.  Please tell Morgan (COO) why you liked it and how much time you think it will save your staff each month.”  Shameless, yes I know.  But hearing what’s great about your solution from their own staff instead of from the slick sales person is so much more effective. 

Follow up demos create some unique situations that don’t exist in your initial demo.  Take advantage of these to really differentiate yourself from the competition.  If you do it well, you can turn the follow up demo, into the final demo for the win.

Jump to other demo scenarios in this multi part series.