One of the most emotionally charged deliberations of the sales community is whether to demo or not on the first call. There’s the “always discover” school of thought, and the “demo when it has been requested” school of thought. Both approaches could be valid, and the answer to which to pursue could be unlocked with good preparation before you hop on the call.
Exercise empathy
Your client is interested in a demo. You know it because she clicked on a “Demo Request” button. However, you’re not sure what exactly she wants to see. Furthermore, sometimes you don’t even know if she’s qualified. So, you need to find a way to discover what your client’s needs are and also satisfy her desire to understand what the product does.
It seems contradicting, but it is essentially the same. Your client has problems, and she looked for potential solutions for them. That’s how she got to you. Asking for a demo is a way for her to ask you how you can solve her problems, and without understanding what they are, you may miss the point. Is it possible to discover your client’s needs and tailor a customized demo in the same call? It may be. But in order to figure it out and get ready for that, proper preparation is necessary.
Build a dynamic agenda based on your goal
Your client is interested in a demo. You know it because she clicked on a “Demo Request” button. However, you’re not sure what exactly she wants to see. Furthermore, sometimes you don’t even know if she’s qualified. So, you need to find a way to discover what your client’s needs are and also satisfy her desire to understand what the product does.
It seems contradicting, but it is essentially the same. Your client has problems, and she looked for potential solutions for them. That’s how she got to you. Asking for a demo is a way for her to ask you how you can solve her problems, and without understanding what they are, you may miss the point. Is it possible to discover your client’s needs and tailor a customized demo in the same call? It may be. But in order to figure it out and get ready for that, proper preparation is necessary.
The are no shortcuts
Your client is interested in a demo. You know it because she clicked on a “Demo Request” button. However, you’re not sure what exactly she wants to see. Furthermore, sometimes you don’t even know if she’s qualified. So, you need to find a way to discover what your client’s needs are and also satisfy her desire to understand what the product does.
It seems contradicting, but it is essentially the same. Your client has problems, and she looked for potential solutions for them. That’s how she got to you. Asking for a demo is a way for her to ask you how you can solve her problems, and without understanding what they are, you may miss the point. Is it possible to discover your client’s needs and tailor a customized demo in the same call? It may be. But in order to figure it out and get ready for that, proper preparation is necessary.
