Guide for giving a great product demo

If you want to sell your product, then a successful demo is what might make or break the sale. However, there’s a lot of things to account for before such a presentation. And the easiest way to let your nerves ruin everything is to walk into the meeting unprepared. To prevent this, we have prepared a guide for giving a great product demo.

9 guidelines for giving a great product demo

#1: Always be calm and confident

A calm and confident bearing is key to giving a great product demo! After all, if you are not confident, it can be seen as a lack of faith in your own product. If not even you are sure that what you are offering is of value, then why would those you are giving the demo be interested? It might not help your anxiety, but you are, in fact, being evaluated from the very moment you first walk into the meeting. And no matter how trivial showing up slouched, tired or nervous might seem, it will all affect your chances of selling your product in the end.

#2: Pay attention to your articulation

Articulation is an art unto itself. However, what you need to particularly pay attention to in order to give a good product demo is the tone and cadence of your voice. If your voice is rushed, or, alternatively, slow and drawling, then your listeners will have trouble following along.

Either they will miss half of what you are saying, or they will become disinterested and stop paying attention. Think about good news anchors – even if they are not saying something all that interesting, the way they talk draws you in. You need to imitate this natural way of speaking. Of course, it’s no good to be too informal, either.

#3: Be clear and concise with your messages

You should not meander in your presentation – you are there to convey information about your product. So, you should do that in a clear and concise manner. Do not try to make interesting jokes and never let the topic run away from you. An important part of giving a great product demo is keeping your audience engaged, yes, but there are ways to do that without detracting from your goals.

#4: Offer examples

Speaking of good ways to keep your listeners engaged and give an amazing demo, one such way is to provide examples. If you claim that your software will be able to boost website sales, give a couple of practical examples as to the how. Would it help keep track of customers’ interests and therefore allow you to better gear your products towards their needs? Would it allow for easier analysis of data?

Then, you can even offer an example of what the altered customer experience would be like on their end. In other words, use examples that would be relevant and of interest to your listeners. This way, you show you understand their needs and bolster their desire for your product.

#5: Make sure your presentation covers crucial aspects

A good presentation goes a long way towards giving a great product demo. People tend to like visuals, and having the most important points clearly pointed out in a presentation is great for both piquing their interest in the first place and keeping them engaged. If you are showing off lead calling software, then have your presentation layout, in simple and clear terms, exactly what it is that makes it so great!

#6: Give your listened a chance to engage

Of course, to offer a satisfying product demo, you need to engage with your audience. Give them a chance to ask questions. In fact, encourage them to do so. Or even take the initiative to draw them into a conversation by asking them questions first. A lot of people tend to hesitate to voice questions during demo presentations. Most often due to not wanting to interrupt the flow of the presenter.

However, this also tends to leave them with points they do not understand which, in turn, discourages them from buying your product. By providing clear cues that you want them to ask you questions, you allow them to overcome this issue, and increase the chances of getting them interested.

#7: Try to predict questions and prepare answers

Of course, this also means that you need to prepare yourself for the most likely questions you will get. After all, if you claim that you have the best conversion rate optimization software, then you need to be ready to defend your stance. Thankfully, you will likely naturally include the justifications for most of your claims in your presentation itself. So it will not be too hard to prepare for the questions you might face.

However, know that there will always be a couple of questions that will catch you entirely off guard. In such a situation, the most important thing is actually to keep your cool. If you get flustered or embarrassed, you can easily lose the interest of your audience. At the very least, it will be difficult to maintain your poise afterward.

#8: Make sure to keep the time in mind

In order to give a good product demo, you must never ever run over time. If you are given fifteen minutes to do your presentation, then you must absolutely do it at that time! It is fine if you finish a couple of minutes early. You can use that time for posing additional questions. But if you run late, then you might be disrupting the busy schedules of your listeners. At best, they will be displeased. At worst, they might just dismiss you or straight up walk out of the presentation.

#9: Record yourself during practice

A good way to practice for giving a great product demo is to record yourself giving a practice presentation. You will not be able to simulate answering questions, of course. But it will help you improve your diction, tone, smoothness of presenting facts, and even time management. All of which will be invaluable on the day of the actual presentation. At the very least, it will help you recover from any unexpected disruptions.

Parting advice

Now that you’ve finished our guide to giving a great product demo, you should be ready to start preparing! Just remember that your biggest reliance is the belief in your product. If you know it is good, then you will surely be able to convey that to your audience.