Myth: Demos Sell |
Truth: The prospect still needs to be shown what the product or service will do for them, not just what it will do "If I could just do a product demo, the customer would buy." This lament is common in sales. Some salespeople think that if they could just get in front of the customer and show them how cool their products or service is, the customer would fall head-over-heels in love with it and buy. This is a myth. This is just another form of the "better mousetrap" myth (See Myth: Products Sell Themselves). I'm hearing it more and more and not just form high-tech companies with complex products and services. The old scenario is that we get in front of the customer either in person, on the web or by some other means and show them the cool features of our products or services. Perhaps we throw in an occasional benefit as well. This particular selling process is becoming less and less effective. To be effective, any demo MUST be preceded by a needs analysis, and not just any needs analysis. If you know that a demo will be a part of your sales process, conduct a needs analysis that allows you to drill down in specific areas. The areas of emphasis in your demo will be the ones that are most important to your client AND where your product/service has distinct advantages. In other words, you prioritize the benefits in your demo based on where you can be the most effective, not by using the customer's greatest need. This is a departure from the typical needs analysis. If your client has a significant problem that your offering does not address or does not address well, put that issue lower on your priority list. If your client has a less costly issue that you address better than anyone else, put that one up front. What you are doing is demonstrate your greatest strengths against their problems, not your strengths against their greatest problems. This is one of the few exceptions to the rules about putting the customer first. Demonstrations show what the product or service will do; they do not show what the product or service will do for a specific customer. Just because the demo dazzles the potential buyer, do not expect them to make the leap of understanding all your product/service will do for their organization. That's what us salespeople are for.
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Chuck Reaves, CSP, CPAE SaleSSuiteS
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