product demo in business plan

A Go-To Guide to Product Demo [How to Create, Examples, Benefits]

As a new user, it's hard to know what all the options in your product can do or how they fit together. How many options can different users access? What value do these options offer? Which are the best features for a given task?

And the list goes on...

You may have a great product that solves your users' needs. But if you don't make it easy for them to find their way around, they may never realize how much value your product provides.

The best way to make your product fly off the shelf is to showcase it in a way that appeals to your target audience. And a product demo is the most effective way to do that.

But how can you craft a perfect demo that converts new users into paying customers? We've put together an ultimate guide that will help you create an engaging product demo.

Let's create.

What is a Product Demo?

A product demo is a walkthrough of your product to convince prospects of your product’s value. During a product demo you show prospects how they can use key features, the results they can achieve and the overall impact it will have on their business. It isn’t about explaining every feature your product has, but about focusing on the ones that they are keen about.

A well-crafted product demo depicts your product’s value and nudges prospects to buy.

Why is product demo important?

A product demo is important because it is the easiest and most impactful way to showcase the value of your product to prospects. It helps them get familiar with the product, its key features and the results it will deliver.

Who Should Give a Product Demo? 

In most companies, the sales rep delivers the demo. In small companies and early-stage startups, the founder is often running the demo. 

In a startup, one person can wear many hats, and one of them might be playing the demo role. When a startup founder runs the demo, it's different from when a sales rep does it. Either way, the demo is your opportunity to showcase your product and make a compelling case for how it fits into their business. 

How does a Product Demo Differ from Sales Demo?

Sales and product demos have similar purposes as one suggests providing a prospect with a demonstration, and the other suggests doing so with an existing client. 

A key difference is that, unlike a sales demo, no "sales" is involved in a product demo. The purpose of a product demo is to help the viewer learn how to use an already purchased or invested product or service rather than seeing if they can be persuaded to buy it.

On the other hand, the purpose of a sales demonstration is to explain to the customer how a product or service can benefit them. The purpose of the demo is to ensure that customers fully understand how to use a product before committing themselves to buy it.

Also check out: Why invest in interactive product demo?

How To Create a Winning Product Demo?

Providing a product demo is vital to SaaS success. With a demo, potential and current users can explore every aspect of the features on your product, see how they work, and gain relevant information about how they can help achieve their business goals.

Creating a well-designed product demonstration needs meticulous planning, but we know you can handle it!

Here is the 6 step instruction to create a Product demo:

1. Identify the goal 

When you're creating your product demo, you want to understand what kind of impact you want to make on your viewers. 

What action does want them to take after watching your video? 

Common goals include:

• Drive sales
• Grow sales from existing customers 
• Educate your audience 
• Increase brand awareness

Whatever it may be, ensure everyone understands what they're supposed to walk away with after viewing your software demo. 

If the goal is unclear, then there will be a lack of clarity within each stage, and in turn, the user may not meet their expectations with your product.

2. Determine your audience 

If you're introducing new product features to an existing client base or trying to educate first-time customers on what your product offers, you need to understand who your audience is and their needs. 

Having this knowledge will help you craft an engaging demo video right off the bat to make your potential customers feel comfortable handing over some of their hard-earned cash for your products.

3. Decide how you will educate your audience 

Will you tell a story or discuss pain points? Will you use visuals, or will writing suffice? You can explain your features to your users via multiple gateways that include, 

• Interactive product demo: Interactive demos are software demos that allow prospects to interact directly with them, giving them a closer sense of what using your product will be like.
• Product tours: An interactive walkthrough of your product can help your target market understand more about how it works and its many benefits. This method is often used to get leads who are top-of-the-funnel prospects interested in your product.
• Pre-recorded video demo : As the name suggests, sales reps use a pre-recorded video to showcase their product. The goal of the video is to demonstrate the product's value while clearly showing it on the screen. 
• Product presentations: It includes showcasing the product with the old-school method using Powerpoint or Google Slides. 
• Live product demo: It is the simplest way to show your product. A salesperson explains the features of their product to prospects in real-time over a conference call or face-to-face.

Based on your objective, select the best option that suits your needs. But, which is preferable in 2022?

The best performer is an interactive product demo or product tour without any second thought. The reason? Because it allows the users to interact with your product and check whether it suits their needs. 

Thus, if you have a product that caters to your audience's needs, you can taste better conversion rates and have long-term relationships with your customers. 

Recommended: Guide to Product led sales

4. Determine the length 

How much time should your demo take up? A good rule of thumb is that your demo should be between two to five minutes if you plan to do a software demo video. 

And in the case of product tours, five steps would be more than sufficient, as 80% of people skip a tour if it exceeds five steps. 

Thus, keep it simple and actionable by highlighting all the features available. 

5. Define the distribution channel

Once you are ready with your perfect product demo, you can either share them on social media and other platforms or embed them on your website or software. And again, it entirely depends on the objective. 

Here are the tips that aid you in landing up with the perfect distribution channel for your product demo, 

• The best way to make your product visible is to share it on social networks. If it’s a B2B product, you have to select the corresponding social network. The best social networks for B2B marketing are always LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. And don’t forget to link the product demo to the main website. 
• If the product is a live stream, you can share it on Facebook. 
• If you have created your software demo for getting leads, driving traffic from third-party sites would be the best option. 
• If you are going to onboard your new users embedding it on your software is the best option. 
• You can also conduct live webinars. In addition to Q&A sessions, certain webinars may also include extensive demonstrations.

Whatever the case is, Storylane lets you create your interactive product tour and embed/share as per your preference. 

6. Analyze and tweak your demo 

How can you measure the success of your product demo? You can do this by gathering the user behavior with your product demo and tweaking it as per their requirements. 

Based on what your users are doing with your product, Storylane lets you learn and understand their experience as they go through the different features you have developed.

You can then use this information to tweak each user's experience to make them more likely to stay loyal to you over time.

7 Examples of Excellent Product Demo

1. duolingo.

If you have any interest in language learning, you don't need to be told that Duolingo is one of the most popular platforms. 

This enterprise company needs to justify why people should choose it over its competitors and prove that it isn't just hype - or, even better: that it does work!

Learn over 30+ languages for FREE with Duolingo

The demonstration shows an impressive short mini-tour of how things will work if someone starts their learning with Duolingo. This is an ideal way to pull off a demo!

2. Ghostwriter 

Ghostwriter.ai's user onboarding is the easiest thing ever! The platform is so complex, yet the tour makes things look easy. 

With tooltips, a progress bar, and interactive buttons, there's no getting bored of this product tour as you're learning all you need to know about your new software experience. 

On top of that, they have added fun gifs and short copy while its buttons are bold in color - which clearly shows how eye-catching and appealing the walkthrough is!

It's a great example of how you can make your product tour simple yet interactive, turning a complex UI into a cakewalk. 

3. Vieworks

Vieworks has created a well-structured product tour to delight its users when they first land with their accounts. It's the same—old, but with a modern twist. 

They made their tour interactive enough to see all the features without skipping anything with little touches.

This one has a progress bar, highlights essential things on the screen, and combines all these great features with excellent interactivity. 

With the implementation of interactivity and gamification on your software demo, you're sure to see meaningful results that stick with your users as they work through their tasks.

4. TimeSolv 

Some websites have so many features on their pages that users might get confused and even scared. Take the TimeSolv website, for example. It has many buttons with different functions, but there are arrows to show more details. 

TimeSolv uses short lines of text to overcome this issue because it manages to keep the content accessible to read while still trying to explain as much as possible in such little space.

Thus, create small chunks of text for each little usable component on a screen to ensure no question is left unanswered even though you have a complex UI with multiple features.

5. Grove HR

Grove HR uses a highly interactive, inviting, and easy-to-use product tour method: checklist tracking. Moreover, checklists triggered tours that are 21% more likely to be completed, according to the study conducted by Chameleon . 

By guiding the users through a series of quick, easy steps, Grove HR helps their customers complete the onboarding process in an efficient, helpful way and ensures that it's done right!

This way, users are good to go while keeping the flow efficient and straightforward. 

So while crafting your onboarding approach, give clear instructions to users with interactivity that make everything faster and more accessible for everyone involved!

6. Evernote 

Evernote onboarding starts with a micro survey to understand the user's requirements. Based on the user convenience, it starts showing their features one by one. 

To make the user aware of all the features, they are taking the users on a short journey that educates them on how their platform works. 

On top of that, they also use a checklist that makes the user take action and try out the available features. This makes all their users get the most from their platform. 

The best takeaway is to tailor your software demo to push the user to take action rather than just tapping the 'Next Step' button on your product tour. 

Monday's onboarding process is similar to Evernote, which starts with a micro survey. Furthermore, they added a help section with tons of videos to educate users on all the features they offer.

Monday also added its new design elements, such as a progress bar that helps users easily spot the next step they must make while setting up their account.

The takeaway? Make the demo that makes the user discover all the features at their fingertips. You can also use the animated illustrative hotspot and pop-up images to explain how to take action on your platform. 

Find out: How to use product demos to convert users

Top Benefits of Creating an Awesome Product Demo

You can reap multiple benefits when you have a perfect demo with you. A good demo will show your prospects the product's various features and can help you earn more clients and sales. 

Making a demo is tedious, but it is something that you have to do if you want to grow your business.

Here are some of the benefits of making a perfect demo for your product; 

1. Gain their trust

Demo videos are an excellent way to gain potential customers' trust and understanding. Showing the product in action lets the prospect see how it will help achieve their goal, step-by-step! 

The best way to win over new customers is by showing them the quality of your product, which is why 90% of consumers say that product videos are helpful in the decision-making process when it comes time for purchases. 

That's why building credibility is vital when it comes to selling products. People aren't going to buy from someone if they don't believe in the company's ability or intention to fulfill its promise of value. 

And with the product demo, you can show off the product and its features in a way that makes it easy for people to understand why they need it. You can also show them how easily it works or what results they can expect from using your product or service.

2. Convince more people to buy your product

If you know when you're marketing that leads have a specific need that your product can meet, you can clarify how your product meets those needs without being too wordy or lengthy in your descriptions. 

You can convince potential customers to buy your product with a perfectly tailored software demo. Here is how a demo convinces a potential customer, 

• Product demo provides users a first-hand experience of your product, so there is no need to explain how your product works. A good demo will answer common questions, such as “How do I use this?”. So it eliminates the dilemma with their buying decision. 
• As the demo shows how exactly your product works, it creates a sense of trust in your product and increases the chances of conversions.
• It helps people figure out why to invest in your product. The best thing about a demo is that it can be used to reach a wide audience, especially if you are targeting people who are not tech-savvy.
• People see how their problems can be solved with your product and this will encourage them to use it. 

You're not selling to a customer; you're selling your product. You need to explain how it will make their lives easier, what value it can add, and why they need it. And a perfect product demo exactly does the same and bridges the gap between you and your customer.  

3. Combat the concerns of your customers

When you show your software to a potential customer, you are giving them the chance to see it in action. 

They will instantly gain insight into how it works. By showing a potential buyer your product works, you are allowing them to see things on their own terms and not just be fed whatever information happens to catch their eye first. 

A product demo lets them explore how your innovation can be used in their world and how seamlessly it helps them solve their problems, thus allowing them to decide.

Challenges of Product Demo 

A product demo is one of the easiest ways to showcase the value of your product to your prospects. However, creating a demo that ticks is not always easy. Here are some of the most common challenges you will face while building product demos:

1. The war between personalization and scalability

In today’s buying space, a buying group typically involves at least 6 members. These groups include direct users of your product, indirect users of your product and the stakeholders. Trying to impress each of these groups through a single demo is difficult, but you can prepare tailored demos for each of them. And that would mean solution engineers spending more time creating tailored demos. This can be avoided by using a demo automation tool like Storylane, using which you can create personalized interactive demos in less than 5 minutes.

2. Delivering maximum value in minimum time

Going on and on about every feature your product has, is going to bore the prospects to death. The key is to figure out what they want and give them that at the earliest. In other words, don’t make them wait for the best part. Convince them of the difference your product will make in their daily processes and its impact on the company’s revenue early on.

Bring prospects closer to purchase with Storylane 

A great product demo will help you qualify leads and turn prospects into customers by focusing on how the product solves problems as a solution. It helps show them why your product meets their needs instead of bombarding them with reasons to buy that only tangentially pertain to what they need. 

Above all, when you create a personalized product demo, people can connect the dots and see how your product can help them. They don't have to read between the lines or guess what you do. You make it clear with a personalized product demo, which allows people to take action—because they know exactly what to do next.

If you want to create a personalized product demo that makes your product slide onto their pocket, check out Storylane 👇

Using Storylane , it's easy to make a customized product demo that helps people understand how your solution fits into their lives—and why they should take action. Wondering how it helps your business to reap more benefits? Schedule a free demo , and we will take care of all the details of your product demo. What are you waiting for? Get started today!

Q. How do you give a perfect demo?

Here are the steps you should follow to give a perfect product demo:

• Identify the goal - Decide on the actions you want them to take after the demo.
• Determine your audience - Tweak your demo to suit different sets of audiences, like new customers and existing ones. 
• Decide how to educate your audience - Will you tell a story or discuss pain points? Will you use visuals, or will writing suffice?
• Determine the length - What’s the optimal length of a demo? The rule of thumb is to not bore them to death by talking about every feature your product has.
• Define the distribution channel - Are you planning to distribute it through social media or embed it on your website?
• Analyze and tweak your demo - Use demo analytics to track and tweak your demo to better cater to your audience.

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"Previously, there was scope for error and we’ve gone from a process that could be time consuming and painful to a process that’s super quick."

—CHRIS LANCASTER, SUPPLY CHAIN PROJECT

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How to Give a Successful Product Demo: A Step-by-Step Guide

You know when you walk into a supermarket, shuffling up and down the aisle, checking off things from your list of groceries, and you come across a table decorated with fiesta memorabilia? The person at the table hands you a tortilla chip with some salsa in a paper cup. You try the salsa, and you like it. You discard the paper cup and leave with two jars of salsa towards the checkout counter.

If you’ve ever been in this scenario or something similar, you just got a product demo. And chances are you enjoyed it.

Simply put, a product demo provides the customer an overview of the product and its values. A brilliant understanding of product demos is very beneficial. It increases customer engagement, boosts sales, and a higher rate of conversions. There are two main types of product demos - 3D product demos and video product demos.

This article will give you a step-by-step guide on how to demo a product and why it's important.

A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Demo a Product

There are many more moving parts in effectively demoing a product than the salsa table at the supermarket. You must consider the ability to translate information precisely and concisely in a simple yet entertaining manner; customers love to be surprised, which builds upon their curiosity and hype, eventually leading to them buying the said product.

1. Understanding Your Product

First things first, you should know everything about your product. This is imperative and a foundation of a successful product demo. This lets you grasp your product's intricacies, functionalities, and purpose. Focus on your product's important details and features that will be valuable to customers. By understanding your product's USPs, you can easily highlight the product's value proposition. Anticipating possible customer questions or concerns allows you to proactively address them during the demo, demonstrating your expertise and building trust with the audience.

Being well-prepared and explaining clearly, you can confidently show how your product helps your customers with their problems and needs.

2. Practice and Rehearsal

When demoing a product, explaining everything about the product with no error rate is essential. Repeating the demo multiple times allows you to become familiar with the content, flow, and timing, reducing the chances of stumbling or forgetting critical points during the presentation. Each practice session presents an opportunity to gain confidence in your delivery, enabling you to engage with the audience. Seeking feedback from colleagues or peers is invaluable as they can offer fresh perspectives and identify areas for improvement that you may have yet to notice. Constructive criticism lets you fine-tune the demo, making it more impactful and polished. Receiving feedback from others helps you gauge the clarity and coherence of your presentation, ensuring that your message is conveyed clearly to the audience.

Accept the feedback, and work on it to further eliminate the points of errors. The more you practice and incorporate feedback, the more self-assured and well-prepared you'll be, making your product demo a compelling and convincing experience for your audience.

3. Know Your Audience

Knowing everything about your product comes with the even more important task of knowing more about your customer base. It is one of the fundamental aspects of a successful product demo.  It involves gaining deep insights into the individuals or groups you will present to and understanding their preferences, pain points, and aspirations. With this knowledge, you can further tailor your product demo to address specific challenges they may be facing, showcasing how your product provides solutions.

Another factor to consider is your audience's technical knowledge or expertise. Some may be well-versed in the subject matter and seek in-depth information, while others may need more familiarity and prefer a more straightforward, non-technical approach. Adapting your presentation style and content to suit their level of understanding ensures that your message resonates effectively. By empathising with your audience and crafting a demo that speaks directly to their needs and aspirations, you create a compelling narrative that captivates their attention and establishes a more robust connection, increasing the likelihood of a successful outcome and conversion.

4. Planning the Demo

Planning every possible step is significant in getting better results on your product demo. Setting clear objectives and goals helps you define the purpose of the demo and what you aim to achieve with it. Whether to showcase specific product features, address customer pain points, or generate leads, having well-defined goals keeps your presentation focused and impactful. Developing a structured script or outline provides a roadmap for the demo, ensuring that you cover all essential points in a logical sequence. It helps you maintain a smooth flow throughout the presentation, preventing confusion or disorganisation. Determining the optimal duration and format is crucial in catering to your audience's preferences and needs. A live demo allows for real-time interactions, while a pre-recorded session offers the advantage of precision and editing. Interactive presentations engage the audience actively, making them feel more involved.

While planning, consider your audience's time constraints and attention spans to strike the right balance between delivering comprehensive information and keeping them engaged.

5. Capturing Attention and Building Rapport

A memorable and impactful product demo must capture attention and build rapport. To hook the audience from the start, craft an engaging introduction that sparks curiosity and relevance to their interests or pain points. An attention-grabbing statement, a thought-provoking question, or a compelling statistic can be effective hooks. Connecting with the audience involves weaving relatable stories or examples into your presentation.

Visual aids, such as well-designed slides or informative videos, enhance audience understanding and engagement. They help illustrate complex concepts, showcase product features, and break the monotony of a purely verbal presentation, keeping the audience attentive and interested throughout the demo.

6. The Actual Demo

The actual product demo is the moment to captivate your audience and showcase the actual value of your offering. Begin by providing a concise yet compelling overview of the product's purpose and its benefits to the users. Communicate how it addresses a specific problem or fulfils a particular need in the market.

As you demonstrate each key feature, focus on explaining its value practically. Show the audience how the feature enhances their experience, streamlines their processes, or solves their pain points. Highlight the unique selling points that set your product apart from competitors, illustrating why it is the superior choice.

Throughout the demo, ensure a seamless flow between each feature, emphasising how they work together to create a cohesive and powerful solution. By presenting a comprehensive view of the product's capabilities and benefits, you create a compelling narrative that resonates with the audience and increases their understanding of your product's value.

For example, Amazon created a product video demo for their 3rd generation Echo Dot line of their personal assistant, Alexa, speakers. They wanted to introduce the speakers, and to do so effectively, and they went to uncover the five things that Alexa can do. Now, we all know Alexa can do a lot more than just five things, but their take was to condense the message to a couple of known factors that the customers would like to know in the introductory part. The video covers a lot of information in just 3 minutes but only tries to cover some of the product's features since it's an introductory demo. They know the video's purpose: to give an overview of the product.

They focus on providing a simple and basic introduction without overwhelming the viewers with too much detail. This, in turn, leads to the customers going through their official YouTube page to get more information on specific features. By condensing their message, they got more time to create follow-up videos on the other features.

7. Addressing Questions and Concerns

Plan your demo in such a way that you can get to address the questions only at the end. Addressing questions and concerns during the product demo is essential for engaging the audience and gaining their trust. Encourage audience participation by making it easy for them to ask questions and share their thoughts. This helps keep them attentive and lets you understand their level of interest and understanding. When questions arise, provide clear and concise answers backed by evidence or data when relevant to add credibility to your responses.

Confidently handling questions shows that you know your stuff and that the product is valuable. Resolving concerns proves that you genuinely care about their needs and can offer necessary solutions. Creating an interactive environment and being prepared to address questions and problems makes the demo more enjoyable for the audience and increases their chances of being interested in your product and purchasing.

8. Closing the Demo

On average, most people are attentive during the ending part of the demo rather than in the middle. This is why closing on a good note reinforces your message. Summarise the key points and benefits highlighted during the presentation, recapping the product's value and how it meets the audience's needs. Provide a clear call to action, guiding them to sign up for a trial, contact sales, or purchase. Express genuine gratitude for their time and attention, showing appreciation for their engagement and interest in the product. This final impression leaves a lasting positive impact, encouraging the audience to take action and further explore the product's offerings.

9. Follow-Up and Evaluation

You aren’t done with your product demo even after you finish your demo. It's important to follow up with the audience by emailing them with more information and resources to help them decide. Asking for feedback is also important to know if they liked the demo and what can be improved. By listening to their feedback, we can determine what worked well and what needs to be improved. Evaluating the demo helps us see how it impacted the audience and if we achieved our goals. Using this feedback, we can improve future demos to make them more exciting and convincing for potential customers.

Following these steps will help you make an excellent demo that will cater to your audience and bring in the necessary conversion rates you desire.

How NOT to Spoil Your Demo

Consider the following points before you start presenting a product demo.

1. Excessive Technical Details

Avoid using too many technical words or complicated explanations that might confuse the audience when showing your product. Instead, focus on the main features and how they benefit the audience. Adjust the level of technical information based on what the audience can understand easily. Keep it clear and straightforward to ensure everyone can follow along and understand the value of your product.

2. Being Unprepared

Prepare well for the demo to avoid being disorganised, forgetting important points, or stumbling during the presentation. Create a clear and organised script or outline to guide you through the demo smoothly. Practice the demo multiple times to become more confident and deliver it without problems. Being prepared helps you give a polished and valuable demo.

3. Focus on Benefits

When you talk about your product, don't just list its features. Make sure to explain how those features will directly help the customer. Show them the benefits they will get from using your product and how it solves their specific problems or meets their needs. Connect the features to the value it brings to them, so they can see why it's valuable for them.

4. Ignoring the Customers

Neglecting to engage the audience during the demo can lead to disinterest or distraction.  Make it interactive by encouraging them to participate. Invite questions, address their concerns, and ask for feedback throughout the presentation. When the audience is engaged, they stay focused and interested in what you're showing them.

5. Lack of Adaptability

Remember, every audience is different, with their own needs and interests. Avoid giving the same demo to everyone. Customise your presentation to match what each group wants and cares about. Adapting to their specific interests will make your demo more relevant and substantially impact them.

Final Thoughts

Product demonstrations are essential for influencing customer decisions and satisfaction. Following the techniques in this guide can improve your demos and achieve great results. Understand your product well, including its key features and benefits. Be ready to answer customer questions and build trust with your expertise. Practice and seek feedback to make your demos smooth and impactful. Tailor your presentation to match your audience's interests and knowledge. Plan your demo carefully with clear goals, engaging stories, and step-by-step explanations. Connect the product's features to how it helps customers. Address questions and concerns during the demo to keep the audience entertained. End with a strong closing, restating the key points and encouraging action. Lastly, follow up and seek feedback to refine your demos and create meaningful connections with potential buyers. This can boost sales satisfaction and lead to loyal customers for your business.

Looking for an effective tool that lets you showcase your product demo how you want to? Look no further; trust us to curate an effective and efficient 3D product demo for you. Contact us today !

What are the steps of a product demo?

The steps of a demo are: Understand the product, plan the presentation, engage the audience, demonstrate the product, address questions, and close with a call to action.

What is an example of a product demonstration?

An example of a product demonstration is a tech company showcasing the features of a new smartphone model to potential customers.

What are the four basic rules for demonstrating a product to a customer?

The four basic rules for demonstrating a product to a customer are: Keep it simple, focus on benefits, engage the customer, and address objections.

How do you structure a good demo?

To structure a good demo, start with an engaging introduction, demonstrate features with benefits, provide real-life examples, and end with a clear call to action.

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The Ultimate Guide to Sales Demos That Close Prospects

Learn how to create and implement sales demos for your team that will help you close more deals.

PERFECTING THE PITCH

PandaDoc and HubSpot came together to give you an actionable guide, scripts, and templates for closing the toughest sales deals.

Updated: 11/03/21

Published: 06/20/19

Have you ever considered buying a product or signing up for a service but felt you needed to see that product or service in action prior to making your decision? Maybe because you were unsure of how it actually worked or you didn't know whether or not if would solve a challenge you were facing.

What Is a Sales Demo?

Sales Demo Basics

Sales demo steps, sales demo best practices.

That's where a sales demonstration comes in handy.

What is a sales demo?

A sales demonstration, or a sales demo, is when a sales rep delivers a presentation to a prospective customer to show them the features, capabilities, and value of the product or service. The purpose of a sales demo is to close a deal.

Before we dive into the sales demonstration process, let's look at the difference between a sales demo and a product demo, as they're often confused terms.

Sales Demo vs. Product Demo

To reiterate, a sales demo is the process of providing a prospect with a demonstration of your product or service. A product demo is the same process but it involves a current customer .

The point of a sales demo is to create a sale whereas the point of a product demo is to show an existing client how to use the product or service they already invested their time and money in.

Now, let's answer a few more questions that may come up as you begin thinking about your business's process and as you prepare to start delivering demos to prospective customers.

Use HubSpot's Sales Hub to organize and manage all aspects of your sales processes including your demos.

Who delivers a sales demo?

At virtually every company, a sales rep will deliver a demo to the prospective customer.

Why deliver a sales demo?

You deliver a sales demo to close a deal. With a sales demo, you're showing a prospect exactly how your product or service meets their specific needs and can mitigate any pain points and issues they're experiencing. This makes your prospect want to buy your product or service (or at least want to learn more about it so they can convert later on).

When do you deliver a sales demo?

Sales demos typically occur after a visitor becomes a lead. Depending on where a prospect is in the buyer's journey, there are a few specific points in time when you might deliver a sales demo (or ask if your prospect is interested in a demo).

• When a visitor completes a micro conversion (signs up for your newsletter or requests more information)
• When a lead contacts a member of your sales team to learn more about your product or service
• When a lead requests a consultation

How do you deliver a sales demo?

There are a number of channels through which you can deliver your sales demos. You might offer your prospects different options to be flexible and meet their needs.

Ensure you have all of the tools needed to offer these sales demo delivery methods. For example, if you decide to deliver a sales demo via video chat, make sure you have access to software like GoToMeeting or Zoom , which allow easy screen share, face-to-face video chat, messaging, call features, and more.

Here are some more examples of common sales demo delivery channels:

• Automated/ pre-recorded video
• Live video chat
• Research your prospect
• Confirm the sales demo
• Plan your sales demo before the meeting
• Humanize the sales demo
• Set an agenda for the demo
• Summarize past conversations
• Provide background
• Explain the product or service
• Address any questions the prospect has
• Set expectations for next steps

1. Research Your Prospect

The first step in the sales demo process is to research your prospect. As the rep who's delivering the demo, you should have a deep understanding of the prospect's needs and pain points as well as what it is the company they work for does.

This will allow you to tailor and customize the demo to the prospect's specific needs and situation, which is a critical component of a successful sales demo .

2. Confirm the Sales Demo

A sales demo is something that's almost always planned in advance — so it's important to remember to confirm the demo prior to it happening. Make sure the planned time of the demo still works for the prospect and give them a window to postpone if they've accidentally double-booked or if something else came up.

Send a calendar invite as soon as you've confirmed the date and time of the demo (don't forget to include any dial-in information if needed). Ask if anyone other than the person (or people) you listed on the invite will be attending so you can add them. Then, follow up with a confirmation email the day before, or a few hours prior to, the demo.

Use free scheduling software to efficiently plan, organize, and manage all of your meetings.

3. Plan Your Sales Demo Before the Meeting

There are many ways to plan your sales demo in a way that will enhance it and make it more engaging depending on the channel you choose to present through.

For example, share your screen during the call with tools like the ones we mentioned above , create a personalized slide deck (with a tool like Canva) , and have any relevant links loaded and ready to go in tabs on your browser to reference so you can easily incorporate them throughout the presentation. Examples of these resources include a customer case study, an informative infographic, and any other web pages, like your testimonial web page, you think may come in handy during the demo.

You should also prepare statements around each tool or service you plan to show your prospects as well as any tie down questions — which spark agreement and invite the prospect to better define the value of a given tool or solution for their business — to ensure your prospect is following along and understanding the given information.

Plan tie down questions for each tool or section in your demo to ensure your prospect is following along, understanding your descriptions, and grasping how these tools can help them solve their problems. You want to lay out a clear path from A to B so they can envision the way your product or service can resolve their challenge.

4. Humanize the Sales Demo

If you start the demo with, "Hi. I'm Kristen ... Let's start the sales demo now!" you officially sound like a sales zombie.

To avoid coming off as a pushy, untrustworthy, and possibly unpleasant, ensure you're personable and show your caring, human side at the beginning of the call. After all, at this stage in the sales cycle, you and the prospect probably don't know each other that well. You might ask the prospect how they've been, how their latest project went, if their dog is finally potty trained, whatever. Time is precious, but so is rapport.

And rapport does not stop here. Build it at the beginning of the call and ensure it's continually injected throughout all other parts of the sales demo as well to establish a human and trusting relationship.

5. Set an Agenda for the Demo

Your sales demos should always follow an agenda. Prospects should be informed of this agenda prior to the demo beginning and can also be reminded of which stage of the agenda they're actually in throughout the demo. This sets expectations and keeps everyone organized and on task. Knowing what will happen during the demo will put the prospect at ease.

Emphasize there will be time at the end of the demo for the prospect to ask detailed questions (but you can also stress questions are welcome at any time).

6. Summarize Past Conversations

As you begin presenting the demo, mention any past conversations you've had with this specific prospect. This will remind them why they needed your assistance to begin with, why they considered doing business with you in the past, and how you determined you can help them during any previous conversations.

One way to neatly do this is by outlining the prospect's goals, plans, challenges, and timeline (GPCT) . Once they confirm this information is right, you can use this presentation slide (or brief discussion) as a springboard to jump into the meat of the demo.

7. Provide Background

As a rep, gaining the trust of the prospect is a critical component of closing any deal. To do this, provide some background information about your company. This will establish your company as a reputable and innovative potential partner for the prospect.

The ticket here is avoiding generic babble and incorporating specific facts about your company and it's products/ services that align with the needs of the prospect and their company.

7. Explain the Product or Service

Now, it's time to explain your product or service. When doing this, you'll want to ensure the explanation is both specific and tactful.

Start with an overview or the product and it's basic features. Explain why this product exists, and link it to the prospect’s needs (which you already confirmed with the GPCT) . Each feature being presented in the demo should tie back to why the product is the best solution for the prospect's challenge.

Next, bring in the "wow" factors. This should answer the question, "What unique value does the product offer?"

This is where personalization is key. For example, if a HubSpot prospect mentions they want to improve their blog's SEO, you could feature the SEO, Content Strategy, and Keywords tool . You can also always refer back to any previous conversations and plans you worked on with the prospect during earlier conversations and ask a tie-down question to ensure you're all on the same page at this time as well.

Furthermore, if your company provides excellent customer service to help with the onboarding process and beyond, include that information in this part of the demo. Knowing help will be available when needed does wonders to reassure a doubtful prospect.

9. Address Any Questions the Prospect Has

As mentioned, you'll want to ensure every demo has time for Q&A at the end of the demo. Throughout the demo, try to anticipate possible objections the prospect might have by listening to their tone and even watching their facial expressions (if they're on a video call or meeting in person).

By picking up on these emotions and concerns, you can frame your responses and answers in a more personalized way. You can also determine whether or not you should pull out that extra infographic or show an example of a customer successfully solving the same problem using the tools being referenced. This builds social proof , credibility, and shows the prospect that others have succeeded by partnering with you.

10. Set Expectations For Next Steps

Whew! You've officially completed the delivery of the sales process. Now, the big question: Is the prospect interested in moving this conversation forward to possibly make a deal?

Let the prospect know upfront what's required on their end for the solution to be successful. For example, show a final slide to summarize the discussion in terms of the prospect’s necessary commitment, skills, time, willingness to learn, and budget for the solution to be a worthwhile investment for them.

If they're interested in learning more or keeping the conversation going, you can set up a follow-up conversation. Or — even better — if the demo was highly effective in convincing the prospect, it might be time to begin a closing sequence to complete the deal (yay!).

There are some best practices you'll want to make sure you follow and consider while working on your sales demos to meet the needs of your clients and develop a consistent, effective, and repeatable process for you and your fellow reps.

Personalize the Sales Demo

Personalize the sales demo to fit the needs of the specific prospect you're speaking with. You always want to distill your demo down and customize it to your audience's situation with only the essential information they need.

To do this, make sure your demo demonstrates the ways your product is suited to address their pain points and meet their needs. Prospects and customers only care about the features that impact them in a positive way, so you'll want your demo to highlight those.

Always Explain "Why"

With everything you present and share throughout the demo, you must explain the "why" behind it. Why is your product better than your competitor's products? Why is your product or service ideal for managing the prospect's issue? Why should your prospect want to do business with you? Why do your current customers love your product?

These are the types of points and comments that may just move your prospect from an interested lead to a new and loyal customer — they differentiate you from other companies and make your demo significantly more convincing.

Remember To Be Adaptable

The sales demo steps are a bit like an adaptable script you can refer to and pull from to ensure you're providing all prospects with an on-brand, consistent, and professional experience.

You can also make sure you run through various situations regarding the reasons why prospects might need your product or service and how it can help them with your sales manager so you're ready for all scenarios. Additionally, you might choose to review some possible questions the majority of prospects currently ask the rest of your team so you're ready to provide quick, helpful, and impactful responses on the fly.

And remember, every interaction, prospect, company, and situation is unique, so prepared to adapt the demo as needed. Your job is to meet your prospect where they are to show your support, flexibility, and commitment to their success.

Prior to, during, and after the delivery of any sales demo, it's critical you listen to both the prospect and your fellow reps.

You need to listen to your prospect's needs, pain points, concerns, questions, hesitations, and positive or negative feedback. This will allow you to customize the demo and all future conversations to fit their needs and tailor the points you make during the demo to highlight the ways your product can resolve their challenges.

Additionally, you need to listen to your fellow reps. Your demo process is ever-changing and you're the group people who are actually working with prospects, conversing with them about their issues and needs, and delivering the demos every day.

So, who better to ask for feedback on the current demo process (what should stay the same and what could be improved) than the other members of your team? Because, maybe they've uncovered something you've never thought about or encountered (and vice versa).

Include Real Data

Data speaks volumes about your products, services, and ability to positively impact your customers. As we mentioned earlier, in your demos, don't be afraid to include real data about your company's success, the percentage of current customers who have solved problems similar to those of your prospects with your product or service, and more.

If a prospect asks for specific information about one of your product's capabilities, you can also pull in real data about the ways in which your solution works and functions.

Begin Creating Your Sales Demo Process

The demo is to sales what the climax is to a movie — this is the part where all the action has built up and resulted in one big moment where everything comes together.

That's why it's so important to get the demo right. Take the time to prep, understand your prospects, and determine how to tie your product back to the prospect's needs and challenges. This way, it'll be smooth sailing and improve the likelihood of closing a deal.

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How to do a great product demo

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Now that you’ve invested valuable time and resources into vetting, engaging, and building a relationship with your potential customer, the time has come to seal the deal with a powerful product demo. 

Though the prospect of a convincing product demo might be intimidating, it’s actually a prime opportunity to demonstrate how your product specifically addresses your customer’s needs and facilitates their goals. If done correctly, your product demos can combat any product-related concerns your customer might have, provide proof of your product’s effectiveness, and solidify your customer’s interest in your product. 

Here’s how to get it done.

Objectives of a product demonstration

If the discovery call was your opportunity to diagnose your prospective buyer’s pain points, the demo is your chance to prescribe impactful solutions. Avoid the urge to make the demo a standardized showcase of your product’s best features. Show you really listened to and understand your buyer’s problems by personalizing each pitch to highlight the functionality that will impact them the most.  

While the strategy for executing the demo will vary based on your product or service, there are a few common objectives to keep in mind at this stage. By the end of the demo, you want to walk away having achieved the following: 

1. A clearer picture of their internal decision-making process

The demo is an opportunity to navigate the buyer’s organization. The demo process should allow reps to identify the key stakeholders and decision-makers, the criteria they require for making their decision, their desired timeline, and your champions and blockers. 

Understanding the relationships and influences at play will be vital to closing the deal. Remind reps to update their account map at this time, as visualizing the health of the deal after this milestone will help ensure you make the right steps going forward.  

Learn more about account mapping—and show sales reps how to deliver the prospect information you need.

2. A budding relationship with your buyer

The demo is the best time to verify that you truly understand the pain points you identified in the discovery process and have found a way that your product can solve those issues. Your buyer needs to feel heard, understood, and validated. The demo is an opportunity to build trust, which will be necessary to win the account. Again, the decision to buy is often emotional, and having a good relationship with your buyer is a key element of providing a good buyer experience.  

3. Introduction to customer success

Having CS sit in on the demo allows them to start building those important relationships with stakeholders and hear firsthand about the buyer’s pain points and goals, helping them to get up to speed much faster. It will also help CS better customize the onboarding and training process if they get an early understanding of how the product will be used.

Tips to help you pull off the perfect product demo

Product demos require a unique demonstration of product knowledge, salesmanship, and relationship-building, all within a limited amount of time. Demos also have the added risk of a technical glitch, customer disinterest, and other complications that can derail your presentation.

To make the most of this all-important opportunity to showcase your product and connect with your potential buyer, we’ve compiled a few tips to help you make your product demonstration as effective as possible.

1. Know as much about your customer as you do about your product

Knowing your product inside and out is only half the battle. Tools like a thorough, updated account map can give your sales engineer an idea of where your buyer is coming from and where they hope to end up. It can also provide valuable information regarding who will be present at your product demo and what role they play in the decision-making process. 

Before your demo, make sure you have a basic knowledge of the following:

• Your audience: Research their role in the organization, their decision-making authority, and their interactions with your team thus far. An account map can help you discover most of this information, but you can also look at about pages, published writing, and other resources for additional insights.
• Their customers: Reading testimonials from their customers, case studies, and more can help you identify what their customer is looking for, what pain points they might experience in their relationship, and how your product can address both.
• Their partners: Find out who your client is working with and what kind of solutions will add value to their partnership or make them more efficient. 

2. Ask, then tell 

What’s the best way to know what your customer is looking for out of a solution? Ask them yourself.

Many sales reps and engineers make the mistake of thinking that their research or account map acts as a replacement for getting information directly from their client. With a few key questions, you can immediately discern where to take your product demos—what features to highlight, what solutions will have the greatest value for your customer, and what pain points to address along the way.

Some basic questions can include:

• I understand your goal is to X. Is that correct?
• How do you hope this solution will help you achieve your objectives of X, Y, and Z?
• What do you like/dislike most about your current approach?
• What are the selection criteria for the next solution you’ll be implementing?

In addition to gaining useful information from your client, questions serve to convey the simple yet effective message that you care about addressing your client’s needs and helping them achieve their goals. Demonstrating your ability to listen to a concern or need and address it with a potential solution can build a foundation of trust between you and your client that goes beyond simply trying to sell them a product. 

3. Customize your demo to tell your customer’s story

Demonstrating how your product works won’t do you any good if you can’t demonstrate how it works for your client.

Rather than delivering a rote presentation about your product’s features and benefits, focus on tying each feature or solution directly to your customer’s pain points, needs, or goals. This is where your initial questioning can help you customize your demo to suit your client’s requirements. 

For example, instead of a rehearsed spiel about feature X, try phrasing your selling point like this:

“You mentioned that Y was a particular pain point within your organization. Here’s how feature X can help you successfully eradicate this pain point and improve metric Z in the process.”

If you’re not actively proving how your product is an integral part of your customer’s story, you’re leaving your customer the task of discerning how your product is more or less valuable than your competitors. Use your demo to paint a picture of life with your product, and make sure it points to your product as an invaluable solution that facilitates your customer’s goals.

Take your product demo a step further by adding the interactive value of a technical demo. A brief technical demo can allow your customer to experience the product for themselves and ask more in-depth questions about product functionality. Spending time in the product can also inspire a sense of ownership, a tactic commonly used by salesmen to establish an emotional attachment between potential buyer and product that makes them feel as though it’s already theirs.

4. Use visuals to demonstrate potential

More and more sales engineers are learning the value of using charts, graphs, and even infographics in creating a more engaging and educational product demonstration. Images are proven to gain and hold a viewer’s attention better than oral communication, particularly when it comes to conveying statistics, financial trends, pricing, and more. In fact, recent research indicates that your visuals can increase information retention by between 29% and 42%, which might just spell the difference between a failed product demo and a sale.

Perhaps your most effective use of visuals can be in creating an impactful visualization of a current vs future state for your potential customer. With an intelligent diagramming solution like Lucidchart, you can easily outline your customer’s current situation, complete with a rundown of key stats and pain points, along with a thorough blueprint of a projected future state—all in the same canvas. Toggle back and forth between layers to effectively prove how your product will facilitate growth and mitigate various issues. 

Optimize your product demonstrations with Lucidchart

Lucidchart provides you with the canvas and tools to create everything from organized account maps to polished charts and graphs for a customized product or technical demo. Get started today and take advantage of enterprise-grade solutions for you, your sales team, and your entire organization.

Take a closer look at how you can use Lucidchart to improve your product demos, including features such as custom shape libraries, Layers, Actions, and real-time collaboration.

About Lucidchart

Lucidchart, a cloud-based intelligent diagramming application, is a core component of Lucid Software's Visual Collaboration Suite. This intuitive, cloud-based solution empowers teams to collaborate in real-time to build flowcharts, mockups, UML diagrams, customer journey maps, and more. Lucidchart propels teams forward to build the future faster. Lucid is proud to serve top businesses around the world, including customers such as Google, GE, and NBC Universal, and 99% of the Fortune 500. Lucid partners with industry leaders, including Google, Atlassian, and Microsoft. Since its founding, Lucid has received numerous awards for its products, business, and workplace culture. For more information, visit lucidchart.com.

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How to Write a Product Demo Agenda: Templates & Tips You Need

You’re getting ready for the product demo and we know exactly how you feel.

Your palms are sweaty. Your knees are weak, arms are heavy. There’s vomit on your sweater already, mom’s spaghetti. You’re nervous, but on the surface, you look calm and ready…

Okay, okay. We may be paraphrasing Eminem , but you get the point. It’s a big moment and you have to be ready to deliver.

In fact, it’s probably the most important moment of the sales process. You’re about to sit with your prospect and walk them through exactly how your product can help them save time, money, and valuable resources. After all, turning prospects into paying clients isn’t an easy task, but it can be a lot easier with the right preparation.

That’s where a product demo agenda comes in handy.

What is a product demo agenda and why do you need one?

Top benefits of writing a product demo agenda, when to send your sales demo agenda, part 1: make intros and understand your audience, part 2: nail down the pain points and what you’re there to solve, part 3: address challenges and map solutions, part 4: “what’s next” encourage action, saas product demo agenda templates to help you close more deals, demo agenda email template #1, demo agenda email template #2.

• Use the right product demo platform 

A product demo agenda is a clearly written plan for the demo meeting that you should send to your prospects to grab their attention, prove that you’re worth their time, and eliminate the risk of no-shows.

You’ll usually send the agenda before the demo call in the form of a short email. There, you’ll remind them of the meeting and outline what will happen on the demo call. 

Buyers are busy so you need to make sure it’s clear to them what they stand to gain from giving you some of their precious time. You also need to prepare them to understand what to expect during the demo process.

A demo agenda is much more than a table of contents. When done right, your product demo agenda will help you move the sales process along and close your sale.

Here are the main benefits of writing and sending a demo agenda:

1. Verifies participation, reducing no-shows

2. Let’s buyers know you won’t waste their time by giving them a clear idea of what they can gain from attending

3. Gives prospects a chance to review the topics you’ll cover beforehand and prep any questions for the meeting

4. Helps ensure you cover all of the vital points

5. Allows you to lay the groundwork for why they should choose your software over a competitor’s

We recommend sending the agenda a day in advance of the demo. Make sure to send it during working hours so that the prospect will see it. This will allow them to plan their time accordingly.

How to write a successful product demo agenda

To create your demo agenda, you need to plan and time the demonstration structure carefully. Generally, a demo agenda will include the following sections:

Part one: Introduction

Part two: Set the stage

Part three: Address challenges and provide solutions 

Part four: Call to action

To create a demo agenda, you first need to understand the structure of an effective SaaS sales demo .

Ideally, a software demo should last no longer than 30 minutes, so planning how long each step will take will keep things running smoothly. To ensure you meet your timings, you can create and practice using a demo script. You can find our demo script writing tips here , which should help you nail this aspect of your planning.

Here is the framework for a successful demo experience and its collaboration with the agenda document itself.

The first part of the demo is where you make a brief introduction to everyone on the call. The goal of this part is to simply break the ice, introduce everyone present, create rapport, and quickly share the agenda. 

Here are the four big questions you’ll need to answer as quickly as possible: 

• Who are the attendees?
• What do they stand to gain from your product?
• Why should they pay attention to the demo? 
• How long will the demo take? 

What to write in your demo agenda

Write to each recipient personally. Call them by name, mention their company name, and make it clear you aren’t simply copy-pasting. 

When writing the agenda, it’s a good idea to mention that there will be an introduction, but refer to it as a “quick” or “brief”. This will make sure your readers don’t feel like they’re going to get stuck listening to a long, drawn-out introduction before they can get to the meat of the meeting.

Formalities over, your next task is to set the stage for the demo. This is your opportunity to quickly reinforce that you understand the challenges they face and start explaining how your SaaS solution will solve them. 

It is important to get into your prospect’s mindset and business at this stage. Your aim here is to ensure you’re addressing the customer’s specific pain points. Otherwise, you risk losing their interest. 

Remind your prospects of the business challenges they face and how your software can solve them. Use affirming statements and clarify what you will cover.

You want to make it clear that you understand their needs and are going to spend the demo focusing on their specific pains. 

So in your product demo agenda, mention a few of the specific issues they have and that you’ll discuss the ways your product can help.

The next part of the demo is solution mapping. This part of the demo heavily influences a prospect’s decision. Presenting how your SaaS provides a solution to your stakeholders is key. 

Here’s how you can ensure a knockout software demo agenda that piques interest in your product and brings you one step closer to closing sales: 

1. Create a professional, interactive, and personalized software demo . Let your prospects click through your demo by themselves to get a sense of your product. With the right product demo platform , you can give your prospects a great sales experience.

2. Show how your software solves your client’s challenges. Get specific but not technical. Remember to focus on their needs, not on your product’s features.

3. Outline how your software addresses other challenges. Once you made it clear how your product can solve the pains that they feel are most pressing, you can also cover other benefits your product can provide. ‍

4. Include room for questions. Encourage them to engage. Make sure you’re not talking at them by speaking to them directly, mentioning the specific team member by name who will most benefit from each aspect of the product, and asking them questions throughout the demo. 

After the last step where you mentioned their pains, now you’ll describe the specific flows you’ll be demonstrating in your product that’ll help the prospects see how it can solve their pains. 

The end of the demo should help your prospect understand how to move forward with buying your software. Be clear on your prospect’s decision-making process and the next steps. 

If this was marketing material, this would be your CTA. You need to schedule your next step so that your prospect knows exactly what they need to do next. This is your opportunity to keep the sale moving forward and lock in new customers. 

In your product demo agenda, you could briefly mention that you will close the demo and discuss the next steps for the potential partnership. 

When you write demo agenda emails, we recommend keeping it light and easy to read, giving just enough information  so the prospect knows what to expect and when. 

While you should really be creating personal emails for each prospect, it can be helpful to start off with a template that you can customize for each use.

Here are a couple examples:

Hey (First Name) 🙂

How are you?

I am super excited to demo our product to you tomorrow, at (time). Just to give you a sneak peek, here is the demo agenda:

1. Quick meet and greet 

2. A brief overview of how (product name) works

3. Take deep dive into how you can use our product to solve (prospect’s pains)

4. Any extra features you’d like to see / questions

The call will last around 30 minutes. Please use this link to connect. 

Let me know if you have any questions.

Looking forward to chatting tomorrow!

(Your signature)

Hi (First name),

I wanted to reach out to let you know the agenda for what we’ll cover tomorrow during our demo call:

1. Short intros 

2. How our product can help with (prospect’s specific pains)

3. Question time

The call will start at (Time) and last around 30 minutes. You can join the meeting with this link.

I look forward to chatting with you!

Kind regards, 

Use the right product demo platform 

By sending a product demo agenda in advance of the call, the prospect can see that you will address all of their pain points before the demo even takes place. This makes it more likely that they’ll come to demo excited to learn something new.

But when you’re ready to deliver the sales demo, make sure you’re utilizing interactive product demo software like Walnut to create personalized and interactive product demos . 

Not only will you be able to give prospects a more engaging and customer-centric sales experience, but you can also then use the demo analytics to inform changes so that you can make data-driven decisions based on customer interactions and discover how to structure a sales demo .

Related reads:

• Product Demos: The Different Options and Their Benefits
• The Ultimate SaaS Product Demo Checklist
• Top 3 Ways for Remote Sales Teams to Deliver Impactful Live Product Demos
• The Top 6 Live Product Demo Fails Of All Time
• How to Create an Interactive Product Demo in 5 Steps

Ready to revolutionize your product demos? Book a meeting with us now by clicking that “Get Started” button on the top of the screen.

Create demos your prospects will love today.

You may also like....

Best Practices for Embedding a Demo on Your Website 

7 Interactive Product Demo Tips For Sales Teams

What Are Sales Demonstrations? The Ultimate Guide

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How to Create Interactive Product Demos: Benefits and Best Practices

More companies are implementing interactive product demos to drive growth, and it’s not hard to see why.

Product demos are great tools in the hands of sales and marketing professionals. They help keep customers engaged, drive conversion, and shorten the onboarding process. In many cases, you wouldn’t even need live demos to convert users.

This article explores interactive demos, shows you why they’re important, and steps on how to implement them. We’ll end the article by showing you how to use onboarding software to create your first or next product demo.

• An interactive product demo walks customers through the product, showing them its key functionalities and how it can solve their problems.
• Product tours are used in-app and focused on driving activation. On the other hand, interactive product demos are focused on driving sign-ups.
• Product demos help to increase conversion, drive customer success , and improve customer experience.
• Interactive demo use cases:

Before the purchase

Product-led growth trial to paid conversions.

• In-app product demos

Interactive product walkthroughs

• Best practices when creating interactive product demonstrations:

Use customers’ JTBD for personalized product demos

Don’t overwhelm your customers with every functionality of your product, let your customers choose their own path to tour, embed your video tutorials in your resource center.

Interactive product demo creation process:

• Step 1: Identify your user personas . Create a detailed persona that captures important details about your users and prospects.
• Step 2: Map out the customer journey . Outlining every touchpoint in the user journey gives you a clear idea of the steps to cover in your demos.
• Step 3: Create a storyboard template. This allows you to visualize your findings and easily share them with team members.
• Step 4: Segment and trigger personalized demos for different personas.
• Step 5: Analyze and improve. Without proper tracking, it will be hard to know how successful your product demos are. Set conversion goals and monitor how many new users complete them.
• Step 6: Use it with prospective customers. Make any needed changes and roll out your product demo(s) to prospective customers to move them further through the sales cycle.

Tools to create product demos:

Userpilot for boosting progressive onboarding

Tolstoy for fully interactive video demos, walnut for a unified demo creation for sales and marketing teams, what are interactive product demos.

An interactive product demo walks customers through the product, showing them its key functionalities and how it can solve their problems. It’s called interactive because the customer experiences the product’s value in real-time by just clicking through the prompts on their screen.

Interactive product tour vs. interactive product demo

They might sound similar, but there’s a big difference between them.

Companies use product tours when onboarding new customers. These interactive product tours are meant to familiarize new users with the tool and help them make the most of it. Product tours are in-app and focused on driving activation.

On the other hand, product demos are sales and marketing materials used early in the sales funnel to show prospects the potential of a SaaS tool. Product demonstrations are focused on driving sign-ups.

Why are interactive product demos important?

Interactive demos play a key role in the customer journey. Used well, they can help to:

• Increase conversions: A good demo paints the picture of what customers can expect from the product. It shows them how their lives get easier and how the tool can save them time. Realizing this value helps to increase conversion rates.
• Improve customer experience: Before the spread of interactive demos, companies typically relied on sales presentations to communicate product value. This can be cumbersome and even leave users confused. But interactive demos provide convenience. Viewers learn at their pace and are even sometimes allowed to choose the demo content to interact with.
• Drive customer success: As you’ll see shortly, interactive demos are tailored to the user’s JTBD. This ensures the viewer learns how to use your product to solve problems even before they become customers. It results in faster product adoption , helping customers reach their objectives quickly by the time they start using your product.

Interactive demos: use cases

We’ve established that demos are used early in the sales funnel. But there are many use cases for this, based on where the user is in their journey. Below are the different ways to implement your product demo:

After showing interest in your solution, a demo is a good way to push the prospect down your sales process .

Common scenarios include: after interacting with a content asset, during a sales call, as a CTA in your email, etc.

Product demos can be great additions to your software if you implement a product-led approach to growth.

Adding a detailed demo to your free trial ensures customers learn how to use your product and get to the Aha! Moment quickly. This is especially useful for software products with a complex learning curve.

In-app interactive product demos

Live demos typically involve the user booking a call with a sales rep who guides them through the product. In-app interactive demos are shorter versions of that process and don’t include the intervention of a salesperson.

In-app interactive demonstrations shouldn’t replace live demos, but the latter is a great way to help users learn on their own without external support.

An interactive walkthrough is a step-by-step guide to your product aimed to ultimately lead users to activation .

It’s not a separate clickable version of your software but a set of tooltips in the product that guides users through its features.

Best practices when creating interactive product demonstrations

Keep the following points in mind to create demos that engage and convert customers:

Begin by considering what customers hope to achieve with your tool. Use a welcome survey to learn more about their primary objectives and motivations, then tailor the interactive product demo to meet those needs.

You may have different demo pathways, depending on your product and how diverse your customer JTBD is.

Trying to create a single demo for all your features can make it boring and unnecessarily complex.

Instead, revisit the prospect’s needs and identify 2-3 pain points . Then create a demo that shows how your product solves those problems.

Remember, you can always create demos for different parts of your product—just ensure to keep it one feature or functionality at a time.

Avoid linear demos that present your product in a static line that’s not personalized.

Use a nonlinear approach instead. This means your interactive demonstration should work like a dashboard where customers can choose their own path to tour and learn about your product at the level of detail they want.

This method is more customer driven and delivers better user satisfaction.

Embed your tutorials /interactive product demos in a resource center to drive self-service support and improve customer experience. This way, customers can visit them anytime they need to remember something.

Asides from your demo, the resource center should contain more information to help the user irrespective of where they are in their journey.

It’ll reduce the load on your support team, save you cost, and ensure customers are happy.

How to create an interactive product demo

Now that you know the best practices to imbibe and what to avoid, it’s time to create your first product demo. This section gives a practical breakdown of all you need to do:

Step 1: Identify your user personas

Recall how we mentioned the importance of using your customer’s JTBD to create personalized demos? A user persona makes that easy.

Create a detailed persona describing your ideal customer. It should cover their roles, challenges, objectives, etc. Then proceed to create product demos for each persona.

Step 2: Map out the customer journey

A customer journey map is a visual representation of the stages the user goes through as they engage with your product. It begins from when they find out about your tool all the way to activities they need to do to become loyal customers.

Outlining every touchpoint in the user journey gives you a clear idea of the steps to cover in your demos.

Step 3: Create a storyboard template

You’ll uncover many valuable insights when outlining your customer journey map. But the data is still raw until you can present it in a way that anyone viewing it can know what’s happening where.

Use a storyboard template to visualize your findings and easily share them with team members. Storyboards are replicable, giving you a handy template for future demos.

Step 4: Segment and trigger personalized demos for different personas

Create an interactive walkthrough and implement the same logic as the product demo. Segment new users who have just signed up and trigger personalized demos for them.

Segmentation is also useful when you need to show varying demos to different user personas.

It’s difficult to segment users manually. This is why you should prioritize tools with in-depth segmentation when choosing software for creating product demos.

Step 5: Analyze and improve

You can’t know how successful your demos are if you don’t regularly analyze engagements. The proper analysis also lets you identify improvement areas and reveal how to convert users faster.

Tools like Userpilot allow you to set and track goals . For example, you could create custom goals to track the completion rates for events your interactive walkthroughs taught users how to complete.

Low completion rates indicate the presence of friction points, which means you need to collect user feedback to know what to improve.

Step 6: Use it with prospective customers

You’ve collected feedback and identified improvement areas. It’s time to make necessary changes, roll out the product demo to prospective customers and move them further down the sales funnel.

Tools to create interactive product demos

You have two options for creating product demos: code everything yourself or use a software product.

The former is time-consuming and will cost you much more. So, most companies choose to use specialized software instead.

There are different kinds of SaaS tools for this purpose. Here are three of them with their uniqueness:

Userpilot’s upside is helping SaaS companies create progressive onboarding instead of a one-size-fits-all demo.

With progressive onboarding , your users can only see the next step after taking the required action. This ensures they learn by doing, rather than follow bland product tours that don’t care if the user is actually learning.

Our software also allows you to segment users and personalize the product demo.

But that’s not all. You can equally embed video tutorials inside modals or use tooltips to offer the guidance needed at different points.

Tolstoy is an interactive video creation tool. The platform has many exciting features for video communication . One is the ability to build branched videos that customers can engage with. This functionality increases the personalization you can add to your demo and makes the process extra appealing for users.

Tolstoy even uses this feature for their onboarding to showcase the value of the product:

Walnut is one of the most popular demo tools on the market. It’s mostly used for its ease in helping marketing and sales teams create personalized demos.

The problem is Walnut’s demos are outside the product. They attract potential customers to try the product but don’t really help with getting more users to use the tool.

Delivering your demos in-app work best because customers will interact properly with the product, increasing their chance of converting.

Storylane for a quick and easy way to build interactive demos

Storylane is a no-code demo automation tool for marketing and solution engineering teams. It enables you to create personalised demos at scale and helps improve website conversions as well as sales velocity.

While Userpilot caters to a post sales experience, Storylane is more suited for a pre sales experience, thereby boosting your PLG efforts.

An interactive demo is a great way to engage prospects and push them down the sales process.

Well created, your demo can help increase conversion rates and improve the overall customer experience.

Demos can still work whether you’re implementing a product-led growth approach or not. Just ensure to understand your user needs and personalize the flows. And always track your results, collect feedback, and improve.

Want to build interactive product demos code-free? Book a demo call with our team and get started!

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• What Is a Product Demo?

• Startup Marketing

Last Updated: February 29, 2024 By TRUiC Team

A product demo, or product demonstration, is a very important tool in the sales toolkit of startups, especially within the B2B (Business-to-Business) SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) industry. These demos allow companies to showcase their product's capabilities, explain how it works, and highlight how it can solve potential customers' specific problems. In essence, a product demo is meant to provide prospects with practical insights into a product and highlight its benefits more vividly than any standard sales pitch. 

Demos are typically done after a lead has been qualified via the sales funnel process, from visitor to lead to opportunity, and finally, to customer. They're often delivered remotely by sales reps or account executives using online meeting applications, and the role of a demo in a sales process can be influenced by factors like the average contract value (ACV), where demos are much more critical for ACV over $1k. 

Recommended: Check out our list of the best product demo videos to inspire founders .

Understanding Product Demonstrations

At its core, a product demo is a sales tool that allows prospective customers to understand exactly how your product can solve their specific problems. It's the “golden ticket” in your sales process, more often than not being the major determining factor in whether a deal is closed or a prospect is lost. 

So, what actually goes into a product demo? Well, it typically occurs after a potential customer has been qualified through the sales funnel journey and they’re ready to learn more about your product before jumping on board. The demo itself is typically delivered by a sales representative or an account executive and can be done remotely using online meeting tools like Zoom or GoToMeeting that allow screen sharing and video.

The key components of a successful demo are understanding the customer's needs and demonstrating how your product specifically helps solve their pain points. It's not just about explaining the features of your product but showcasing the solutions it provides and cultivating a relationship with the potential customer. After all, people are more likely to buy from those they like and respect.

Why Product Demos Are Important for Startups

For startups, the struggle lies not only in creating an exceptional product but also in convincing the world of its value. That’s where product demos come in. In this section we’re going to cover a few reasons why product demos are so important for startups: 

Boosting Sales

The main purpose of a product demo is to convert leads into paying customers. For startups especially, it's important to have an impeccable demo because it can significantly improve your close rates. The better your demo the higher the chances you have to close a deal. Mastering the demo isn't just an added benefit — it has the potential to majorly impact your annual sales opportunities to the upside.

Building Customer Relationships

Demos also serve as an opportunity to build a rapport with potential customers. If your startup wants to move beyond a transactional business model and create a loyal customer base, establishing trust is key. People prefer buying from those they like and respect, which is exactly why a well-executed and personable demo can build that relationship faster and foster mutual respect.

Educating Prospects

A great demo doesn’t just sell your product but it educates your prospects about your solution. It helps them understand how your unique offerings can solve their specific pain points. Remember that the goal here is not just to showcase product features but to highlight how these features provide solutions to customer problems. Always focus on the customer.

Align with User Journey Stages

A well-orchestrated demo aligns with the stages of the buyer's journey, going from awareness to consideration to decision. Each stage requires a different type of demo such as demo videos for awareness, live demos for consideration, or interactive demos for decision making. By having a relevant demo at each stage startups can effectively guide prospects through their buyer's journey. 

Types of Product Demos

When it comes to product demonstrations, different approaches work best for different audiences depending on the product's sophistication. Here are six types of product demos that are commonly used and have proven to be quite effective for startups:

Video Demonstration

A video demonstration is a pre-recorded presentation of your product's main features and benefits. Companies like Loom and Grammarly use this method to engage their potential customers. These types of demonstrations are successful because they allow the viewer to learn at their own pace, pause or replay sections, and flexibly consume content. With high-quality graphics and a captivating narrative, it's a compelling way to introduce your product.

Slide Presentation

Slide presentations, even though they’re seemingly old school, work remarkably well for complex products where details matter. This demo type allows for the systematic unfolding of product features interspersed with relevant use cases. Companies like Airtable use this method to communicate their value proposition effectively and ensure that their audience doesn’t miss essential functionalities due to information overload.

Live Demo (Remote or In-Person)

The next category is the live demo that’s capable of being delivered remotely or in person. This approach is interactive allowing prospective customers to ask questions and get immediate answers. It offers the unique chance to build a connection with the customer and gauge their pain points or reservations. Sales reps from Zendesk and Salesforce have been known to close deals using this high-engagement method.

Prototype Demo

In situations where the product hasn't launched yet or is in an ongoing development phase, such as a stealth mode startup , companies often turn to prototype demos. Showing a tangible mock-up version of what their final product would be like gives both investors and future customers invaluable insights into its potential. However, remember that this requires meticulous planning so as not to give a false impression of the end product.

Similar to live demos, webinars typically involve a live virtual presentation usually catered to a broader audience. They often combine the demo with educational content about the industry, product implementation, or common challenges that the product can solve. Webinars are an excellent platform to host guest experts as well, lending further credibility and attracting a larger audience to your product.

Lastly, there's the free trial method — possibly one of the most effective sales techniques for SaaS companies specifically. By offering prospects a risk-free opportunity to use and test your product, you can convince them of its suitability for their needs. SurveyMonkey uses this technique to convert potential customers by letting them experience firsthand their product's ease of use and depth of features.

Creating an Effective Product Demo

Creating an effective product demo can boost your sales and revenue by significantly improving your close rates if done right. Below are several tips to help you get your product demo right from the very beginning: 

1. Understand Your Audience

Knowing who you are addressing is the most important step for an effective demonstration. The demo should be customized according to your audience's needs and interests and highlight how your product can solve their issues. It’s important to actually listen to their feedback as this can help refine your future demonstrations.

2. Use Quality Visuals and Storytelling

Your product demo should not only showcase the product but also tell a story . Use engaging visuals that capture your audiences' attention and make sure that the story demonstrates how the product can solve a particular problem or enhance their life in some way. When done right, this can add a personal touch and make your demo more relatable.

3. Practice and Plan

A well-planned demo leads to better execution. Make sure you rehearse your demonstration to sound natural and avoid any errors. Limit technical language and ensure that your technology works flawlessly during the presentation.

4. Engage with a Personal Touch

Connecting with customers on a personal level, learning about their issues and offering solutions through your product builds rapport. This level of engagement builds trust and relationships which lead to higher chances of closing the sale.

5. Follow Up

Never skip following up with your customers after the demo. This shows that you care about their experience with the product and you value their feedback. Following up gives them a sense of being valued as customers and increases the chances of them purchasing the product.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do you need a product demo.

You'll need a product demo after a lead has been qualified through the sales funnel process which typically involves transitioning from visitor to lead to potential customer. It's often the determining factor in whether a deal closes or a prospect isn't won over.

Who conducts a product demo?

The demo is most commonly delivered by a sales representative or an account executive. It can be presented remotely by using online meeting tools that enable screen sharing and video such as Zoom or GoToMeeting.

How do you make a product demo?

Making an effective product demo requires understanding your audience's needs and highlighting how your product can meet those needs. It should be engaging, using visuals and storytelling to carry your message. The essentials of an effective demo include an outline, a description of your product and its value, allowing customers to try it out, and explaining how to purchase it.

How long should a product demo be?

The length of a product demo can significantly vary based on several factors such as the complexity of the product, customer engagement model, and sales approach. Nevertheless, it's important to make sure that the demo is long enough to effectively highlight key features and demonstrate the product's value proposition, but brief enough to keep the audience engaged.

What are some common mistakes to avoid during a product demo?

Some common pitfalls to avoid during a product demo include overly technical language that can confuse your audience, poorly working technology that may disrupt the demo, and not practicing the demonstration enough. Not understanding customers' needs can also lead to a demonstration that misses the mark, and keeping the demo too focused on features instead of real solutions can also be unproductive.

What is the difference between a sales demo and a product demo?

While both demos aim to sell a product a sales demo is typically more focused on building relationships with potential customers and showcasing how the product can solve their specific problems. On the other hand, a product demo is mainly about presenting the product's functionality. That said, the lines can blur and often these terms are used interchangeably.

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5 Simple Steps To Delivering More Efficient Product Demos

Use these five tips to plan and execute demos that help your audience fully understand your product vision and capabilities.

Gabe Sumner

Share article.

A product demo is the most important part of a marketing strategy. It’s a chance to put your product’s best qualities in the spotlight, answer questions, and turn naysayers into believers. 

Often, presenters are tempted to just reuse marketing positioning language. But at this stage in the marketing journey, your audience has probably already heard it before in a launch presentation or online content. 

Perhaps they still have questions, or they’re sceptical about a product’s capabilities. It’s your job to change their minds, or they’re going to bounce to a competitor. Imagine the pressure!

Product demos should answer questions like, “How does this product work?” and “How will it benefit my business?”

“ Product demos should answer questions like, ‘How does this product work?’ and ‘How will it benefit my business?’”

These questions are often rooted in confusion and doubt. The goal of a product demo is to build confidence and enthusiasm by showing audiences exactly what they will be getting. If you do this job really well, you will also make them feel great about the opportunities this product makes possible. 

You can improve your demos by honing a few simple but important steps. Here are five practical tips for creating product demos that audiences love.

1. Plan a big question that your product demo will answer

It’s easier to ask a question than to write an answer at the beginning stages of a project. A great question will inspire a great answer. This question will continue to be useful throughout the whole process, from planning to presentation. 

As you collaborate with new internal stakeholders, you can start by saying, “Here’s the question we’re trying to answer in this product demo.”

Talented teams don’t need to be told what to do; they just need to understand what you want to achieve. A great question can succinctly express your objective and spark the team’s imagination. It will also grab your audience’s attention.

So what makes a question great? Great questions are thought-provoking. They inspire the listener to wonder or imagine.

Here are a few examples of thought-provoking questions: 

What if your most common business process took half as many steps to complete?

What if you were sent a warning just prior to making a mistake?

What if it cost $5 to switch to a new browser tab?

These questions make the audience think about how their jobs — and lives — could be improved. 

From there, they can begin to see a story with solutions. This is why these questions are so useful in the first few minutes of the demo. 

2. Identify the purpose of your product demo

Great demos deliver clear takeaways, but doing this requires focus. First, we need to resist the temptation to show everything. Check out the overload in this example: 

“In this demo, I’m going to show you how the Salesforce Platform enables you to build, automate, and secure using low code.”

There are actually three takeaways here: build, automate, and secure.

Remember, the product demo’s job is to address doubt and confusion. It’s going to be very challenging to do this if you have three different takeaways.

“ Great demos deliver clear takeaways, but doing this requires focus. First, we need to resist the temptation to show everything.”

So let’s try being more focused. For example:

In this demo, I will show you how Salesforce Flow helps you use automation to make your business processes more efficient.  Now we are focusing on automation, which makes it easier for the audience to digest and appreciate.

Set yourself and your audience up for success by focusing on the takeaways.

3. Visually introduce the use case for your product demo

Your audience needs to see how the product works. But how do we get them to connect the talk track and visuals? To emphasise important points in your demo, phrases such as , “Here you’re looking at…” could be used. For instance:

Here you’re looking at a mortgage application that one of our customers just submitted. Notice in this example, what the audience is seeing has been clearly pointed out. Visualisation is used to set the context and use case that the demo will dig into.

4. Identify the challenge your product addresses and the outcome it makes possible

Now it’s time to take the audience on a journey . There can be no journey without contrast. We need to go from nowhere to somewhere.

This means we need to envision life without our products and then show the improvement our products make possible. 

So let’s return to our example:

Here you’re looking at a mortgage application that one of our customers just submitted. It involves a lot of manual steps. As a result of this inefficiency, our customer satisfaction scores were plummeting. 

Finally, we cut the number of steps involved in processing one of these applications in half. As you can see, our satisfaction scores have never been higher.

Notice the contrast between these two points. This is important because we introduce challenges at the start and end with a solution to the problems.

5. Show how your product enables the journey from challenge to solution

Imagine showing someone a picture of a dilapidated house. Then imagine showing a picture of an immaculate house and saying, “We help you make this happen!” Their natural question will be, “How?” 

It’s not enough to show your audience the before and the after. To have credibility, you must show the journey between those two points.

“ Every great demo shows its audience how the product helps them get from challenge to solution. But how do we bridge these two points?”

Every great demo shows its audience how the product helps them get from challenge to solution. But how do we bridge these two points?

Use these three magic words to get from problem to solution: Because , Therefore , and But .

What makes these words so special? They force presenters to acknowledge what just happened before showing the next step.

For example:

Our business process is inefficient. Because of that, our satisfaction scores are plummeting. Therefore, we will use Salesforce Flow to create a new workflow. Because of that, we’ve eliminated many of these steps with automation. You don’t have to literally say these words repeatedly in your talk track. Just be mindful of the philosophy to connect each step in your demo. This connectivity helps your audience follow the story.

You want your audience to experience what’s possible with your product. They should leave the demo feeling inspired. Even if your audience doesn’t remember every detail of your presentation, they will remember what the experience felt like. They will feel that life will be better with your product. 

Those are the five tips for memorable live product demos. Remember, have fun during your presentation. If the audience senses that you believe in your product and are excited about it, they will believe in it and be excited, too. And your customer relationships will be better for it.

Build process automation into your business to improve productivity.

This post originally appeared on the U.S.-version of the Salesforce blog .

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Director, Technical Product Marketing Gabe Sumner builds demos to support Salesforce’s biggest events and product launches. He focuses on the fusion of storytelling, technology, and marketing. Prior to Salesforce, he worked as a Developer Evangelist and a developer.

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How Sales Pros at 6 Companies Perfect the Product Demo

While preliminary research plays a vital role in how salespeople ace their product demos, reps that don’t listen to a prospect’s concerns might miss details that could help them close the deal.

“There is no amount of preparation that will overcome not listening to a prospect and being present while they explain their needs,” Daniel Hall, a director of sales and enablement with almost a decade of sales experience, said. 

Hall, who works at the video-based marketing platform  BombBomb , shared his insight on what makes for a good product demo, and stressed that attentive listening is key. On Hall’s team, account executives are trained to research prospects extensively before a call to get a clear picture of their company, industry and how BombBomb’s solutions could assist them. Then, the salesperson builds an outline of how they predict the call will go. 

But as any good salesperson knows, demos don’t always go as planned.

That’s why Hall said the real work begins during the call. Reps should listen deeply to a prospect’s challenges, then personalize the demo to focus on how BombBomb’s solutions can help address a specific need. Below, six companies shared their team’s product demo strategies and provide examples of how they’ve led to closed deals and a happy customers. 

Tips for a Successful Product Demo

• Thoroughly research the prospect
• Tailor demos to each customer or prospect
• Practice your demo out loud
• Listen to your prospect's needs

Daniel Hall

DIRECTOR OF SALES AND ENABLEMENT

How do you prepare ahead for a product demo with a prospective customer?

We prepare AEs for two types of prospect conversations. One determines if our product would meet their needs and if they would be a good fit as a customer. The second conversation is an evaluation to see if our product provides a solution for the prospect and determines how we would move forward with them as a customer. 

We use a similar approach to prepare for each of these conversations. First, we need to know about a prospect’s company, industry, product and its number of potential users. We blend outbound and inbound prospects into our sales funnel. Some of that work may be accomplished in the prospecting phase of our outbound processes. 

Then, we research recent press releases, key stakeholders, fundings and get to know their competition. In step three, we use this information to think critically about their org and how our solution could help them. We then formulate questions that will help us understand their areas of opportunities. Once we have all the information we need, we outline a question path that we could see happening in the call, determine fit and start exploring solutions. 

Listen to what a prospect is telling you about their objectives.”

The goal of a product demo is to prove to a potential customer that your product can solve a particular problem for them. How do you go about achieving this goal? 

To provide an example, we scheduled a discovery call with a sales leader at a Colorado Springs company. We developed a question outline we felt confident would incite a good conversation to determine fit. On the discovery call, we learned that the leader needed help lifting her email response rate and that our businesses were a good fit for each other. 

We linked the leader and her buying committee with an AE for an evaluation call. Then we determined the best path forward for her team to achieve results. She suspected that emails were coming across cold or disingenuous and we felt video could help warm up her message and re-humanize her efforts. Together, with guidance from the customer success team, we developed a goal of a 25 percent response rate; a number the prospect chose because it could drive impact toward reaching her sales goal. The result: she saw a response rate of 70 percent and built a pipeline of over $1.2 million.

What’s the most important piece of advice you’d give to another salesperson who’s looking to master the product demo?

Prepare well but listen more. There is no amount of preparation that will overcome not listening to a prospect and being present while they explain their needs. Focus on them. Listen to what a prospect is telling you about their objectives and the goals of their organization. Then determine if your product could be a solution for them. 

Susan Price Lucero

STRATEGIC ACCOUNT MANAGER

How do you prepare ahead for a product demo with a prospective customer? 

To prepare for a demo, I focus on three things: content, technical and outcome.

For content, I research the customer to gain a deeper understanding of their priorities. On a prospect’s investor relations webpage, you can learn about the company’s strategy and challenges by reviewing the management discussion in the 10-Q SEC filing, listening to quarterly earnings conference calls and reviewing their presentations at recent analyst conferences. I also read recent company press releases, which can sometimes uncover key nuggets in the management quotes, and research my demo participants on LinkedIn. 

Technical preparation is making sure the presentation and product demonstration are flawless. I’ll walk through the demo 20-30 minutes prior to the call, opening up multiple tabs in my browser with the flow I intend to use. It’s also important to make sure Zoom is set up to optimize the experience for remote participants; I’ll test it ahead of time. Once the conference call begins, I’ll drag the photo gallery of participants under the camera lens. This creates the illusion of better eye contact and helps me better connect with my customer. Also, I use a ring light to enhance the image, eliminating unflattering shadows. 

Lastly, outcome: What do I want from the customer as the outcome of this presentation? Knowing what I want, and stating this goal up front and again at the end, is critical to making sure this presentation further qualifies the customer and moves the sales cycle forward. I’ll write this on a sticky note to make sure I don’t lose sight of the goal during the presentation.

To prepare for a demo, I focus on three things: content, technical and outcome.”

How do you demonstrate to a potential customer that your product can solve a particular problem for them?

One of my customers had spent a lot of time and money with consultants mapping out their ideal processes in a third-party business process mapping tool but had no way of determining if they were adhering to best practices. They struggled with on-time deliveries to their customers. I demonstrated how our “Conformance Checker” could not only identify the root causes of their issues but also the impact it was having on their KPIs.

What's the single most important piece of advice you'd give to another salesperson who's looking to master the product demo?

Practice makes perfect. Early in my career here, my confidence demoing the product improved at a tradeshow, where I had to demo Celonis every 30 minutes for three days straight. When new product capabilities come out, I force myself to practice out loud multiple times until I have internalized the talking points.

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PitchBook Data

Sydney shrum.

ACCOUNT MANAGER, MIDDLE MARKET

Generally, I look over any background information I have on the person I’m going to be demoing, including what firm they work at, their role, how they got in touch with me/PitchBook and their interest areas. Often, I’ll have some background information on what they are interested in seeing during the demo. For unique cases, I'll prep some searches in the PitchBook Platform ahead of time to make sure we’re efficient with the time we have. 

If I don’t have a ton of background on the client, I'll look through old calls with people in similar roles at the firm to see what “aha!” moments they had; that way, I can figure out if it's relevant for this person as well. In order to make a key discovery with the prospect, it’s essential we focus the demo time on what will be most relevant for them.

If you want to master the demo, master the discovery.”

The first step is uncovering the layers of a problem that the person is facing. When a prospective client says they need a better source to track private companies, that's something we can fix — but, it's not necessarily the problem. 

From there, I ask prospects what process they have right now. Usually, they have no tools or resources, which is also something that needs to be fixed. By not having access to a useful tool, the real problem could be that they missed out on a big investment opportunity because they had no insights into the private markets. This led to their fund underperforming, which caused other problems. Getting the prospective client to that “aha!” moment on the call is great — but ultimately, I want them to ask themselves, “If I don't have this, and others do, what could I be missing out on? What could that mean in the future for the business?”

If you want to master the demo, master the discovery. It's easy to get excited about your product, what you have to offer and all the cool, shiny things that you can show prospects. But just because you have all the things doesn't mean the prospect needs all the things. While it might all be useful to an extent, understanding what would be most valuable and help fill immediate gaps in their current process will ultimately lead to a successful demo.

Cameron Dudley

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE, MID-MARKET SALES

The key to preparing for a product demo is doing the necessary research about the brand. It’s important to understand what their experience looks like today and how your solution will help them achieve their goals. I also spend time personalizing the demo environment to reflect the prospect’s brand, adding the company logo, incorporating branding and weaving in key company facts. I find this helps the prospect better visualize what their experience could look like if implemented.

You need to have a clear understanding of what the prospect cares about and how it will provide value.”

The key to a successful demo is successful discovery. You need to have a clear understanding of what the prospect cares about and how it will provide value. Once you understand the value, you can cater the demo to show how your solution will play a role in their success. Additionally, I find it helpful to engage with the prospect during the demo by asking questions like “How do you see this fitting into your business?” or “How is this resonating with you?”

For example, I recently had a demo with the CMO of a California healthcare system. The CMO and marketing manager — who was my champion — both had very different priorities and visions of Yext fitting into their business strategy. It was really important that I prove value to both of them as I was demoing the platform.

Do quality discovery in advance — not only to know the state of the prospect’s current experience but to map out what a future state could look like. This will help any salesperson walk into a demo with a clear plan of action and be able to present a compelling case around the prospect’s challenges. 

Being prepared is also critical to keeping the prospect engaged throughout the demo with validating questions about how they see your solution driving value or what their hesitations might be. Some of these questions will come to you during the demo, but doing your research in advance will allow you to have some informed go-to’s in your pocket.

In a recent product demonstration, dscout Account Manager Susan Nguyen didn’t show her potential client all of the qualitative research platform’s offerings. Why? Nguyen knew the prospective customer was working on a strict timeline. Instead, she focused on providing a tailored solution to their problem. This kind of thinking allows Nguyen and her team to stay nimble and appeal to a broad user base. 

I do my research. I typically give product demos to prospective customers who both have exposure to dscout and those who might not. It is my responsibility to get new users onto the platform within my existing book of business. The customer will typically share what team they are on, so I’ll start there. 

First, I want to understand what that team is working on, what kind of impact they are making and what they are planning for the future. Next, I will focus on the company as a whole. What are their strategic goals? 

At the end of the day, an individual wants to feel they are making a direct impact on their company. I want to be able to align how our tools would be able to connect their team’s direction with the company’s strategic goals. By creating that story, I am able to show how our product can be valuable for the prospective customer. 

Practice your demo out loud.’’ 

I tailor each demo to the specific prospect. Prior to the call, I send an email asking if there is something specific I can address during the call. Once the call takes place, it’s important to let the prospective customer have the floor. The key to a great product demo is asking the right open-ended questions to go beyond the surface-level problem and into the root cause. 

During the demo, I will reference the email they sent or something they said to illustrate how our tool is the right fit. Recently, I had a prospective customer who had a deliverable she needed to share out to stakeholders that week. I tailored my demo on a specific product we have built for speed and scalability. 

In a typical demo, I would show all of our product offerings. But in this case, I knew it was not relevant to her. Due to the tight timeline, we had to work fast to win this project. I gave her a demo of the platform, then I went directly into what next steps needed to take place in order for us to be successful. By laying out a clear plan of action, she was confident our platform was going to be the right choice. 

What’s the single most important piece of advice you’d give to another salesperson who’ s looking to master the product demo? 

Practice your demo out loud. By practicing out loud, you are able to hear how your story flows to determine what changes need to be made. As you continue to practice your demo, you become more confident on the tool. This will successively show clients that you are masters of your product, and in turn, illustrate its ease of use.

As a Senior Account Manager for a company that works closely with the public sector, Madeline Allen is able to bring a macro perspective to product demonstrations that clients might not otherwise get. The CityBase team member said she prioritizes deeply listening to the prospect to help her figure out what specific information might be most useful for them to know. 

I understand the prospect’s expectations and needs by scheduling a pre-demo 5-10 minute call to agree on an agenda and goal of the meeting. This saves everyone time by setting expectations. I research their current vendor, budget and any other interesting points that display our knowledge about them and their needs. I also equip my team internally with my research and make sure each person on the call understands the prospect, goal of the meeting and their role on the call. 

A successful demo should be scripted in such a way that it goes beyond just showing the product.’’   

A successful demo should be scripted in such a way that it goes beyond just showing the product. The demo should feature aspects of the product that solve the prospect’s problems. Use the demo to actively speak to these pain points throughout.

Be prepared to speak to their not-so-obvious needs and pain points as well. Stick to the agreed-upon agenda, but don’t be afraid to spend more time on areas or issues that come up on the call.

At CityBase, we exclusively work with public sector clients. Our experience solving challenges for local governments across the U.S. makes us a valuable thought partner to other cities and counties, since we bring that macro perspective. For example, I recently leveraged our experience with another client in a CityBase demo in order to address very specific pain points. I spoke to the issues at hand but also revealed other solution-based functionality that alleviates issues down the road they were initially not aware of. This level of preparation and thoughtfulness for the future sealed the deal for a long-term, innovative partnership. 

What’s the single most important piece of advice you’d give to another salesperson who’s looking to master the product demo?

It’s not usually about the demo as much as it’s about listening to the prospect, understanding the visible and invisible pain points and creating excitement and urgency around the idea of working together to make their job easier. 

More From Product How to Clean Your Product Backlog

Responses have been edited for length and clarity. Images via listed companies

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Sales | How To

How to Give Product Demos That Sell + Script Examples

Published April 20, 2023

Published Apr 20, 2023

REVIEWED BY: Jess Pingrey

WRITTEN BY: Bianca Caballero

This article is part of a larger series on Sales Management .

• 1 Qualify the Lead
• 2 Send Detailed Demo Meeting Invitations
• 3 Start with Expectations and an Agenda
• 4 Build Your Company’s Credibility
• 5 Explain Your Product’s Value
• 6 Provide Use-case Scenarios
• 7 Discuss Product Implementation
• 8 Answer Questions
• 9 Establish a Post-meeting Plan
• 10 Best Practices for a Successful Product Demo
• 11 Product Demo Statistics

Product demonstrations (demos) are a key component in the sales process that let leads see your product in action. They require lead qualification, formal invites, an organized agenda, and a focus on your product’s value and uses to be effective. By doing so, demos build trust in your brand and your business’ expertise. In this article, we show you how to give a product demo (with example scripts) and suggest tools to help you get the most value out of your demos.

What is a product demo and why does it matter?

A product demo is a presentation of a tangible product or software application and is typically presented live, either in-person or via video conferencing, or through a prerecorded video. For businesses like software as a service (SaaS) companies and office equipment retailers, product demos are a crucial stage in their sales pipeline . Demos could make the difference between winning and losing a deal, so there should be extensive sales training for reps in this area.

Now that you know the definition and importance of a product demo, you can begin filling your pipeline with leads and guiding them toward this stage. Follow these nine steps on how to give product demos that sell.

1. Qualify the Lead

Before inviting a lead to a product demo, make sure this potential customer is a good fit for what you’re selling. As part of the lead qualification process, ask extensive questions during your introduction calls or through email exchanges to understand their situation and purchase timing. This helps ensure you aren’t wasting time presenting demonstrations to buyers who don’t have a need (or budget) for your products.

Pre-demo questions also help you gear your demonstration to things that matter to your leads. To best understand their needs and priorities, you can refer to these example questions below as a guide to uncover important information before a product demo:

Qualification Questions

• What is your budget for this type of solution?
• Are you the primary decision-maker for this solution, or should other people be involved in the buying process?
• What specific problems are you looking to solve?
• Are there specific features or product attributes you want to get out of this solution?
• When would you like to implement this solution?

If any answers to these questions don’t fit your pricing, product or brand attributes, or ideal timeline, consider not moving forward with the demo.

Product Demo-related Questions

• What current product or provider are you using (if any)?
• Is there anything in particular that you like about this product or provider?
• Is there anything you’d like to see improved about this product or provider?
• Do you have any concerns about making this type of change?

Focus your demonstration on addressing the answers to these questions. This will be most applicable later during the product demo, specifically in step six, when we explore use-case scenarios.

2. Send Detailed Demo Meeting Invitations

Once the lead has agreed to allow you to present your product and you’re confident they are a solid fit, the second step in learning how to do a demo is to send out the invitations. It’s essential to have anyone involved in the buying decision present at the meeting. You should have found this information when asking about “other decision-makers” or “other people involved” during step one.

In addition to the actual invite (that’s likely a Zoom or other video conferencing call), you should include an email message acknowledging your appreciation for them taking the time and showing interest in a demo. Additionally, include directions required to get on the call and a brief description of what will take place.

Below is an example template to construct this email:

Email Template

Subject: Our Demo Call Next Thursday

Hi [lead name],

Thank you for agreeing to a product demonstration. While you may or may not be the sole decision-maker for a purchasing decision, please feel free to invite any other members of your business to the presentation.

Below are the instructions for logging into the meeting:

[Include meeting instructions, links, and any other relevant details.]

Per the information you’ve provided, the product demonstration will focus on [aspects of the product you want to show and addresses the lead’s pain points]. Please let me know if you have any questions prior to our meeting.

I look forward to speaking with you soon!

[ Email signature ]

If you are meeting with them in person at their office, rather than include instructions to your meeting, ask if there’s any information they need to know about parking, entering, security, and so on. If you are hosting the in-person meeting, your instructions should include basic directions to your office building and additional details they will need to know once they arrived.

Pro tip: Scheduling a product demo can be a breeze using scheduling automation tools like Calendly. This software lets you configure a system based on your needs and around your schedule. Users can also send a link to their leads in an email or using an online button, taking them to a scheduling portal to find a time that works for everyone. Upon creating a meeting, the attendees’ calendars are automatically synced with the Calendly event.

Team scheduling portal (Source: Calendly )

Visit Calendly

3. Start With Expectations & an Agenda

The next step in exploring how to make a demo presentation is to give brief introductions once all attendees have arrived. Some teams like to bring in a product or software expert from the organization to help explain some technical aspects—the sales rep should introduce that person. This is also when you’ll review the agenda and assure everyone you will stick to the allocated time established before the meeting.

Pro tip: Some video conferencing software like Zoom has a whiteboard or note-taking feature you can use to show your agenda before starting the meeting. You can even take notes throughout the meeting to send to the attendees upon completion.

Whiteboard feature for collaboration (Source: Zoom )

4. Build Your Company’s Credibility

The first section of your product demo presentation should be an overview of your business to build brand credibility. Quickly review your founding story, the products and services you provide, and the types of customers and clients you work with. This is also an excellent time to discuss any awards and accreditations your company, product, or key personnel (such as your CEO) have received.

You can also use testimonials or customer success stories. These help expand your credibility and trust by letting your customers and the value they’ve obtained speak for you instead of you building your brand without evidence or context.

Below is a demo script template you can use:

Script Template

In line with the agenda, I’ll briefly go over a little bit about our company. We were founded in [date founded] for the purpose of [mission or other purpose statements]. In addition to [product you’re doing a demo for], we also assist with [other products or services you offer].

Over the course of [years active] years, we’ve helped a multitude of [clients or customers], including [list clientele]. Our high-quality work has [won us {awards}, helped our company grow, and kept our customers happy].

Enough about us—let’s get into why you are here today.

It’s important to keep this section brief so you can focus on the product and customer needs of your attendees. Ultimately, the presentation isn’t for you to brag about past achievements, but to show how your product can help customers achieve their goals.

Pro tip: For product demonstrations, you may need copywriting, graphic design, or video production services. Fiverr is a cost-effective platform that connects your business with talented freelancers to help in these areas. The platform makes it easy to find freelancers, assign projects, and pay them all in one place.

Popular freelance services (Source: Fiverr )

Visit Fiverr

5. Explain Your Product’s Value

Once you’ve established trust and credibility with your leads, go right into the product they want to see and share its unique selling proposition . If the product has an interesting backstory, such as a unique way it was designed or an initial purpose different from today, share that story with them so they can understand your product better. Next, go into how the product works by describing its architecture, design, and how it’s delivered and hosted.

After the baseline product description, walk through the specific features of the product. During a software demo presentation, you could show the modules, such as the home dashboard that lays out the button options for navigating the platform. You might even dive deeper and show how a data entry is made in the system, then talk about the advantages and benefits of your product’s design as opposed to others.

For example, if you were selling software, go into how it’s cloud-based so the data isn’t stored on-premise and can be automatically backed up. If you are showing something tangible, such as a multipurpose printer, go through the subfeatures of the unit to show it printing, scanning, and faxing. When you show the features of a product, focus more on the end result to help your prospect remember how your product can help address their pain points.

6. Provide Use-case Scenarios

This step is arguably the most valuable one in the eyes of your lead attendees. It is your chance to take those features you briefly showed and put them into action through real-life scenarios. Directly address a pain point or daily activity the lead or their employees face. You can refer back to the answers they gave to your demo-related questions in step one.

Let’s say you’re selling a customer relationship management (CRM) system specifically for marketing agencies. Your platform has a built-in project management and content management system (CMS) . Marketing agencies often struggle with collaboration because of the many different specialists involved, such as content developers and project managers. Some of them aren’t necessarily employees of the agency, but contractors for other companies.

Therefore, focus your use-case scenario on this pain point by showing the project management module in use. Show them exactly how it works by creating projects, adding personnel, creating and assigning tasks, uploading content and materials, then updating the project status. The point is to take the “explain product” step further by adding relevant context.

7. Discuss Product Implementation

After presenting the product features and use cases, outline the implementation process. It could be a simple one-day installation, one-week order to deliver, or more complex, like a three-month process of subscribing and then going through training. This is also an excellent time to explain any infrastructure requirements of your product.

For example, your software might only work for certain operating systems, integrate with specific tools, or be restricted to cloud or on-premise environments. If it’s an industrial printer, it may need specific space dimensions and power channels to be fully installed. On the other hand, a cleaning spray might require a certain temperature for safe storage. These details should be discussed during your presentation, along with purchase costs.

Total cost, pricing model (flat fee, per unit, per user, and so on), financing options, and any warranties, free trials, or return policies should be explained. You may also have customizable options or a tiered pricing system if the lead wants to purchase from you but needs to stay within a certain budget.

Pro tip: Download and customize our free estimate templates to quickly and consistently lay out your proposed pricing model for your product or service. Our article also comes with tips for writing estimates.

8. Answer Questions

While answering questions during a question-and-answer (Q&A) session seems simple, it’s best to anticipate what might be asked prior to the product demo. Be prepared to re-show the product in use as common demo questions involve going over a feature a lead wants to see. If a question is asked but you do not know the answer, include your response in the post-meeting plan to address it in a follow-up email.

Additionally, you can offer to set up another meeting that will address the questions or concerns they had during the initial demo you were unable to answer. You can also record a video to include in your follow-up email that answers their questions.

Pro tip: You might also get outspoken concerns during this session such as the cost or fear of change or commitment. These are considered sales objections you can easily manage by reading our how-to guide for overcoming objections in sales . You’ll learn how to take various common concerns and turn them into opportunities.

9. Establish a Post-meeting Plan

The final component of a product demo is developing a plan to move forward. Odds are, the lead won’t be ready to make a purchase decision after the demo and will need some time. You’ll need to listen carefully to the position they are in during that moment. They might need to include more people in the buying process, take the idea to the board, or learn more about the product before making any decision.

To keep control of the process, offer to send anything relevant to their current position. For instance, if they expressed interest in pricing, send a proposal or quote information . Send product information following the call if they need upper management to review anything first or want to learn more about the product. Also, reference that you’ll get answers to their unanswered questions and provide them with the next steps based on their situation.

Below is one of the product demonstration examples you can use to conclude your product demo:

I hope we addressed your questions, and concerns, and “wowed” you with what our product can do. As for the next steps, based on where you are now, I’ll send a follow-up email with [proposal, quotes, more product information, an invite to another call, and so on] for you [and/or upper management, other decision-makers, other users] to reference.

I’ll also get [answers or confirmation] to those questions you had about [unanswered questions]. Feel free to reach out if you need anything else in the meantime.

Even if the lead is undecided on a purchase decision, sending more information following the demo keeps you fresh in their minds. After a demonstration, it may still be months to a year before the decision is made, especially for high-dollar sales deals with multiple decision-makers. Don’t be discouraged, as timing can be a factor despite plenty of interest. Continuously follow up to check in with the lead and see if anything will speed up the process.

Best Practices for a Successful Product Demo

An effective sales demonstration is customized to the prospect’s business needs and process. It should show your client how they would use your product or service and how the latter can address their problems or pain points. Below is a list of best practices to meet your product demo objectives.

Gather Information About Your Customers

Discovery is an essential step you need to take before presenting your product. This involves gathering data from your current customers, market research, and potential prospects. Find out what they want in a product like yours and if other stakeholders will be present during your demo. Use the information you have gathered to establish rapport with your customers and their need for your product or service.

Highlight Important Points

At some point in your demo, your prospect might be distracted and miss some important points of your presentation. To regain their attention, you can pause for a moment, address your prospect by name, and briefly highlight your point.

Keep Your Mouse Under Control

During your presentation, your prospects will be following the movements of your computer mouse. Avoid jerky and unnecessary movements and only move your cursor when needed, like when you want to show how to execute a command.

Manage Your Time Wisely

Most modern buyers research your product before scheduling a demo and are likely looking into another brand. That said, it is best to keep your presentation short and simple by tailoring it to their needs and pain points. While demos usually run for 30 to 60 minutes, the ideal time for one is 15 minutes or less.

Be Prepared for Fails & Crashes

When you give a software demo, you are bound to encounter fails, bugs, and app crashes. Prepare yourself to deal with these contingencies by opening in advance the apps or pages that take a while to load. When any of these things happen, it is best to tell the prospect the truth about what’s going on. You can also use such an instance as an opportunity to walk them through the process of contacting your support team.

Record Your Demo

When you record your live demo, you can replay it to review your performance and refine your technique in closing deals. You can also use prerecorded demos as a tool to market your product and to screen qualified prospects. It will encourage prospects who are genuinely interested in your product to get in touch with you.

Key Product Demo Statistics

Whether you’re conducting a live presentation or recording a demonstration video, these statistics show just how valuable product demos are and objective ways to optimize them:

In 75% of situations in small businesses, it takes more than three days between a demo request & the actual demo.

Takeaway: As mentioned in the previous section, customers nowadays do their own research on multiple products before attending a demo session. It is best to shorten your response time to a demo request so you can get in touch with your prospect quickly and find out how to address their business needs.

(Source: Navattic )

A standard sales demo lasts 30 to 60 minutes.

Takeaway: Demos don’t need to be as comprehensive as product training. Keep your presentations shorter by focusing on the product features relevant to your prospect’s needs.

20% of prospects engage with products via interactive demos.

Takeaway: Interactive product demos are a great way to let prospects engage with your product without the lengthy setup process. The rise of this engagement process shows users are looking for ways to try a product before they commit to a paid subscription.

96% of users have watched an explainer video to gain information about a product or service.

Takeaway: An overwhelming majority of customers and internet users watch an explainer video to learn more about a product or service. In addition, 89% of them said that doing so helped convince them to make a purchase.

(Source: Wyzowl )

36% of marketers used product demo videos in 2022.

Takeaway: Business marketers create various videos, and prerecorded product demos were among the most widely used last year. As mentioned in the previous section, demo videos are useful not only for marketing, but also for screening prospects.

Bottom Line

Business owners and sales management personnel must develop compelling product demo procedures to convert interested leads into potential buyers. This stage of the pipeline helps prospects gain confidence in your brand and see how your product will help them achieve their goals. By using our guide on how to give a product demo, product demonstration examples, and recommended software tools, you will close more deals and help your business scale.

About the Author

Find Bianca On LinkedIn

Bianca Caballero

Bianca Caballero is a subject matter expert at Fit Small Business who covers Sales and Customer service topics. Prior to working at FSB, she was in field sales and territory management. When she launched her career as a writer, she worked with companies from the US, Australia, and China. At present, she uses her 12+ years of writing experience to provide FSB readers with the best answers to their questions.

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About 15 mins

• Learning Objectives 

What Is a Product Demo?

Build better product demos, test what you learned.

• Challenge +100 points

How to Create a Product Demo

Learning objectives .

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

• Describe the importance of product demos.
• Identify practical ways to build better product demos.

A product demo is the ultimate way to showcase what’s possible with a product. It’s an opportunity to transport your audience into the role of product user and give them a tailored test drive. And good product demos aren’t just flashy, aspirational visual aids—they can answer critical questions that resolve a customer’s doubt or confusion. Whether it’s a remote demo for a small group, an executive-level meeting, or a keynote—all demos can be powerful tools. And  great demos drive adoption and sales.

Let’s hear Gabe Sumner, director of Technical Product Marketing, discuss how we approach product demos at Salesforce, why they’re important, and five tips that you can use to outline your next product demo. 

Key Timestamps

0:00 - Salesforce on Salesforce Intro

0:32 - What is a Product Demo?

1:40 - Tip #1: Start with a question

2:34 - Tip #2: Focus your takeaway

3:36 - Tip #3: Show. Don’t tell

4:28 - Tip #4: High highs require low lows

5:37 - Tip #5: Show the journey

6:49 - Product Demo template overview

Now that you watched the video, test what you learned about creating great product demos by taking the quiz to earn this badge.

• PDF Template: Create Better Product Demos
• Get personalized recommendations for your career goals
• Practice your skills with hands-on challenges and quizzes
• Track and share your progress with employers
• Connect to mentorship and career opportunities

How to prepare the perfect product demo

Improve the quality of your next product demo using this preparation checklist as a guide. No matter how well you know the software, you need a plan.

You don't have to be a sales person to deliver a great software demonstration. I have found the key to improving the quality and consistency of my demos is research, planning and practice.  This demo preparation checklist helped me transform from rambling techie to educated and coherent domain expert.

Know your audience

I view software demonstrations similarly to job interviews; there is an expectation that you have researched the company you are presenting to and the people who will be attending. You need solid grasp of their core business and where your product fits it. It is also useful to know in advance the roles of the attendees and a little about their background. Hopefully you can save yourself the embarrassment of over explaining a point to an expert in the field. Public company websites and LinkedIn profiles are a good source of information.

Ask Questions in Advance

Send an email before the meeting to ask questions in advance. Use this information to tailor your demo. These types of questions are good options to discover the key issues:

• What are the roles and background of those attending?
• What are your top 3 pain points with your current process?
• Are you currently using any other tools in the process?

What you learn here researching your audience should then be used to fine tune the demo story and script.

Craft user stories

Before you start rattling off the product features to show in your run through, take a step back and imagine the software through a user's eyes. Those in software would be familiar with a user story . User stories help frame software requirements from the point of view of the end user. They are useful when preparing your product demo for the same reason.

A typically agile user story is formatted like this:

As a [ROLE], I want to [ACTION] (so that [BENEFIT])

The format works for planning software demos as well. The key difference is while in an agile framework the user story is the smallest unit of work in a software demo it tends to have a larger scope. Depending on how your product works it may be useful to design one story for each type of user interacting with the system.

Here are some examples I have used recently.

As a potential student , I want to apply for a research project so that I can start research at the university As a supervisor , I want to review and progress my student projects so that my students don't miss any milestones As a research officer , I want to ensure student projects are meeting milestones so that ....

You should have a couple of key user stories for your product that you can mix and match depending on what you know about your audience. The more familiar your demo feels the easier it is for the potential client to imagine themselves using your software in production.

I tend to pick two or three user stories to base my demos around. These stories are separate but should fit together to form the overall picture of your software. Often "data collection, "data workflow" and "reporting and analytics" flow well together.

Write a demo script

After you have a clear idea of the stories you want to tell draft a script or run sheet around them. The script needs to act as a high-level guide, not detail step by step actions to complete. When presenting as you need to be flexible with audience questions and preferences but try to act within your broad script.

If you don't know the product well enough to work off high level notes it should be someone else running the show.

Write a section for each user story you are going to cover. You should try to simulate the process that the user would take in the product.

• Don't hold back on the good stuff. Including some stronger features/screens/reports early on in your run through. You want people to be engaged early.
• Don't try to include everything. You need to spend time showing your best and most relevant features so don't feel like you need to "feature dump" every button and every screen in your plan. This is a trap that developers often fall into.
• Include "actions" in your script . You need to show the process of your software, not just what every screen looks like. Seeing data change state and move around your system is key to making it "feel real" for the audience.
• Avoid complex data entry. You should "do things" in the demo as the point above suggests but no one will enjoy watching you fumble typing for 20 minutes only to fail form validation. If it is going to take too long, have an example ready to go.

My preference is for each user story to outline each function you intend to show. Within each function I add details on how it should be delivered. I tend to colour code the details along these lines:

• Yellow is a key talking point. This is normally a specific business benefit that I want to highlight. Yellow is my cue to slow down while presenting and make sure I get my point across.
• Green is an action I need to take in the system. I normally highlight in green things like submitting forms, changing status or anything that I need to actually do (as opposed to just show) in the system to proceed.
• Purple is a detour or action outside of the main system. I often end up cross selling related products during our demos. Purple is a reminder to me to open up that other product/tab/example outside of the normal demo flow.
• Red is something I need to sort out before the demo. Things I highlight in red include missing data, questions to clarify about the client or (hopefully not) errors in the product. Red needs to be sorted well before demo time.
• Uncoloured items are general reminders on the story flow or minor talking points.

Do I need demo slides?

Slide decks are not my strong point and I am a firm believer in the "show don't tell" method. However, having some simple high-level slides ready can help structure your introductions and drive home the key benefits you are pitching.

• Introductions. Include the names and roles of the presenters from your company. This is a good reminder to actually do intros as it is something that can be missed and is awkward to pick up later on.
• Company overview. Your company's key information and mission.
• Product overview and key benefits. Include the name and logo of the product you are showing. Try to distil the top 1-3 benefits into this slide and refer to them in your script.
• [Optional] Description of the user stories you want to show. Sometimes a simple process diagram can be useful here.
• Conclusion. A slide to show at the end of the demo. Summarise the next steps and key contact details.

In the ideal world you configure your demo data to match the audience as closely as possible. For important demonstrations I have used publicly available client polices and documents to configure our demonstration site as closely as possible to how I envision the client would operate in production.

The bottom line is your demo data has to be good. "Test project 1" and "This is a comment" is not good enough.

Your demo data should be good enough that you not find yourself saying "this is just demo data".

You should avoid "smoke and mirrors" in your data and functionality. If you don't have good data for a report showing a screenshot is fine as long as you aren't trying to pass it off as the real deal.

Know your weaknesses

Put yourself into the shoes of your future client and ask "what is missing from this product?". You will know the software better than anyone so it shouldn't be too difficult to come up with some potential gaps. They key is to have a decent (and honest) answer to what may be lacking in your product.

Here are some ways to frame missing functionality when asked:

• Ensure you have accounted for it on your product road map. This should be something you can provide to a client if requested.
• Have an explanation for an alternative method or workaround in the system.
• Accept the question (if it comes) as important feedback and make an effort to acknowledge it in any follow up communications.
• Be confident about what is out of scope for your product

Like all things in life, the more you practice the better you get. It can be tricky to find an audience for a "real" dry run of a software demo. You can fall into the trap of not selling to them because they are not a real client.

I normally go with two types of practice. One is a "simulated" run through of the demo with a team member - ideally someone who is involved in the meeting. I have my script up on screen and we step through making tweaks where necessary.

The second practice is a "live" run of the demo. This can still work well with team members, especially those not familiar with the product. Often the best candidates (and the hardest to get hold of) are in leadership and executive positions as they best emulate the decision makers that you need to convince.

Another option is to do regular internal team "functionality presentations". These work best if kept short - one user story from your plan. Internal demonstrations have the added benefit of knowledge sharing - both of the product and how to show it off effectively.

Presentation and delivery

I have written a separate post with my top product demo presentation tips . They relate closely to the preparation outlined in this post.

If you enjoyed the post, perhaps like or retweet the thread on twitter

I've written guide on researching and planning software demos. These tips have massively improved my demos this year. https://t.co/h9bSScewl3 — Luke Lowrey (@lukencode) May 27, 2020

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What is a Product Demo and Why is it Important?

The product demo, or sales demo, is the most critical piece in the sales process of a B2B SaaS company. It’s a unique opportunity to demonstrate the value of your product to a prospective customer.

Product demos are central to any software sales process. Poorly executed demos significantly slow down close rates. On the other hand, if done right, they can be very effective.

In essence, the demo often means the difference between closing a deal and losing a prospect. A great demo lets your prospects understand how your solution truly solves their pain points and enables them to become more successful in their job.

As Geoffrey James says, “There is almost nothing more powerful than a great product demonstration. When done correctly, a demo allows the customer to see and feel how things will be better if they buy (and worse if they don't).”

‍ Why is the demo such an important element in the B2B sales process? And what’s the impact of getting it right or wrong? Before we dive into the details, let’s first set a common ground and clarify the basics.

What is a product demo?

A product demo is a presentation of the value of your product or service to a current or prospective customer. It typically involves a demonstration of core features and capabilities. The primary purpose of the demo is to close a deal.

What is the difference between a product demo and a sales demo?

In a nutshell, it’s the same thing. Other words being used are product demonstration, SaaS demo , or just ‘demo’.

But depending on who you ask you might get a different answer. Hubspot for example clearly differentiates the product demo from the sales demo “A sales demo is the process of providing a prospect with a demonstration of your product or service. A product demo is the same process but it involves a current customer.”

‍ Most SaaS sales leaders including Steli Efti , Jacco van der Kooji , Peter Kazanjy , or Craig Rosenberg always refer to the ‘demo’ as a key sales tool - that is the presentation for a prospective customer - not differentiating between product demo and sales demo in particular.

Who delivers a product demo?

In most companies, the sales rep - or more specifically, the account executive - is delivering the demo. In small companies and early-stage startups, it’s often the founder who is running the demo.

When do you deliver a product demo?

The demo typically occurs after a lead has been qualified. There are many different ways to generate leads. But for most B2B SaaS companies, the inside sales process looks very similar:

• Lead generation: You get a lead, either inbound or outbound
• Discovery : You qualify that lead, i.e. verify if he/she matches your ideal customer profile
• Pitch: You demonstrate the value of the software to the prospect. This is when the product demo happens
• Conversion: You convert the opportunity, i.e. close the contract

For those who are new to inside sales , here is an example: Someone visits your website, i.e. a visitor. This visitor fills out a contact form because she is interested in the product or service that you are promoting on your website, i.e. a lead. You analyze the information that you have about that lead like industry, company, role, location, need for your product or service, and authority to purchase amongst others.

If the lead matches your ideal customer profile she becomes a qualified lead. After you have conducted a demo with the qualified lead, she becomes an opportunity. The final step is to convert that opportunity by providing her with additional resources and finally navigating her to sign the contract to become a customer.

Here’s a nice graph that visualizes the inside sales funnel.

How to deliver a product demo?

The face of B2B software sales has been undergoing a massive shift from traditional field sales to inside sales over the past decade. Today, the dominant sales model in B2B tech is inside sales : sales that are handled remotely using the phone, email, and online meeting tools.

In most cases, SaaS demos are delivered via online meeting tools, utilizing screen sharing, audio, face-to-face video, chat, and more.

Many companies are still using general-purpose online meeting tools like GoToMeeting, Zoom, or Hangouts. There is a new generation of online meeting tools arising that provide use-case-specific advantages over general tools - like Demodesk for demos and onboarding. Features are interactive virtual meetings , automated scheduling , sales coaching , and many more.

Why is the product demo so important in the B2B SaaS sales process?

The importance of the product demo in the sales funnel depends on different factors.

The biggest driver is the ACV (Annual Contract Value). It is defined as the average annualized revenue per customer contract, excluding one-time fees.

Of course, there are more criteria to take into account for choosing the right sales model, but as a general rule, for an ACV of <$1K, it typically makes no sense to jump on a personalized product demo with your prospect .

Why? Because delivering a personalized demo is costing you resources. It is a significant investment that you make in your prospective customer. It only pays off if the potential return is high enough.

“Your SaaS sales model should aim at self-service. You need to build a frictionless product coupled with a high volume, high velocity, and low-cost lead generation engine. The transactional model is a hybrid one as it requires a high volume, high-velocity lead generation engine, but you can spend more on acquisition thanks to a higher ACV (typically >$3K), complemented by an inside sales team that will do product demos and close deals.”

- Clement Vouillon ‍

So, if you have an average ACV of more than $1K, the demo is without a doubt the most powerful element in your sales process, and here’s why.

Determine your SaaS sales model

SaaS products differ in price and complexity. Before you can define and optimize your sales process, you need to determine what model fits your business so you can create the best methodology for your SaaS offering. There are three main SaaS sales models which we’ll take a look at individually.

Self-service SaaS

Self-service SaaS refers to lower-priced and user-friendly software that can be easily understood and managed by new users. It involves little to no sales efforts, as customers already see the value in your product, sign up on their own with easy onboarding, and use educational content or customer support to resolve any issues. Examples of self-service SaaS models include Slack, TurboTax, and Dropbox.

Transactional SaaS

Transactional SaaS products are higher-priced (< $5,000 in ACV ) and more complex for the user to learn on their own. These products don’t sell themselves. You will need an inside sales team to develop leads and demo your product in order to close a sale. Due to the higher price tag and the need for a more personalized pitch, buyers will expect well-versed sales reps with sophisticated demos, product training, documentation, and customer support. Transactional sales models are typically high-risk and high-reward with an average sales cycle of 30 days.

Enterprise SaaS

These top-tier SaaS products or services are designed with elements of customization to integrate with an organization's technology stack. They can be extremely complicated to implement and are often priced accordingly. Intended for B2B enterprise sales, this SaaS sales cycle is the longest and most complex. Mid-range to large enterprises are the buyers and the biggest challenge is often creating a consensus among many decision-makers with buying power. This sale requires high-touch technical and sales support along with a team of sales experts , including a Sales Development Representative (SDR or BDR) to nurture and qualify leads and an Account Executive (AE) to conduct the demo and close the sale.

How do product demos improve close rates?

Mastering the product demo is no easy task. It requires a proper understanding of the product you’re selling, the customer you’re talking to, her specific challenges and expectations, and the ability to build rapport.

As Robert Falcone puts it, about 10% of your demos will go great regardless. Either you've worked with the person before, or the room just groks what you say the first time. Another 10% will go bust no matter what you do. You're presenting the wrong solution to the wrong crowd. It's not worth dwelling on and deriving lessons from this batch because they would have gone south no matter what. But then there's that 80% in the middle where you make most of your money and where you need to win.

So for that 80% of customers, it makes a huge difference whether you’re delivering a great demo or not. In many cases, the demo is decisive for the overall success of the company. Let’s do the math to explain the financial impact of mastering your product demo on sales growth.

Here are some statistics for B2B SaaS companies according to a comprehensive SaaS survey that David Skok and KBCM Technologies did :

• The average number of demos held by a SaaS company varies by deal size, ranging from 4 to 11 per week
• SaaS companies with an ACV of <$5,000 perform on average 11.3 demos per week.
• For an ACV above $100K, the average number of demos held is as low as 3.6 demos per week
• The median annual contract value (ACV) of private SaaS companies is ~$21K, with 26% of respondents below $5K and 13% above $100K
• For most B2B SaaS companies, demo close rates range between 20% and 50%

Let’s now take the statistics from above to calculate the impact of mastering your product demo.

When conducting 7 demos a week, assuming an ACV of $21K, you have a potential deal flow of 7 times $21K per week.

In our example, that amounts to $147K a week in opportunity value, which sums up to $7.6M in annual terms.

When your sales team is on the lower performing end with 20% demo close rates, that results in $1.5M potential sales generated.

In contrast, a high-performing sales team with average demo close rates of 50% generates $3.8M in annual sales opportunities.

That leads to a difference of $2.3M. So for an underperforming sales team, that’s a potential loss of $2.3M. In other words, for an average B2B SaaS company, the impact of improving demo close rates can be a sales increase of more than 50%.

Here’s the formula if you want to calculate the impact of improving product demo conversion rates for your company:

(50% - Your current Demo Close Rate in %) * ACV * # of Demos/Week * 52 = Annualized Sales Opportunity Loss ‍

How to master the product demo

Mastering the demo is for sure not an easy task. A successful SaaS product demo is more than explaining the value proposition, giving a walkthrough, and positioning your product against the competition. Salespeople need to adapt to the prospect’s needs and show how your product helps them solve their pain points.

And above all, it’s an opportunity for prospects to get to know you and assess how reliable your product is in providing value. Personalized product demos are a great chance to engage your prospect and ultimately build a relationship with your potential customer. After all, 71% of customers buy because they like, trust and respect the salesperson they work with .

"Contrary to popular opinion, the primary goal of a demo is not to demo your product! Let me say that again: the goal of the demo is not to demo your product.  People don’t buy features, they buy solutions, trust, and relationships. "

- Rob Gonzales

‍ So what is it, that makes an outstanding product demo? There are multiple things to learn and consider and there is for sure no one-size-fits-all approach.

We will help you master the demo without going through countless painful trial-and-error iterations. We’ve compiled product demo best practices and industry standards in one comprehensive SaaS demo guide. Read more about it in our next chapter .

Want to see how you can really level up your sales demos? Try Demodesk for free and see why our customers are raving about us.

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Columbia suspends protesting students; demonstrators take over university building: Updates

Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news on college campus protests against the Israel-Hamas war for Monday, April 29. For the latest news on the protests, view our live updates file for Tuesday, April 30.

NEW YORK − Columbia University's administration said Monday it has begun suspending students hours after demonstrators defied a deadline for clearing the "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" at the center of campus, which fueled similar protests on campuses across the nation .

Spokesperson Ben Chang said the university had notified students they would be suspended if they didn’t vacate the encampment by 2 p.m. ET after the sides failed to reach an agreement earlier in the day. The site, he said, has created an unwelcoming environment for many Jewish students and faculty, and it has been noisy at the center of campus.

Protest organizers note that many demonstrators in their space are Jewish, including several of the 100-plus arrested when the university asked police to break up a smaller encampment on April 18.

“We’ve been suspending students as part of this next phase of our efforts to ensure safety on campus,” said Chang, who did not take questions from reporters or specify the number of students from Columbia and its affiliated Barnard College who were disciplined.

Around the time of the deadline, many students threw notices of the possible suspensions in the trash or put them on the ground to be stepped on. Chang said adjudication over suspensions will be handled by the university senate − composed of faculty, students, administration, staff and alumni − as well as the Office of University Life.

The administration cited the need to clear the encampment ahead of upcoming commencement ceremonies May 15, when about 15,000 students will graduate from the Ivy League school.

Columbia  protesters demand  the school halt investments with companies profiting from Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, and they want amnesty for students and faculty involved in the protest. College campus demonstrations have ramped up in opposition to the civilian toll in Gaza, where more than 34,000 people have died since the Israeli invasion that followed a Hamas-led attack that killed almost 1,200 people in Israel.

From Harvard to UT Austin to USC, college protests over Gaza are spreading. See our map.

Developments:

∎ At Ohio State, where more than 40 protesters were arrested last week, school president Ted Carter said in a Monday e-mail the university "will not be overtaken'' like other campuses. Another student demonstration is expected later in the week.

∎ U.S. schools got support from abroad in protesting the war in Gaza. Demonstrators took to Paris' Sorbonne University on Monday, chanting "Free Palestine" at the university's gates while some students set up tents in the courtyard.

∎ Video from the Shaboura refugee camp in the southern Gaza city of Rafah shows signs in support of the campus protests, CNN reports. Some read: "Students of Columbia University, continue to stand by us” and “Thank you, students in solidarity with Gaza. Your message has reached (us).”

Columbia demonstrators occupy university building

Columbia demonstrators early Tuesday took to occupying Hamilton Hall, an academic building to the east of the encampment used to protest Israel’s war in Gaza.

After 12:30 a.m., protesters broke into the building and barricaded themselves with wooden chairs, metal tables, and trashcans. People linked arms to form a line protecting the entrance while others picketed, leading chants in support of Gaza and divesting from Columbia.

“This escalation follows yet another sweeping round of threatened suspensions, expulsions and arrests,” a social media post from activist groups organizing the encampment said.

Meanwhile, demonstrators marched around the existing encampment at the center of campus that students have occupied for nearly two weeks. Outside the campus gates, people protested in support of the demonstrators.

Organizers pushing for Columbia University to divest from Israel said they renamed Hamilton Hall to Hind’s Hall in honor of the 6-year-old who appeared to have been killed by Israeli forces in January. Protesters said they plan to remain in the building until Columbia concedes to its longstanding three demands of divestment, financial transparency of investments, and amnesty for all students, staff and faculty disciplined for opposition to Israel’s war and support for Palestine.

"Resistance is justified in the movement for liberation," said the student group Columbia University Apartheid Divestment’s news release released early Tuesday. "Liberators acting in solidarity with Palestine continue to hold themselves to a higher standard than Columbia."

Organizers said they escalated demonstrations because the university has contributed to genocide while refusing to follow “baseline standards of conduct” for negotiations.

Organizers said the encampment is a peaceful form of protest. Demonstrators are tying their action just after midnight Tuesday to prior student movements on Columbia’s campus, including to protest the war in Vietnam as well as apartheid in South Africa. "Taking back our own campus is the only and last response to an institution that obeys neither its own ‘rules’ nor ethical mandates, which is why we began the Gaza Solidarity Encampment."

Still, the organizers warned the administration and trustee not to bring soldiers or police officers, referring to Kent State and Jackson State protests more than 50 years ago that were bloody. "Students’ blood will be on your hands," the statement said.

Protest at University of Texas broken up forcefully

Law enforcement officers arrested at least 30 people in clearing out a small encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Texas at Austin on Monday, forcefully pulling away some demonstrators, the Austin American-Statesman reported .

Members of the university and Austin police, along with state troopers in riot gear, initially encircled the approximately 80 protesters, who sat on the ground and linked arms, some of them holding umbrellas to shield from the sun in 85-degree temperatures. Video from the scene showed a handful of demonstrators being taken away with their hands zip-tied behind their backs.

In responding to a post on the X platform, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott , who has taken a hardline stance against the protests, said, "No encampments will be allowed. Instead, arrests are being made.''

The American-Statesman reported only about 20 demonstrators remained in place some three hours after the protest began at the university’s south lawn. Their tents had been dismantled.

The group assembled unexpectedly following two earlier demonstrations around noon. A larger protest at UT Austin was broken up Wednesday when police arrested 57 people, although criminal trespassing charges against them were dropped.

Faculty members 'stand' with Columbia students

Student protesters at Columbia gathered for a rally Monday at the encampment ahead of the university’s 2 p.m. ET deadline to clear out or face suspension. “No business as usual,” demonstrators chanted. “There is only one solution!” and “Intifada revolution!”

“We will not move until Columbia meets our demands or we are moved by force,” a news release from the students said.

They were not alone. Faculty members, donning orange safety vests, joined students in rallying near the encampment. “We salute you, we stand with you,” Shana Redmond, a professor of English and comparative literature, told the crowd from a megaphone. “And we’re so proud to be your professors.”

The encampment has grown since police arrested more than 100 demonstrators April 18. Chris Carr, a doctoral student in astronomy who came by Monday to lend his support, called the protest "a beautiful display of community" and said it would not be a good idea to have police break it up again.

“It seems like every time that they try to like inflict force on us through public safety or through NYPD, the students come out stronger and stronger than ever,” he said. “They can try, but I think the students are strong and united on that.”

At GW in Washington, 'we're being disruptive,' protester says

Posters reading "End all U.S. aid to Israel" and "Resistance is justified in the face of genocide" interspersed the tents covering University Yard, an outdoor square on the Washington, D.C., campus of George Washington University on Monday afternoon. Students sprawled on blankets on the grass and sketched pro-Palestine messages in chalk on the sidewalk as scattered groups of officers with Metropolitan Police Department circled the park.

Officials with the MPD, which operates within the Washington metro area, rejected requests from the university to clear the encampment Friday morning, fearing the optics of a clash with peaceful protesters less than a mile from the White House, the Washington Post reported .

"There is clearly a lot of pressure from the university and the university police for us to leave, because we're being disruptive. And we're being disruptive because there cannot be business as usual during a genocide," said Miriam Siegel, a 19-year-old sophomore at Georgetown University who said she joined the encampment Thursday at around 5 a.m. when tents first went up in the square.

At the center of the square, a Palestinian flag propped up by an orange security cone sat atop a tangled pile of security barriers. According to local news reports , student protesters pushed through a police barrier set up on one side of the park Sunday night.

"We have seen some police aggression," Siegel said. "We know that the cops aren't here to keep us safe. We're here to keep each other safe."

− Cybele Mayes-Osterman

Two speakers withdraw from USC graduation programs

Author Pam Zhang and educator Safiya Noble have withdrawn as keynote speakers at the University of Southern California's Rossier’s doctoral and master’s commencement ceremonies. In an open letter to the school, Zhang and Noble criticized USC for failing to conduct good-faith talks with student protesters and for bringing armed LAPD officers onto campus to break up a pro-Palestinian encampment.

The duo also lashed out at USC for canceling a commencement speech by valedictorian Asna Tabassum after pro-Israel groups objected to Tabassum's support for Palestinians on social media. USC later canceled its primary undergraduate commencement, but some satellite ceremonies are taking place.

“To speak at USC in this moment would betray not only our own values, but USC’s too … We cannot overlook the link between recent developments and the ongoing genocide in Palestine,” Zhang and Noble said.

Suspensions, campus bans an option at George Washington

George Washington University officials have notified students that suspensions and campus bans are among the options they'll consider to clear their encampment at University Yard, which they say violates school rules.

“As we approach the end of the academic year, our ability to operate in a way that ensures the academic success and personal well-being of our community becomes even more critical,’’ officials said in an e-mail.

Metropolitan police have been stationed at the protest site in the square, where school activities like festivals are sometimes held. Earlier in the protest, a statue of George Washington at the entrance was draped with a Palestinian flag.

Some students have been bringing food and other supplies, including blankets, to their protesting peers in the tents. Outside the encampment, others brought boxes of pizza and pans of food, including rice and falafel.

Meanwhile, classes are still underway as finals approach. The beating of drums and chanting could be heard in some classrooms.

− Deborah Berry

Police break up 3-day protest at Virginia Tech

Blankets, trash and antiwar placards were all that remained Monday of a pro-Palestinian encampment at Virginia Tech, hours after school officials cited an "increasing potential to become unsafe" and called in police to disband the three-day protest. The school, 260 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., becomes the latest in a growing line of universities to take police action to curb protests of Israel's war in Gaza.

"Through constant dialogue between university officials, the Virginia Tech Police Department and protest organizers, we were able to maintain a safe and peaceful environment through much of the weekend," the school said in a statement, adding that the protest continued to grow. "Given these actions by protesters, the university recognized that the situation had the increasing potential to become unsafe."

The protesters were told to disperse voluntarily and warned that those who remained would be charged with trespassing, the statement said.

"I transferred to Virginia Tech, hoping to find a (supportive) environment, which I did, but unfortunately it has disappointed me over and over and over again," Palestinian student Fatima Hasan told WSET-TV .

Virginia Tech police referred USA TODAY to a school spokesperson who did not immediately respond to a request for information on the number of arrests and other details of the police action.

Pro-Palestinian protesters urge universities to divest from Israel. What does that mean?

What are college protests across the US about?

The  student protesters  opposed to Israel's military attacks in Gaza say they want their schools to stop funneling endowment money to Israeli companies and other businesses, like weapons manufacturers, that profit from the war in Gaza. In addition to divestment, protesters are calling for a cease-fire, and student governments at some colleges have also passed resolutions in recent weeks calling for an end to academic partnerships with Israel. The protesters also want the U.S. to stop supplying funding and weapons to the war effort.

More recently, amnesty for students and professors involved in the protests has become an issue. Protesters want protections amid threats of disciplinary action and termination for those participating in demonstrations that violate campus policy or local laws.

− Claire Thornton

Contributing: Reuters