When it comes to B2B sales cycles, your product demo is critical. Writing the perfect sales demo script can make all the difference!
There’s a lot to consider when creating your sales demo script. You need to ensure your demo speaks to the right pain points, offers value, and is personalized to your prospect. You also want to make sure the demo is consistent and that you can execute it confidently.
With so many moving parts involved in sales demos, having a well-refined script is vital. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about creating a killer sales demo script.
What is a Sales Demo Script?
A sales demo script is the written outline you follow when presenting a sales demo. The script is used as a prompt while visuals are displayed during the presentation. You can use a script to make sure that your demo covers all of the important messages you need to put across.
Sales scripts exist to help you engage prospects and make sure you cover all of the benefits you want to highlight in the sales demo. Without a good script, your sales demos may be unorganized and confusing.
The right sales demo script will make your demo a lot more convincing and interesting, and provide the prospect with a greater sense of urgency to make a purchase.
Why is a Sales Demo Script So Important?
A sales demo script ensures you tell the right story, and convey the right value, to every prospect.
Sales demos are one of the most critical elements of the sales process. Get it wrong, and there’s a good chance you’ve lost a sale. By carefully scripting your sales demos to cover the right information, your demos will have a greater chance of success.
No matter how well you know your product, there’s always room for error if you’re not prepared. If the demo is purely focused on discussion and questions, your can quickly lose focus and veer off track.
While it’s important to think on your feet during a sales demo, you also want to make sure the demo follows the right structure. This will help you come across as more prepared, more organized, and more confident. This will develop trust and engagement with the prospect.
Remember, your goal for a sales demo is to display as much value as possible to your prospect, to make your product memorable, and to get them excited to purchase it. By following a carefully planned sales demo script, you can make sure that your demo is prepared to cover these essentials.
How Should You Structure A Sales Demo Script?
Using the right structure for your sales demo will help your conversation flow well and follow the right points.
Whatever software you’re selling, here is a general structure you can follow for successful sales demos.
Introduce Yourself
Start by introducing yourself to the prospect and explain why you’re qualified to present the product to them.
Nobody wants to feel like they’re on a call with a salesperson. Instead, they want to feel like they’re being presented with a product by a credible expert in their niche. So, instead of framing yourself as a salesperson, explain why you’re the right person to sell this product to the buyer.
Getting this right will help you establish trust with the prospect and develop a rapport with them.
It is also a good idea to mention any similar businesses to the prospects that you’ve worked with before. This will show that you have experience in their industry and understand their pain points.
Your goal is to establish trust with the prospect straight away.
How to Start a Demo Script with a Hook
To effectively start a demo script with a hook, the key is to immediately capture your audience’s attention. Here’s how you can do it:
- Address a Pain Point: Begin by highlighting a common challenge that your audience is likely facing. For example, “Are you tired of wasting hours on manual data entry only to find errors down the line?”
- Pose a Provocative Question: Engage the listener’s curiosity with a thought-provoking question. For instance, “Have you ever wondered how industry leaders manage to cut their costs by half while doubling their productivity?”
- Share a Shocking Fact or Statistic: Introduce a surprising piece of information to pique interest instantly. Something like, “Did you know that 70% of businesses fail to capitalize on their data insights due to inefficient tools?”
- Present a Compelling Anecdote: Tell a brief, relatable story that sets the stage for your demo. Perhaps, “Just last year, a small startup like yours transformed their workflow entirely by using our solution…”
- Highlight Immediate Benefits: Showcase the immediate advantages of your product. For example, “Imagine saving five hours of work every week starting today.”
Incorporating These Elements
Example Start:
“Imagine spending more time on strategic thinking and less on mundane tasks. Did you know that over 65% of professionals report that automating repetitive tasks has significantly boosted their productivity? That’s exactly what our new software aims to deliver. Today, I’ll walk you through how it can transform your daily operations.”
By combining curiosity, relevance, and immediate value, you create a powerful hook that not only grabs attention but also keeps your audience engaged throughout the demo.
Introduce Your Main Message
What is the one thing you want your prospects to remember once the call is over?
This is should be the main message that your sales demo script focuses on. Be sure to introduce this message at the start of your conversation. You’ll probably want to repeat this message several times during the sales demo to drive the point home.
You can establish your main message by answering this question: how does your product solve the prospect’s main pain point?
Maybe it can save time, help them generate more revenue, or help them reach new customers. Whatever the case, establish the most important thing they would like to get out of your product. Put this message out there to get them excited.
Connect Product Features With Pain Points
Start introducing your product and displaying how it works. To ensure this is successful, don’t just focus on product features. Instead, tie the features of your product to the prospect’s pain points.
When you create your sales demo script, it’s important to list all of the possible pain points the product may have. You’ll get this information from the initial discovery call you have with them, as well as from doing research into their industry.
Now, connect each pain point of theirs with a product feature. This way, you’re not just explaining what your product does, but you’re displaying how it will help solve their problems and provide value to them.
It’s important to emphasize the prospect’s pain points and even remind them about possible problems they may have forgotten about.
The more you can drive home their pain points and challenges, the better you’ll be able to offer your product as a solution that adds value to their lives.
The Big Moment
You’ve explained the value of your product, and now you need the big moment where the prospect realizes how impressive your solution is.
This is when you show, first-hand, how your product can solve the prospect’s problems and what it’s capable of. Until now, you’ve only explained features to them. It’s time to show these features working in real life.
In a software demo, now is when you’ll want to use that software or show a video of it. Reveal how the platform works and what its most impressive function is for their use case.
This is the point in the demo where the prospect envisions themself using your product to help solve their pain points.
How to Effectively Use Visual Aids in a Demo Script
Visual aids can be a powerful tool for making your demo script more engaging and impactful. Here’s how you can utilize them effectively:
Utilize Screenshots
- Highlight Key Features: Use screenshots to focus on the most important elements of your product. Zoom in on critical areas to make sure viewers see every detail.
- Step-by-Step Guidance: Provide a visual walkthrough of processes. For instance, showing each step in setting up an account ensures viewers can follow along easily.
Incorporate Videos
- Demonstrate Functionality: Videos are perfect for showcasing your product in action. Whether it’s a software application or a physical gadget, a video can display its use better than words alone.
- Engage with Real-Life Scenarios: Use real-life scenarios in your videos to show how your product solves everyday problems. This approach helps your audience relate to the product more personally.
Design Infographics
- Simplify Complex Information: Infographics break down complicated data into digestible visuals. For example, use flowcharts to explain a process or pie charts to convey statistics.
- Highlight Benefits Clearly: Use icons and illustrations to draw attention to the primary benefits of your product. A well-crafted infographic can make these points stand out instantly.
Tips for Creating Effective Visual Aids
- Keep it Simple: Avoid clutter in your visuals to keep the focus on what’s important.
- Use Consistent Branding: Make sure your visual aids align with your brand’s color scheme and style.
- Test for Clarity: Review your visuals to ensure they communicate the intended message clearly.
Key Takeaways
By integrating screenshots, videos, and infographics into your demo script, you can ensure that your audience not only understands your product but also finds it memorable and compelling.
Reinforce Your Message
You’re getting to the end of the demo and so far your sales demo script has covered exactly how your product can add value to your prospect’s life.
You might have shared a lot of information, and you can’t be sure that the prospect has fully absorbed it all. This is the point where you recap the value behind your software.
Sure, your platform may have many benefits and it may solve many problems. Establish the most fundamental problem, and focus on this. Reinforce your main message and make sure the prospect fully understands its value.
Close
This is the moment you’ve been building up for – closing the deal.
You’ve done all of this hard work to develop a great sales demo, so you need to make sure you finish the demo strong.
End the sales demo script with a CTA. This could be to ask the prospect to sign up for a month, schedule a call to finalize the paperwork, set up another meeting, or whatever it takes to close the deal.
Never just leave your sales demo without establishing the next step with the prospect. This is how you turn demos into closed deals.
Sales Demo Script Success Tips
We’ve covered the basic structure your sales demo script should follow. However, there’s a lot that can go into this script to make it a success.
When it comes to presenting sales demos, every detail counts. Ensure your presentation is impactful by following these tips and tactics.
1. Research Your Prospect Deeply
This should be the first thing any salesperson learns about putting together a sales demo script. The more you know about your prospect and their industry, the better your chances will be of selling to them.
Make sure you spend enough time researching the prospect’s business, their industry, and how they operate. Understand what potential challenges they face, and know exactly how your product can fit into their lives.
The more you research your prospect, the better equipped you’ll be to answer their questions and personalize the sales demo around their needs. This is essential if you want the demo to be a success.
2. Understand Common Issues
Every product or company is flawed. When outlining your sales demo script, you must know where the possible faults are in your offering so you know how to avoid these, or possibly address them if the issue comes up.
For example, there may be areas of your software product that are known to have glitches or don’t perform as well as other areas. Don’t focus heavily on these in your demo, and know how to address them if the question comes up. You might also have negative reviews around your platform. Always be prepared to address these issues or reviews if the prospect asks about them.
By being prepared for all possible bad scenarios, you’ll be able to present your product in the best way without stumbling when an unwanted question arises.
3. Make Your Demonstrations Failure-Proof
The last thing you want to do is say all the right things during your product demo, only to run into issues when you try to show the prospect how your product works.
When putting together your sales demo script, make sure that you know exactly how to use each feature you talk about. In addition, test these features alongside your demo script before the call.
Having your deal lost due to technical difficulties is preventable! So, make sure you understand and test your presentations every time.
4. Leave Room to Improvise
You know your product well and you have your sales demo script established. This is important, but it’s also important that you know your product well enough to improvise with it.
Understand all of your product features clearly and know exactly how they work. This will help you address any questions that come your way. If the prospect wants to know anything out of the ordinary that you haven’t prepared in your sales demo script, you’ll be able to confidently address this in your demo.
You might also find that new pain points or concerns arise during the demo that you never thought about when creating your sales demo script. If this is the case, you can improvise to show the prospect exactly how useful your product can be for them.
5. Create Scenarios
One of the best tips for creating your sales demo script is to break things down into scenarios the prospect can understand. Instead of focusing purely on one bigger-picture situation, consider splitting the demo into different bite-sized scenarios. These are easier to digest, and they reveal greater versatility in your product.
Create different scenarios that the prospect can relate to that reveal how your platform can be useful. Your goal here should be to tell a story and convince the prospect that your product can add real value to their life.
6. Ask Open Ended Questions
When it comes to emphasizing the main message in your sales demo script, one of the best ways to do this is to ask open-ended questions throughout the demo.
This will help you create a dialogue, get the prospect thinking, and emphasize the point you’re making. Open-ended questions also make your demos more engaging, as the prospects will pay attention to discover the answer.
This will help you stimulate discussion and maintain engagement with the prospect. Remember to set time aside for the prospect to ask questions at the end of each segment or point.
7. Practice Your Script
This may sound obvious, but practicing your sales demo script is essential. This helps you understand how the script comes across and what the best way to deliver it is. It also lets you identify any issues, or areas that may not be completely necessary.
Try to practice the script with another sales rep to get their advice on how well it comes across. Your goal should be to gain real, authentic, honest feedback. Honest feedback is better than realizing your script doesn’t meet the mark during your actual sales demo.
It’s also important to time your demo script and understand exactly how long each section will take. If the demo is delayed or the prospect wants to focus on other questions, this can help you cut out certain sections that might not be necessary.
8. Keep it Short
A great sales demo conveys the most amount of value possible without dragging on. It’s important to keep the sections of your sales demo short and to the point. This will make your demo more engaging, and it will keep the prospect interested.
Nobody wants to join a sales demo only to spend the first fifteen minutes hearing the salesperson introduce themself. While this introduction is critical, you want to keep it succinct
Rather keep your points short and circle back to them, than spend ages trying to explain something that does not captivate the prospect.
9. Ask Questions About the Prospect’s Pain Points
We’ve already mentioned how you should relate your product’s features to the prospects’ pain points in your sales demo. When doing this, it’s a good idea to ask the prospect about their pain points and what they struggle with the most. If you haven’t already established this, it will help you target your demo around the most meaningful areas to focus on.
Each time you bring up a pain point, ask the prospect if it’s something they experience or how it affects them. Then, respond to this by displaying how your product addresses this pain point and adds value.
It’s imperative to personalize your demo. While the demo should stay focused on the same general script outline, you may need to adjust your selling propositions and use cases slightly depending on what the prospect says. This is why understanding your product is so important.
The Role of Customer Success Stories in a Demo Script
Customer success stories play a crucial role in a demo script. These narratives serve as powerful social proof, showcasing real-world applications and benefits of your product. By highlighting how actual customers have achieved success, you build credibility and trust with potential buyers.
Establish Trust and Credibility
Customer success stories demonstrate that your product has delivered tangible results for real users. This helps to position your product as a reliable and effective solution, making prospective clients more likely to trust in your offerings.
Relate to Your Audience
A well-chosen success story will resonate with your target audience, allowing them to see themselves in the customer’s shoes. This personalization makes your demo more relatable and compelling, bridging the gap between abstract features and real-life benefits.
Highlight Key Features and Benefits
Through success stories, you can naturally weave in mentions of specific features and benefits that contributed to the customer’s positive outcome. This contextualizes your product’s capabilities, making it easier for potential buyers to understand how these features can address their own needs.
Showcase Results and ROI
Quantifiable results and ROI (Return on Investment) metrics within customer success stories are especially persuasive. When prospects see concrete data—such as increased sales, improved efficiency, or cost savings—they can better appreciate the value your product delivers.
Build Emotional Connection
Storytelling evokes emotions. By sharing the journey, challenges, and successes of your customers, you create an emotional connection with your audience. This emotional engagement can be a significant factor in swaying their purchasing decision.
In summary, incorporating customer success stories into your demo script is an effective way to build trust, illustrate real-life benefits, and create an emotional connection with your audience. These elements collectively enhance your product’s appeal and improve conversion rates.
Final Thoughts
Your sales demo script is the guiding force behind your demo. Get it right, and you’ll increase the chances of closing the deal.
Ensure you follow the right steps, and speak to your prospects in a way that excites and engages them. If you follow the tips and tricks we laid out above, you’re sure to close more deals!
If you’re looking for a highly personalized demo experience, consider Saleo. Why not request a demo today?
