The SaaS Sales Demo Guide to Close Prospects Quickly

SaaS sales demo guide with a "sold" sign and handshake graphic

Sales demos form a crucial part of the SaaS sales process. 

A great sales demo can be a make-or-break factor in a prospective client’s decision-making process. Perfecting your sales demos can dramatically improve your conversion rate. 

But, what exactly is a Saas sales demo, and how can you make sure yours stand out? 

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about sales demos. We’ll also discuss some of the top sales demo tips out there.

What is a SaaS Sales Demo?

You can use a SaaS sales demo to walk prospects through a software platform you represent or own. The goal of this is to show potential clients the kind of value they can gain from using your platform. 

This is without a doubt one of the most critical steps in the sales process! 

Sales demos are designed to show prospects the core features and functions of the platform. Although, effective sales demos shouldn’t just reveal how the software works. Instead, they should demonstrate how the software can impact your clients’ businesses.

A good sales demo includes case studies, as well as pain points that can be targeted with your software. Prospects who understand how your software can improve their business processes are more likely to purchase your product. 

Who Delivers a Demo?

Sales demos are generally presented by sales reps or account executives. If clients work with any other individuals, like project managers, they might also appear in the sales demo. 

In small businesses and early-stage startups, business founders often present sales demos.

In some cases, businesses will offer pre-recorded sales demos. However, these aren’t as successful as they don’t allow for personalization or building relationships with prospects. This is why 70% of SaaS companies offer live demos.

Why Deliver a Sales Demo

Delivering sales demos is one of the most crucial elements of the SaaS sales process. They’re ultimately what shapes the buying decision of a prospect. 

First of all, sales demos let you show the prospect how your software works, what the interface looks like, and the main features of the software. This is important because it can be tricky to understand the actual functionality of software platforms from a business’s website. 

More importantly, delivering a sales demo lets you display the value your prospect can gain from your software platform. Read this article on ensuring the best sales demo experience with personalized environments to understand the benefits of personalizing these presentations. 

Sales demos also give you a chance to answer any questions the prospect has. You can show, in real time, how your solution solves their needs and alleviates their pain points. 

This helps you to demonstrate the value of your SaaS product more clearly, which is important for increasing your conversion rate. 

Steps to Deliver a Great Demo

A great SaaS sales demo involves much more than just showing someone how your software works. Sales reps need to follow the right strategy, and they need to be equipped with the right sales tools, materials, and tactics.

Here are our top sales demo tips you can use to improve your chances of success. 

Research Your Prospect

The first step to a successful sales demo is to do plenty of research into your sales prospect. The better you understand the prospect and their business, the more personalized and relevant you can make the demo. 

Research the prospect’s business and industry. Understand what their common pain points and issues would be. Learn about how their competition operates, and figure out exactly how they can use your software to optimize their business. 

This will help you display the software in a way that makes the most sense to the prospect. It can also help you find case studies that are relevant to the prospect’s situation.

Confirm the Sales Demo

Simply confirming your sales demo with the prospect is an important step. This ensures the prospect shows up at the demo. 

Reach out to the prospect before the demo to confirm they will be there. If you don’t do this, you might waste precious time and effort preparing for a demo that never happens. 

You can also use this opportunity to ask the prospect if there’s anything specific they would like to find out about your platform during the demo. This will let you prepare more effectively.

Plan Your Sales Demo Before the Meeting

A sales demo should be a slick, well-prepared presentation. Never go into a demo blind! 

Understand the steps you’ll take during the demo, know what features and examples you’ll show the prospect, and be prepared for the topics and value propositions you’ll cover. 

This will make the demo run a whole lot more smoothly. It will also ensure you cover all of the right information and don’t leave anything important out. 

If a prospect can see that you’re organized, they’ll have more reason to trust your business and your product! 

Personalize the Sales Demo

Effective sales demos need to speak to the specific needs of the prospect. Personalizing your sales demo is incredibly important if you want to increase your conversion rates. This is because personalized demos help the prospect understand the value your solution offers. 

Try to use case studies and examples that relate to the prospect’s industry or business model. Always show the prospect how they can use the software, and not just how the software works. 

Set an Agenda for the Demo

You want to make it clear in your sales demo that you understand your prospect’s pain points and that you’re focusing the demo around their needs. A great way to do this is to establish a clear agenda at the start of the demo. 

Run the prospect through a list of the issues that you will discuss, and let them know what kind of value you’ll display to them during the sales demo.

Doing so will keep your demo more organized. It will help you manage your time, and ensure you cover the most important information for the prospect.

Provide Background

If you’re going to close the deal, you’ll need to gain the trust of your prospect. 

Provide some background at the start of the demo that adds legitimacy to your product and business. Take some time to introduce yourself and tell the story about your product. 

Storytelling can be a great way to connect with a prospect and display more value to them. Try to create a narrative around what your business stands for and what values you share with them.

Explain the Product or Service

Of course, a fundamental part of any sales demo is actually explaining the product or service you’re offering. Go into detail about how it works, what features and functions are available, and how the prospect can use these. 

Ideally, this will involve you showing them how to use the software platform in real time.

Use Real Data

Prospects want to know exactly what your product or service can help them achieve. By incorporating real data into your sales demo, the demo will become a lot more compelling and engaging. 

Don’t just say, “This tool can increase your sales.” 

Instead, say, “This client of ours increased sales by 30% in their first month using our tool.” 

Using real data from previous clients, you can create a captivating demo. This will develop more trust with the client, and help them understand the tangible value of your SaaS platform.

Address Prospects Questions

Remember to ask the prospect if they have any questions about your software platform. 

Make sure to cover any specific information the prospect wants to know. Never leave the demo with the prospect lacking information that would help their purchase decision.

Lay Out the Next Steps

Establish what the next steps are to get the prospect signed up and using the software. Once you have displayed the value of your product, your next step should be to close the deal. 

So, try to encourage the prospect to take the next step. Discussing where to go from the sales demo will show your potential customer that you’re future-focused. This demonstrates that past the purchase of the software, your company can continue to add value to their business through great customer service.  

What Tools or Tech Do You Need?

Effective sales demos need the right software tools. First, you’ll need a good sales pipeline tool to stay on top of your leads and manage what stage of the sales journey they’re in. 

You’ll also need some kind of screen sharing and presenting tool to run your demo. While it’s possible to offer a Powerpoint presentation or basic slideshow, this isn’t the most effective approach. Instead, you want a more flexible, interactive sales demo platform to better engage with the prospect.

For a great sales demo, you’ll also need to use the right sales demo platform. With a live demo experience platform like Saleo, you can access important data during each demo call. 

Saleo can personalize your live demo environments in seconds with compelling data customized down to your prospect’s use case. 

Conclusion

If you want to turn more prospects into customers, ensure you make use of the best practices for personalizing sale demos

Hopefully, this article has helped you to understand the value of a great sales demo. Following the tips and tricks above can help you to create compelling and useful demos for all types of prospects! 

With software like Saleo, you can create live sales demos that stand out from the crowd. Request a demo today to boost your conversion rate. What are you waiting for? 

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