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How To Prepare a Great Software Demo Presentation in 2024 [With Demo Scripts]

Last week we were at a friend's place for dinner when our friend's 10-year-old daughter appeared from the kitchen wearing her chef's hat and holding a pan with some delicious-looking pudding. She announced, "Look what I have whipped up for you all." And at once, we're all curious! 

Almost all of us asked in unison, "What is it?" She smiled and said, "Why don't you try it yourself?" We all took a spoon and tasted that yummy caramel pudding she had baked for us!

That's what a demo presenter is an expert in —-- to create a great demo experience for their potential client. 

In fact, the famous Pepsi Challenge campaign gained its popularity because the brand asked the same question to its audience. 

In the 1970s, Pepsi grew tired of being the second best to Coca Cola which dominated the soft drink industry at that time. To create a stir, Pepsi took to the shopping malls in America and asked the customers: Why don't you try it yourself? Shoppers were encouraged to taste both Colas, and Pepsi was preferred. The Pepsi Challenge became popular and has been in Pepsi's ongoing marketing campaign for years. 

Software companies can create a similar buzz with their product demos. This article will discuss the different aspects of a great software demo presentation. Plus, there are some free script templates for those who can hang around till the end. 😉 

What is a Software Demo Presentation?

A software demo or demonstration is a visual walkthrough of the software. Sales reps, solution engineers, and AEs heavily depend on product demos to show the product in action to their customers to engage, attract, and persuade them. A software product demonstration includes a complete rundown of its features, selling points, and how it solves the customers' pain points. 

The Anatomy of an Effective Software Demo Presentation

Now that we know what a software demo is, let’s understand the key ingredients of a software demo presentation. 

An Interesting Opening

Start your demo with something that sparks the viewer’s interest. It might be a fun welcome message, an interesting stat tying to their pain point, a success story of one of your customers with a similar problem, an image, or a video. 

Relevance to Audience and Their Problem

Before you start creating a software demo, understand the purpose of your demo. If the purpose of the demo is to solve a customer problem, understand the problem you're trying to solve. Once this is created, you can better focus on your demo. 

A Narrative that Ties Back to the Pain Point

Once you have gathered all the information, map the painpoints with your product features and how they ease your prospect’s painpoint. To maintain viewer engagement with your demo, don't just focus on guiding them through your product. Create a compelling narrative that ties back to the pain points. 

A Strong Demo Script

To build an effective software demo, you need a strong demo script where you can weave in a storyline that engages the customer. For example, a story that starts with a problem and then tells the solution and the product's benefits works best for a demo script.  

Product in Action

Of course, people want to see how your product works, but they also want to see and understand the step-by-step process of which button to click and how to make the most use of each feature button. So pay attention to breaking down the process in a small step-by-step guide. 

Engaging Visuals

Don't make your demo presentation too boring. Add visual elements like attractive title screens, icons, characters, and transitions to make the demo appealing. 

A Clear Call to Action

Your demo presentation should be tied back to the purpose of your demo creation through a strong call to action or CTA. For example, if your purpose is to drive more sign-ups for a free trial, your CTA should say, "Sign up and enjoy a free trial”!  

Track Engagement

Examine the analytics like when the demo was viewed, which screen had the longest and shortest view time, who all have viewed the demo, etc., so your sales team can follow up with the prospect. 

Secondary CTA

Some viewers might not reach the end of the demo. Encourage them to take action by placing a secondary CTA in the middle of the demo. 

What Not To Include in a Software Demo 

No matter how great your software is, if it's not presented well, it will fail to pique the interest of the decision-makers. In this section, you will learn where most sales reps go wrong so that you can learn from their mistakes.  

Curse of Knowledge - The Cognitive Bias

Most demo presenters don't visually emphasize the mouse pointer on the screen and help us see what they're doing on the screen. This happens from the curse of knowledge or cognitive bias that arises when you have used any tool for a considerable period. As a result, the sales rep assumes the software is easy for everyone unless someone points it out. 

How to solve it: Make sure to zoom in on where you're clicking so that everyone can see what you're doing. Highlight and mark important areas in the software so that everyone can see and understand easily. Zoomit.exe is a free tool that you can use for zooming and highlighting. 

Overloading with Features

Your prospective client doesn't want to listen to all the features of your product and how incredible they are. They are only interested in how those features can solve their problem.  

How to solve it: Highlight the features that will be useful for them. Remember to prioritize value over functionality. 

Sticking to the Script

It's always advisable to create a demo script and prepare and rehearse well before going for a demo presentation. But it may look awkward if the prospect asks you any question in between, but you draw a blank simply because it’s not in your script.

How to solve it: Learn to be flexible in using the script. For example, if the prospect is asking some questions, pause and take a moment to respond to the question. 

A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Software Demo Presentation

While you need to think and act quickly on the field while presenting a demo, it’s always helpful to think ahead and structure your demo to keep it under your control. It helps you stay prepared, feel confident, and have a structured flow to your demo presentation. 

Introduce Yourself

The main purpose of introducing yourself is to warm up with the prospect. Once you introduce yourself, give a brief context to your demo. Here’s an example as shared by  Alexander Mackinlay of Qobra: 

“I had planned 45 mins for our meeting today. Is that still okay for you? Do you have a hard stop afterward? What I had in mind for us today:

•  We'll start with a recap of what we discussed last time so that we can readjust if anything has changed.
•  Prospect X and Y *(who were not there at the first meeting)*, this recap will enable you to add your own points of view and to let me know what you are individually expecting from this meeting.
•  I have listed a number of questions I would like to ask you;
•  Then we can move on to the demo;
•  We'll need to keep 20 minutes at the end, where I'd like you to be in a position where 1) either you tell me that you want to move forward with us and we plan a potential next step, 2) you'd prefer that we stop our conversations there.

How does this agenda sound to you?”

Ending the introduction with a question always opens up room for initiating a conversation!

Tie Back the Product Features as the Solution to Their Problem

As we mentioned earlier, don’t stuff your demo with all the features and every little detail your tool has. Instead, focus on the prospect’s pain point and tie back the features as the solution to those pain points. Here’s an example as shared by Gong .  

You: As we discussed last week, it seems that (problem) is one of your major concerns at the moment. Is that right?

Prospect: Yes, that’s right.

You: Great, let’s dive in and allow me to show you how our product can solve your problem. 

Create a WOW Moment

Create a WOW moment that will compel the prospect to remember you and your product. It’s the time for the showmanship and you don't tell but show it to your prospect.

Using an interactive product demo is a great way to create this WOW moment sooner because it lets the prospect try out the tool themselves in a sandbox environment without the intervention of a salesperson.

Here's how Semrush uses Storylane's interactive product tours to showcase their platform👇

Also Read: How Horizon Education eliminated manual sandboxes for product trials with Storylane

Here’s a sample script:

‍ “Now let me show you how you can send emails to your entire email list by clicking this one button.”   

Encourage Them to Ask Questions

Prospects who’re more engaged are more likely to buy. Encourage them to ask questions to ensure they’re still engaged with your demo. Here’s how Gong suggests doing it.  

“I’ll pause here for you to ask questions, if any, before we move on to the next step. 

Is this something you’ll use for [the prospect’s problem]

How do you see you and your team using this tool?”

Next Step and Close

Reiterate the message at the end of the demo presentation and close it with a CTA or the next step. Do you want the prospect to sign up a form, schedule a follow-up meeting, or move into the final stage of signing the deal? Whatever may be your next step, add it to your demo script and communicate it clearly before ending the presentation. Here’s a sample:

"How does this compare to your current process?"

"You previously mentioned one of the things you are looking to solve is X. I just showed you how our platform solves that. On a scale of 1-10, how well do you feel we address your issue?"

Keep the question open-ended and be specific. That will encourage the prospect to speak. Avoid questions like “Do you have any questions?” which will mostly lead to a no, in most cases, especially if the prospect has already lost interest in the product. 

3 Software Demo Presentation Templates

 DEMO START

Recap customer's issues and ask to validate again. Then ask if things have changed or if we missed anything last time. Ask those who were not there prior to this meeting for their challenges and expectations for this meeting. Ask all questions you might need answers to before starting the demo.

DEMO SCRIPT

During the demo, ask validating questions after each feature presentation. 

For example, if the prospect says, “My current pain point is X,” your script should say, “Based on X pain that you mentioned, this is how the feature Y solves it.”

Here’s another example. 

If the customer says, “I’m concerned about data security,” your script should say, 

“Y is a SaaS Cloud-based platform with SOC2 certification. This means that your data is very secure.”

CLOSING THE DEMO

At the end of the demo, don't say, "Do you have any questions?" which will only lead to a "No, that's okay.” Prospects who lose interest during your demo won’t usually tell you what they think unless you ask them. Add a personal touch. You’d better say:

“What about this is most interesting to you?”

“How do you see this helping with [challenge or goal they shared during discovery?”

“Was there anything you were hoping to see on this call that you didn’t?”

“Was there anything you saw on this call that didn't meet your expectations?”

If everything goes as planned, these questions above should then naturally take your prospect to set up the next step around pricing and ROI with decision-makers.

- As shared by Alexander Mackinlay , Qobra

While scripting for a product demo, one of the most important things to highlight in the product demo is what is in store for the end user in the form of a value proposition. Missing the focus on the key benefits and only explaining the features is the biggest demo mistake one does in a product demo. 

The script should be organized in this sequence 

• Pain points your solution solve
• How that problem is solved
• What is the value added to the customer? 

Here’s a sample script template

‍ “In our last meeting, you mentioned how vendor management is one of your biggest concerns at the moment. Our product just solves that! We have built an integrated solution that [ tell how it solves the problem].

 One of our customers has been able to streamline their vendor management by [incorporate the result they have achieved here] and you can do the same”

- As shared by Disha Thakkar, PMM Expert

The first thing to understand is that a software demo is just an opportunity to understand prospects better and show how your software solves their challenges.

The actual software and its functionality - things everyone wants to show is irrelevant. No one can really follow someone quickly jumping from screen to screen demonstrating features (that can't sell) and any questions come only from some past experience with other software.

When you carry on a conversation based on features, it's hard to sell. So here is a sales-oriented software demo scenario below. 

💡Note: You have to insist on more decision makers to be present on the very first demo because usually different people in business have very different ideas about their needs and you can win by catering for different needs.

1/ Ask questions and be inquisitive to understand what is the problem they want to solve.

2/ Ask what they see as a perfect solution

3/ Ask what software they are using currently (used in the past) to achieve that

4/ Ask what is not working or is annoying (chances are that your software does it as well, but at least you know what the person dislikes before showing proudly what your solution can do - you can annoy them that way too)

5/ Only then jump into screen sharing and this is where you have to be innovative and do a demo from the perspective of a solution this person is seeking. It's important to understand that whatever is cool about your software is only interesting from the perspective of solving their challenge and nothing else. Therefore showing features that they don't ask for is nice ... but is not a reason why they will buy. Why? Because your wonderful features often sound as "too good to be true".

6/ You have to show enough that they "buy" the idea and express their feeling that that's what they need. Do not proceed to discuss the pricing until you reach this point in the conversation.

7/ When there are no more questions they have and you answered them all, I recommend asking “if it's OK to talk about money now.”

After a positive response provide a clear, easy-to-follow pricing structure and ask how they wish to proceed. 

If you did 1-6 right at this point any objections are about price and it's hard to object because they just stated they are happy and interested. Then there are special techniques to handle price objections.

- As shared by  Assia Salikhova , Managing Director, Smarketing Lab Limited, author of "7 Keys to Successful Cold Calling" course.

Top 5 Tips to Keep in Mind While Creating a Software Demo Presentation

1. know who you’re presenting to.

Are you presenting to an employee (who's perhaps going to use your tool) or a decision-maker in the company? 

Research and do your homework to learn as much as possible about the person. 

What are their pain points? 

What kind of solution they're looking for? 

Knowing the finer details can help you stay prepared for all meeting scenarios. 

For example, if the person is reserved, you need to prompt them with questions to initiate a conversation. If you get to know the person will ask many questions, come prepared with answers and customer stories to back them up. If the person is a multitasker and attending the demo while working on the phone or laptop, grab their attention by making a bold statement or humor that can grab their attention. 

2. Prepare a Script and Practice

Always prepare a demo script, especially how you will deliver the humor, punch lines, or Twittable sound bites ( a short sentence or phrase in audio or video format that can be Twitted to give an essence of your message) that can grab the audience's attention. 

Once your script is ready, practice and rehearse until you're comfortable delivering the demo. You can practice in front of a peer or a family member. Or, if no one is available, record your demo speech and review the flow by hearing the recording. While you don't need to memorize the whole script, you should know in detail each of the points and be able to speak in a conversational tone. 

3. Support Your Claims with Use Cases

If you have solved a similar problem in the past, begin your demo with the same problem and how your product overcame that problem. Emphasize how the prospect can too achieve a similar outcome. Supporting your claims with a use case makes a strong case for you, and the prospect can better relate to your product. 

4. Customize Your Demo

Not all audiences are the same, so you need to customize your demo accordingly. For example, if you demo a CEO, your demo should be customized with relatable use cases. Highlight the features that will be most relevant to the prospect. 

5. Follow Up

Don't assume they will remember everything once the demo is done. A good practice is to follow up with a thank you note. Share a link to the automated demo so they can see it again internally, share relevant documents and brochures, and give them an actionable next step. 

Elevating Your Software Demo Presentation with Storylane

Storylane is an interactive product demo software that lets you create effective demo presentations. The platform has some advanced features like analytics, personalization tokens, unlimited sharing, auto update of the demo when there is a new release, integration with CRM and Slack and many more. 

Do you know that G2 has recently recognized Storylane as the Demo Automation category leader? Book a demo today to empower your sales teams to perform better.

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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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The Top 7 Tips for Pulling Off a Great Demo Presentation

Demo presentations are a powerful tool for running and growing your business. When done well, a demo presentation allows clients, investors or potential customers to see and feel how things will be better for them if they buy or invest in your company or product. Often generic demo presentations do just the opposite, leaving the meeting participants bored and disinterested. Here are seven tips to pull off a great demo presentation.

What is a demo presentation?

A demo presentation is a visual demonstration of a product or service for current or prospective clients. A great demo presentation will grab your audience’s attention right away by clearly communicating what they care about and by using reliable, high quality video presentation tools.

Step one: determine who you are presenting to 

In order to deliver an effective demo presentation, you must know your audience. Do your homework and find out all you can about your prospects so you can tailor your presentation to them and be prepared for different meeting scenarios. This is vital in deciding how you’re going to best convey everything you need to get across in your presentation and what use cases you will share that directly relates to them. Here are four common types of meeting participants and how best to deal with them. 

The Wallflower

Do you know the person you’re presenting to is reserved? The wallflower may need you to prompt them with questions or ask them for their input to really spark a conversation. Having an open dialog with meeting participants will help you connect with them and personalize the presentation. As you continue your software demo, refer back to the participants’ contributions to continue to make them feel included in the presentation.

The Questioner

If you anticipate your audience asking a lot of questions, come ready with answers and customer examples to help back you up. If the questions are not adding value to the demo presentation or become too disruptive, politely ask the audience to hold questions until the end of the presentation.

The Combative

Going in knowing it’s going to be a tough sell? Do all your research beforehand and anticipate what their push back might be. No matter what, don’t get flustered during your demo presentation. When the audience senses your frustration, it’s likely to be a distraction, and it will not result in a positive outcome. Always remain professional throughout your presentation no matter how your audience behaves. If necessary, ask the audience members to hold questions and comments until the end of the meeting. 

The Multitasker 

Presenting to people who are using their phone or laptop during your demo? In order to grab their attention, start your presentation with a bold statement, humor or question. Continue to engage your audience by making your presentation interactive and relatable to pull them away from their devices. 

Three types of product demos

Pitching in your office.

This is the ideal place to host your presentation because you have home-court advantage. The Florida State football team won 37 games in a row at home for a reason: it’s an advantage. When presenting in your own office you get to use presentation tools that you’re comfortable with, limit distractions, control the environment and set the tone for the presentation. 

Pitching in their office

When you are presenting in an unfamiliar environment, it’s important to know which presentation tools are available so you can prepare in advance. Arrive early to the meeting to get set up, familiarize yourself with their presentation tools and practice a run-through of your demo to make sure everything runs smoothly. Also, arriving early gives you the opportunity to meet and connect with some of the people in the audience to help tailor your demo and customer stories to their experiences. 

Pitching remote

In order to save time and travel cost, doing a demo presentation over a video conference call is a great option. Make sure you use a high-quality, easy-to-use video conferencing solution. Don’t give off the wrong first impression by having a poor connection or pixelated video. Lifesize’s video conferencing technology will help you put your best foot forward to really wow clients with stunning 4K video quality and full motion 4K presentation sharing. 

Three ways sales demos can go seriously wrong

Confidential messages get shared on screen.

We’ve all been in meetings where the presenter’s private work and personal messages start popping up on screen and disrupting the meeting. To save yourself embarrassment and major distractions during your presentation, make sure you only share what is relevant to your demo.  Silence all notifications on your laptop and other smart devices before the start of your presentation.

Your video software flakes out

Technical snafus in the middle of a presentation is one of the most common ways demos go wrong. This not only looks bad for you and your company, but it has the potential to completely derail the entire presentation. Make sure you use a reliable video conferencing solution and test it out before the start of the presentation. Sometimes issues are outside your control, like a bad internet connection, so have a backup plan for your demo presentation.

Directly reading your notes or slides

Nothing is less engaging than a presenter directly reading from their notes or slides during a demo. Bring notes just in case you need to refer to them, but don’t directly read your notes or slides during your presentation. Your slides should contain just a few words or short sentences to set the tone of the topic you’re discussing but ovoid cluttering your slides with wordy paragraphs.  Practice your pitch until you can consistently and comfortably talk about your new product without reading from your slides or notes.

Seven tips for a winning demo presentation 

1. prepare a script.

Start off by preparing a presentation outline or script that follows a logical flow. Keep each section short, precise and easy to understand. If possible, try to work in bold statements, humor or simple tweet-able soundbites to really capture the audience’s attention. 

2. Practice and rehearse

Since you will not be directly reading your script during your presentation, practice memorizing and saying your script until you’re comfortable with it. You do not have to memorize your script verbatim, but you will need to be familiar enough with it that you can speak about each point in a conversational tone. Presenting to coworkers or family members is a great way to practice your demo and you can also record your demo presentation  to review the content and get comfortable with the flow.  

3. Anticipate questions

Each audience member will come to your presentation with different experiences and backgrounds so be prepared for a variety of questions. Try to anticipate possible questions and how you will respond to each one. When practicing your demo for coworkers or family members, ask them to help you come up with an exhaustive list of all the different questions that may be asked during your presentation.  

4. Tailor for specific audiences

Every audience is different, and your demo presentation should be too. The presentation should be built specifically for the prospect to reflect their unique business processes and include data that directly relates to their company. In addition, you should tailor how you conduct your presentation for each audience as well. An effective demo presentation for an HR manager may not go over as well for a CEO. Some prospects may be more interested in the details and appreciate graphs and diagrams while others may get more out of watching a video or live demonstration. Research the company and decision makers you are presenting to and find ways to make your demo engaging for them.

5. Provide use cases

One of the best ways to make your demo presentation relatable to your audience is to find examples of customers similar to them that have successfully used your product or service. Start with the pain points your customer was facing and give specific details of how your product or service solved those issues. Demonstrate how your audience can have the same positive outcome as the customers in your use cases. 

6. Have reliable video conferencing

Even if most of your audience is in the same room as you, video conferencing enables remote participants to get access to critical nonverbal communication elements. For virtual attendees, the quality of your video service will set the tone for your presentation. Partner with a solution that makes it easy for remote participants to join the demo presentation without having to download an app or install software.

7. Share slides & follow up

After you’ve completed the demo keep the conversation going by sharing your slide deck and following up with your audience. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that, if they heard a pitch once, they understand it. Chances are they didn’t get it all the first time so you must tell them again. In your follow up message, thank the audience for their time, reinforce the value your product or service can provide them and give them an actionable next step.

“Presentation time with potential clients is a precious and limited commodity so it’s important to make the most of it.  The more details you know about your prospects before the meeting, the better you can tailor your sales demo to speak to them as individuals. A generic presentation won’t stir up an emotional response.”

— Jeremy Wycherly, Senior Director, Inside Sales at Lifesize

How Lifesize demos products

Face to face.

To save time and travel costs, a face-to-face video conference call is a great option for demo presentations. The human element of face-to-face communication provides a more natural experience and helps you connect with the audience. Lifesize video and audio clarity makes you feel like you are in the same room as your audience and lets you present your business in the best light and make an unrivaled first impression.

Wireless screen sharing

From sharing your laptop screen to playing full-motion videos, Lifesize Share™  makes it remarkably easy to wirelessly present in the meeting room. You don’t have to waste time trying to find and pass along the right dongle or cord. Share your screen in real-time, play a video and control your presentation right from your mobile device or laptop with Lifesize Share.  

Full motion content sharing

No one enjoys sitting through a presentation with pixelated and poor-quality video. Lifesize’s 4K full-motion content sharing ensures that the quality and fine details of the product or service you’re demoing are maintained during your presentation. Prospects feel more confident purchasing a product or service when the presentation visuals are crisp, clear and realistic. The unmatched Lifesize full-motion 4K content sharing and stunning 4K video quality brings your demos to life.

You can have a great product or service but if your demo is not winning your audience’s attention, then you’ve wasted their time and yours. As you gain experience and become more confident doing demo presentations, you will soon approach them as an exciting opportunity to win new business rather than a daunting challenge. Communicating clearly, focusing on the things your audience cares about and using reliable, high quality video presentation tools will greatly improve your chances of closing the deal. Don’t give off the wrong first impression by having a poor connection or pixelated video. Lifesize video conferencing technology helps you put your best foot forward to really wow potential clients with stunning 4K video quality and ultra-high definition full motion content sharing.

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Improving the Video Conferencing Experience in the Era of Remote Work

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past six months, it’s clear that remote work and distributed teams are here to stay, even after the pandemic recedes. While some workers will gradually find their way back to in-person (office or otherwise) workplace settings, this is just the on-ramp to the highway of working from anywhere for many others.

Home Blog Business How to Create a Demo Presentation

How to Create a Demo Presentation

Presenting a brand-new product or service to an audience can be done in two formats: highlighting its market value or focusing on the technical elements that make it an attractive offer. Today we will cover the second option, commonly known as a demo presentation.

Get to know which slides you should include in your demo presentation, recommended PPT templates, the difference with a product presentation, and much more.

Table of Contents

What is a Demo Presentation?

Differences between a demo presentation and a product presentation, elements of a demo presentation, advantages of demo presentations for software app launches, how to create a demo presentation slide deck, recommended product demo powerpoint templates, final words.

We refer to a demo presentation as a structured demonstration of a product or service, typically in the software industry, showcasing its features, functionality, and value to a specific audience. Unlike other theoretical experiences or generalist overviews, a demo presentation is a hands-on format, including live demonstrations or interactive features, allowing potential customers, investors, or stakeholders to see the product in action.

Sometimes, the terms demo and product presentation are used interchangeably, but in fact, they are different presentation styles. A product presentation focus is broader, covering the overall concept, market positioning, and product benefits. It is marketing-oriented, highlighting why the product is necessary and competitive rather than exposing how the product or service works. Therefore, we can say that demo presentations are more technical.

In terms of audience engagement , a product presentation is delivered at large conferences, live worldwide events (i.e., Apple product releases), or investor meetings, and the goal is to generate interest and excitement about the product. Storytelling and visual communication are key in product presentations as they become the tools to secure interest. Demo presentations, on the other hand, are delivered in more intimate settings, such as client meetings, training sessions, sales pitches, etc. Since they require active engagement from the audience, the venue selected for this kind of presentation has to be better equipped, and the presenter has to keep an active role in moderating questions or requests to see specific features in action.

Although some presenters opt to engage directly in the software demo presentation, we highly recommend following this structure to secure the success of your upcoming demo presentation.

Introduction Slide

Briefly introduce the product, the team behind it, and the purpose of the demo. Set the stage for what the audience can expect.

• Problem Statement

Clearly define the problem that the product addresses. This helps the audience understand the context and relevance of the product.

• Product Overview

This involves a high-level product overview, clearly exposing its main features, benefits, and why it differs from potential market alternatives.

• Live Demonstration

This is the core aspect of your presentation, especially if we talk about a software demonstration. It involves a great deal of logistics, as presenters must ensure the live version of their product/service is fully functional for the features they intend to present (if they deliver an MVP presentation, for instance). Troubleshooting protocols have to be clearly laid out in case of an outage in the live demonstration or in addressing questions from the audience about features that won’t be shown at this stage.

• Interactive Q&A

Unlike other Q&A sessions, the software demos the audience tends to request to see specific features. For that reason, you must clearly state which features are available in the current version you are introducing in your presentation. 

Another approach to the Q&A session is to get feedback from the audience, which can be done orally or by providing a form in which attendees can write their opinions online.

When deciding how to end a presentation for a software demo, you should summarize the key points of your talk, reiterate the product’s value, and indicate the next steps to acquire the product/service or a call to action slide .

We summarized all that’s required for an effective demo presentation in this infographic below.

Demo presentations actively engage the audience by showcasing the product in action, making capturing their attention and interest easier.

Demonstrating the product helps clarify its functionalities and benefits, reduce misunderstandings, and help the audience see its value.

Immediate Feedback

Real-time demonstrations allow for immediate feedback and questions, enabling the presenter to address concerns on the spot and adjust the presentation based on the audience’s reactions.

Credibility

A well-executed demo presentation can build credibility and trust. Seeing the product work in real-time reassures the audience that it is functional and reliable.

Demonstrating the product’s capabilities and benefits in real-time can be more persuasive than static presentations or descriptions, making it easier to convince potential customers or investors of its value.

Memorability

Interactive presentations are more memorable, increasing the likelihood that the audience will remember the product and its benefits long after the presentation.

The first step in creating your demo presentation, even before considering the slide layout, is defining its objectives. What do you intend to achieve with this presentation? Is it for securing investors, closing a sale, or educating users? Answering these questions will help you to tailor the outline of your presentation.

Outline Creation

Include the key sections and points you want to cover in your demo presentation. This will help you organize your thoughts and work with a logical flow when introducing ideas. As we mentioned above, the ideal structure should be:

• Introduction

You can use AI tools like ChatGPT for presentations to help you organize your thoughts and craft a quality outline. 

Creating the Slides

Before starting this step, consider which medium you will use for your live demo. Will it be a video showcasing the process? Is it going to be an MVP version set in a live server? The aesthetics of your product will determine the color palette to be used in your slide deck. 

As a general rule, select three colors: a main color, which should be easy on the eyes for avoiding eyesight strain when looking at the slides, an accent color to highlight sections, and a powerful color for CTAs.

Use the 10-20-30 rule of presentations to define the number of slides needed and the text size for your slides. Alternatively, you can check our article on calculating how many slides for a presentation to help you structure your content. 

Write a script for your demo so you won’t be distracted by the audience when presenting your product’s different features. This script has to be synced with the slides, so practice until you feel comfortable with the flow, allowing 1-2 minutes per section for any last-minute question.

Test your live demo at your presentation’s venue to pinpoint any technical issues. As we mentioned before, it is a must to count on a backup plan, like having a spare server in the cloud, so you can deliver your presentation even if the original plan isn’t working.

In this section, we will cover a selection of Product Demo PowerPoint templates to speed up your design process. Keep in mind that these products are both PowerPoint Templates and Google Slides Templates .

1. Product Demo Presentation Laptop PPT Template

Before you ask what a software presentation is and how I can make one, check this PPT template with a high-end laptop mockup in place, which is ideal for introducing your product in style.

Four slides in an attractive color scheme, with vibrant CTA buttons. Check it out!

Use This Template

2. Smart Wearable Demo Presentation PowerPoint Template

Companies releasing apps for smartwatches or VR can get the benefits of this high-quality tech-inspired slide deck. Seven slides with vector illustrations of different wearables, which can be mix and matched with other PPT templates.

3. Company Software Demo PowerPoint & Google Slides Template

The perfect solution for a software demonstration presentation that has vibrant graphics paired with a clean layout. Presenters can edit the color scheme to meet the requirements of their software demo interface as well as branding identity.

4. Startup Software Demo Presentation

For a sleek and professional-looking presentation aesthetic, work with this slide deck intended for startup companies. We list 19 slides, among which you can find tools for presenting your business model, opportunities, and other relevant slides for both demo and product presentations.

Effective demo presentations require careful planning, clear objectives, and a deep understanding of the audience. Remember to focus on your product’s practical application, demonstrate its key features and functionalities, and encourage interaction and feedback from your audience. With preparation and practice, you can deliver a demo presentation that leaves a lasting impression and drives your desired outcomes.

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What is a Product Demo and Why is it Important?

What is a product demo?

A product demo is a live or recorded presentation showcasing the core features, capabilities, and value of a product to a prospective or current customer. Its primary purpose is to demonstrate how the product can solve the customer's problems and ultimately drive a purchase decision.

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 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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Ready to transform sales?

What is a Product Demonstration - Types, Benefits, Tips

Table of Contents

Product demonstrations are the heartbeat of SaaS sales. They bridge the gap between product features and customer needs, turning curiosity into conviction.

Whether you're a startup or an established player, mastering the art of product demos can significantly boost your conversion rates and accelerate growth.

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about crafting compelling product demonstrations that resonate with your audience and drive results.

What is a Product Demonstration?

A product demonstration is a focused presentation that showcases a product's key features, benefits, and applications. It's a vital tool in sales and marketing, designed to:

• Highlight the product's value
• Illustrate its practical uses
• Address potential customer needs

Product demos can take various forms:

• Live presentations
• Interactive product demos
• Pre-recorded videos

The primary goal is to give potential customers a clear understanding of how the product works and why it's worth their investment. Whether it's software, hardware, or a service, a well-executed demo can significantly influence purchasing decisions.

Modern, effective product demonstrations go beyond mere descriptions. They provide hands-on experiences or visual representations that allow the audience to envision how the product could solve their specific problems or improve their processes.

Benefits of Conducting Product Demonstrations

Let's take a detailed look at the benefits of product demonstrations and why you should focus on creating the perfect product demos:

1. Accelerates sales processes

Product demonstrations serve as a powerful catalyst in the sales process, significantly accelerating the journey from initial interest to final purchase.  

By providing potential customers with a hands-on experience, demos offer a clear and concise understanding of the product's value proposition.

This direct interaction allows customers to quickly grasp how the product addresses their specific needs, leading to faster decision-making. As a result, the sales cycle is streamlined, potentially boosting overall sales figures and improving the efficiency of the entire sales funnel.

2. Proves product effectiveness

The importance of product demos for SaaS companies [lies in] building a strong market. SaaS companies create new markets, addressing a need no one had thought of before. But [first], they have to persuade people to solve an outdated issue with a new approach. With a product demo, you can clearly explain why your innovation boosts the status quo and encourage potential buyers to adopt new behaviors. - Stella Cooper, CEO at PaydayLoansUK.

One of the most compelling aspects of product demonstrations is their ability to prove a product's effectiveness in real time. Unlike marketing materials or sales pitches, demos provide tangible evidence of a product's capabilities and performance. This firsthand experience builds customer confidence in both the product and the brand behind it.

By showcasing how the product solves real-world problems or enhances existing processes, demonstrations move beyond mere claims, offering concrete proof of value. This visual and interactive validation can be particularly powerful in industries where reliability and performance are crucial factors in purchasing decisions.

3. Gathers direct feedback

A product demo also allows you to learn more about your target market. Requesting a product demonstration is a strong buying signal. Therefore, those who take the time to listen to a product demo reflect the characteristics of your ideal customers. Demos enable you to understand their needs and difficulties better. You can then use this learning to aid you in converting more sales in the future. - Sean O’Neal, President at Onclusive.

Product demonstrations also offer an invaluable opportunity for direct customer feedback. During a demo, potential buyers can ask questions, raise concerns, and provide immediate reactions to the product's features and functionality.

This real-time interaction creates a goldmine of insights for product development teams. By identifying common pain points, areas of interest, or potential improvements, companies can refine their offerings to better meet market demands. Moreover, this two-way communication fosters stronger relationships with customers, showing that the company values their input and is committed to meeting their needs.

4. Creates a sense of ownership

A well-executed product demonstration can create a powerful sense of ownership among potential customers. By allowing users to interact with the product in a meaningful way, demos serve as a risk-free trial experience. This hands-on approach helps customers envision how the product would fit into their own workflows or solve their specific challenges.

As customers engage with the product, they become more invested in its potential benefits, which can significantly reduce perceived risks associated with the purchase. This psychological ownership can be a key factor in overcoming objections and nudging customers toward a positive buying decision.

5. Reinforces brand identity

Beyond showcasing the product itself, product demonstrations provide an excellent platform for reinforcing brand identity. The style, language, and overall presentation of a demo can be tailored to reflect the company's unique personality and values. This cohesive brand experience helps create a lasting impression on potential customers, improving brand recall and differentiation in a crowded marketplace.

By aligning the demo with the company's broader mission and ethos, businesses can create a more emotional connection with their audience, moving beyond feature comparisons to establish a deeper brand relationship.

6. Addresses specific customer needs

During the product demo, you will have the opportunity to listen to the customer’s specific requirements and demonstrate how your product will meet these needs and make their jobs easier. Being able to show how your product can assist them can significantly impact their purchasing decision. - Sean O’Neal, President at Onclusive.

One of the key strengths of product demonstrations is their adaptability to specific customer needs. Unlike generic marketing materials, demos can be customized to address the unique requirements of different industries, company sizes, or use cases. This tailored approach ensures that the demonstration remains relevant and engaging for each audience.

In fact, 40% of buyers prefer personalized product demonstrations to make software purchase decisions.  

By highlighting features and benefits that directly align with a customer's pain points, demos can clearly illustrate how the product fits into existing workflows or integrates with current systems. This level of customization not only improves the effectiveness of the presentation but also shows potential customers that the company understands and values their specific needs.

The Impact of Product Demonstrations on Conversion Rates

Product demonstrations play a crucial role in the success of SaaS businesses. A well-crafted demo can significantly boost your sales team's performance and directly impact your bottom line.

Consider this scenario:

An average SaaS company might conduct 6-10 demos per week. Let's say their product has an annual contract value of $25,000. If their demo-to-sale conversion rate is on the lower end at 25%, they could be generating around $2 million in annual sales. However, if they improve their conversion rate to 40%, that same number of demos could result in $3.2 million in annual sales.

This example illustrates the potential impact of effective product demonstrations. By improving your demo strategy, you could potentially increase your revenue by over $1 million annually without increasing the number of demos conducted.

Factors that can influence demo effectiveness include:

• Tailoring the demo to the specific needs of each prospect
• Clearly highlighting the product's value proposition
• Addressing common pain points
• Providing an engaging and interactive experience

Remember, a great product demonstration isn't just about showcasing features. It's about demonstrating how your solution can solve real problems for your potential customers.

By focusing on creating impactful demos, you can significantly improve your conversion rates, boost your sales, and drive the growth of your SaaS business.

Types of Product Demonstrations in SaaS

Now, let's dive right into the different types of SaaS demos you can create to delight your prospects and convert them effortlessly.

1. Product Demo Videos

Product demo videos are visual tools that showcase a SaaS product's functionality and key features. These videos play a crucial role in customer acquisition by educating potential clients about the product's capabilities and benefits.

Effective product demo videos typically:

• Run 2-5 minutes long
• Focus on core functionalities
• Use high-quality visuals and clear narration
• Demonstrate problem-solving capabilities
• Can be customized for different audiences

Common uses include:

• Website and product pages
• Landing pages
• Social media and email marketing
• Paid advertising

The main goals are to:

• Capture viewer attention
• Highlight unique selling points
• Provide a clear call-to-action (e.g., sign up for a trial, schedule a demo)

By offering a visual explanation of the product, these videos can effectively communicate value, build trust, and move prospects through the sales funnel.

Here's an example of a great product demo video by Linear -

2. Live Product Demos from a Sales Team

Live product demonstrations offer a personalized approach to showcasing SaaS solutions. Conducted by sales representatives, these demos provide direct interaction with potential customers.

Key features:

• Real-time presentation of product functionality
• Tailored to specific customer needs and questions
• Can be delivered in-person or via video conferencing
• Suitable for both one-on-one sessions and group webinars
• Highly engaging and interactive
• Allows for immediate addressing of customer concerns
• Demonstrates how the product solves specific customer problems
• Provides opportunity for relationship-building

Live demos are particularly effective for:

• Complex products requiring detailed explanation
• High-value deals needing personalized attention
• Generating qualified leads
• Moving prospects closer to purchase decisions

By offering a personalized experience, live demos help sales teams showcase product value, build trust, and close deals more effectively. They allow for dynamic presentations that can adapt in real-time to customer interests and questions.

3. Interactive Demo

Interactive product demos offer potential customers an immersive, hands-on experience of the product during the entire buying and enablement journey — including discovery , purchase, and adoption.

Typically guided by pre-programmed steps, an interactive product demonstration guides users through key features or persona-based benefits for your product – helping visually guide viewers in a step-by-step, engaging way. Best of all, viewers don't need to download or have access to your tool (or be a customer) to learn about these features. No paywall, no subscription, no endless discovery calls before getting hands-on with the product.

• Pre-programmed, step-by-step guidance
• Highlight key features and persona-based benefits
• Accessible without product installation or user accounts
• Customizable for different user journeys
• Engages users actively in the discovery process
• Accelerates the buying decision
• Reduces friction in the sales process
• Allows prospects to experience the product firsthand

Applications:

• Pre-sales exploration
• Self-service product discovery
• Customer onboarding
• Feature adoption

Here’s an example of an interactive product demo which guides you through the features of Lemlist .

Interactive demos bridge the gap between marketing materials and the actual product experience. They empower potential customers to explore the product at their own pace, fostering a deeper understanding and connection with the solution.

Which Type of Product Demonstration Should You Use?

Choosing the right product demo depends on your SaaS business model and product characteristics. Several factors influence this decision, with your growth strategy being a key consideration.

Sales-led vs. Product-led Growth

For product-led growth companies, the product itself is the main marketing tool. These businesses often prefer interactive in-app demos. This approach allows potential customers to engage directly with the product, experiencing its value firsthand. Interactive demos can effectively showcase the product's features and benefits without requiring a full commitment from the user.

On the other hand, sales-led companies typically benefit more from sales demo videos. These videos are designed to optimize the sales process by presenting the product's key features and benefits in an engaging, visual format. They can be easily shared with potential customers and used to support sales conversations, making them an ideal tool for businesses that rely on a more traditional sales approach.

However, the choice isn't always black and white. Many successful SaaS companies use a mix of demo types to cater to different stages of the customer journey and various customer preferences. The key is to understand your target audience and choose the demo type that best addresses their needs and concerns.

Consider factors like your product's complexity, your target market's preferences, and your sales cycle length when deciding on the most effective demo type. Remember, the goal is to provide potential customers with the information they need in the most engaging and accessible way possible.

High-touch vs. Low-touch Onboarding

Your onboarding approach affects which type of product demo works best for your SaaS business.

Low-touch Onboarding

Low-touch onboarding is all about self-service. It's for customers who like to learn on their own. This approach uses:

• Automated video demos
• Interactive product tours
• Online help guides

These tools let users set up and use the product by themselves. Low-touch works well for simple products or tech-savvy users who don't need much help.

High-touch Onboarding

High-touch onboarding offers personal help. It's used for:

• Complex products
• Enterprise customers
• High-paying clients

This approach often includes:

• Live demos by sales reps
• One-on-one training
• Custom setup plans

High-touch makes sure important customers get all the help they need.

Your choice depends on what you're selling and who's buying. Some businesses use both approaches, offering different levels of help based on customer needs or what they're paying.

The main goal is to help customers start using your product successfully. Pick the approach that best fits your product and customers.

The Complexity of Your Product

B2B SaaS companies rely on their sales model to drive growth, with three main options: self-serve, enterprise, and transactional. The choice depends on Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) and Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC).

It's crucial for sales and marketing teams to align on this model to avoid wasted resources, inconsistent messaging, and missed opportunities. By ensuring everyone understands and operates within the right model for your product and market, you can create a focused and effective growth strategy.

And...how complex your product is plays a big role in choosing the right demo type.

Complex products take longer to learn and need more guidance. For these, live demos might seem good at first, as you can answer questions directly. But they can take too much time and be hard for clients to remember everything.

A better approach for complex products is:

• Creating multiple product demo videos.
• Adding these videos to an online resource center.

This way, users can:

• Find the exact help they need, when they need it.
• Watch videos as many times as they want.
• Learn at their own pace.

Simpler products might do well with:

• Interactive demos
• Short overview videos
• Quick-start guides

The goal is to match your demo style to how much help users need to understand your product.

Remember, the right product demonstration makes it easier for customers to learn and use your product successfully. Furthermore, according to Salesforce, 45% of end users prefer short and easy-to-understand demos.

How to Create an Effective Product Demo?

Crafting a successful product demo requires careful planning and execution. Here's how to approach it:

Match Demo Types to the Buyer's Journey

Different stages of the buyer's journey call for different types of demos. Here's a breakdown:

Remember, the goal is to guide potential customers through the sales funnel. Each demo should be designed to move them to the next stage of their decision-making process.

By aligning your demo type with the buyer's journey, you can:

• Address the right questions at the right time
• Provide relevant information as needed
• Increase engagement and interest
• Improve conversion rates at each stage

Using the Right Tools for Your Product Demo

Once you've decided on the type of demo, it's time to create it. Choosing the right tool is crucial for producing an effective demo. Here are some of our suggestions to help you get started.

For Pre-recorded Demos:

Consider tools like Loom or Screen Studio for simple screen recordings. For more advanced editing, look into software like Camtasia.

For Live Demos:

Popular options include Zoom, Google Meet, or Vimeo for live streaming. Choose based on your needs for interactivity and audience size.

For Interactive Demos:

Supademo is an excellent choice for creating engaging, interactive product tours. It allows you to create guided walkthroughs of your product without coding.

Interactive Demos are Redefining Product Demonstrations As We Know It Across Teams

B2B buying has changed. It's no longer a linear journey where you can get the buyer on a discovery call, book a demo walkthrough, and seal the deal.

Today's buyers demand more than that:

• They want to play around the product before they make a case to get buy-in;
• They want to realize the product's value before they pay for it;
• They want to be confident in their purchase;

To meet this demand for more information up-front, you can no longer depend solely on jargon or static images that lack fidelity or context for the user. While these landing pages yield some basic results, they fall short when it comes to visually demonstrating your product's features or benefits in a captivating way.

And that's where interactive demo software like Supademo can help.

Whether you work in marketing, sales, or customer success, interactive product demos have some amazing benefits to offer. Key highlights include shortening sales cycles, increasing prospect conversions, efficiency gains, and faster product adoption.

While there are hundreds of benefits depending on the use case, here’s a quick visual overview of some of the main benefits:

Get Started with Your First Interactive Product Demonstration

In conclusion, interactive demos help you break down barriers between your product and your buyers and users. By empowering them with the power to discover, adopt, and educate at their own pace, you can build trust, reduce skepticism, and boost engagement.

And, with Supademo, anyone can create beautifully interactive product demos in just a few minutes – for free with no technical expertise required.

Even better, you get more than just recording or creating a demo with Supademo. There are countless features to help trigger and accelerate the Aha! moment for your buyers. So, head over to Supademo to start creating an engaging, interactive demo – it's free!

Create beautifully interactive product demos in minutes.

Start a 14-day free trial, no credit card required.

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What are Product Demos and How to Use Them Effectively: 6 Examples

10 min read

Product demos are a crucial part of the sales process. This is true whether you’re adopting a sales-led or product-led growth approach.

They allow businesses to showcase their products and demonstrate how the product can solve a prospective customer’s problems.

An effective demo can, thus, help you generate leads and close deals.

In this article, we discuss what a product demo is, why they’re important, and how you can create them. We also highlight 6 examples of successful SaaS demos.

• A product demo is a video or interactive presentation that demonstrates a product’s features and benefits.
• There are many different types of product demos in SaaS, but the most common ones are product demo videos, live product demos from a sales team, product tours, interactive demos, and pre-sign-up product demos.
• When creating product demos, it is important to keep them interactive and tailored to the needs of the audience, demonstrate the product’s benefits , and end with a clear call to action.
• To determine the type of product demo you need, you must consider your approach to growth marketing ( sales-led vs. product-led) , the complexity of your product, and your onboarding method (high or low touch).
• An effective product demo can be the difference between a high-performing and a low-performing sales team. It increases your conversion rate which, in turn, boosts your revenue.
• To create a product demo, you’ll first need to decide on the type of demo suitable for that step of the buyer’s journey .
• Next, you’ll need to select a tool for creating the video, plan out your video script, and record.
• You can find good examples of SaaS product demos in Grammarly’s dummy content editor, Airtable’s captivating 2-minute sales video, SurveyMonkey’s template library, and more.
• To learn how Userpilot can help you deliver your product demonstration to the right audience at the right time, book a Userpilot demo today.

What is a product demo?

A product demo or product demonstration is a presentation that demonstrates the value, benefits, and uses of your product or software. Its main objective is to showcase your product’s features and capabilities and position it as an effective solution for your prospective customer.

Types of product demos in SaaS

The primary purpose of a product demonstration is to show value and educate users.

However, there are different product demo types in SaaS, each with its unique purpose. Some of the most common types include:

Product demo videos

A product demo video is a video that demonstrates how a product works and highlights its key features. It is used in the acquisition stage to help businesses educate potential customers about their products and close deals.

These video demonstrations often sit on websites and landing pages or are used in ads to showcase the product, capturing the potential customer’s attention and encouraging them to learn more about the product.

Good demo videos are engaging and easy to understand. They should also contain a clear call to action, such as signing up for a free trial or contacting you for more information.

Live product demos from a sales team

Unlike demo videos, live demonstrations from one of your sales reps are a lot more personal. They are a powerful way to engage a potential customer and show them how your product can solve their problems.

Live demos can be delivered in person, making it particularly useful for complex products. But they can also be delivered one-on-one via video conferencing or to multiple potential customers via webinars.

When properly executed, a live demo can be a great tool for generating leads.

They’re also powerful tools for showcasing how your product meets the customer’s needs and can help you close deals.

Product tours

A product tour is a pre-recorded demo video used to onboard new users. It is typically presented immediately after a user signs up to introduce them to the product’s key features and help them get started with it.

A wonderful addition to an onboarding toolkit, product tours help new users reach activation before they lose interest. They ensure that these new sign-ups know exactly how to extract value from your product.

These tours can be delivered in-app within the product or as a video tour. While in-app tours are more popular, video tours can be very helpful for more complex products with a lot of features.

Good product tours are concise, engaging, and specific to the target audience. When done correctly, they increase user engagement, eliminate friction in product and feature adoption, and reduce customer support costs.

Interactive demos

Interactive demos are a type of product demo that enables users to engage (interact) with the product while learning about it.

They are called “interactive” because customers experience the product’s value in real time as they click through the prompts. As a result, they are more engaging and immersive than your typical product demonstration.

An interactive demo, for example, may give you access to a demo account of the product with some dummy data. Using this demo data, users will experience firsthand how the product’s key functionalities work.

Note, though, that these are different from interactive product tours. Unlike product tours , which are designed for new users, interactive demos are sales and marketing materials used to show prospects the product’s potential.

Pre-sign-up product demonstration

A pre-sign-up product demo is a sales demo that’s presented to potential customers before they sign up for a free trial or purchase a product.

These are increasingly used in SaaS in place of product demo videos to generate leads and interest in a product. Much like a demo video, it can also be used to educate potential customers about a product’s features and benefits.

Pre-sign-up demos are often delivered as interactive, self-guided demos that allow prospective customers to explore the product independently.

Regardless of your chosen product demo type, ensure you keep it interactive and tailored to the needs of the audience. A good demo must also demonstrate your product’s benefits and end with a clear call to action.

Which type of product demo should you use?

Ultimately, your choice of a product demonstration type will depend on your type of SaaS business and your product. Let’s consider how some of these factors may affect your choice.

Sales-led vs. product-led growth

If you’ve taken a product-led approach to growth marketing, you already know that your product is your biggest marketing tool. As a result, product-led SaaS businesses are more likely to use interactive in-app product demos.

This is a no-brainer as interactive demos demonstrate the value of your product by getting the user to engage with it.

If, however, you’ve chosen the sales-led approach to growth marketing, you need a demo video that optimizes your sales process. This makes sales demo videos an ideal option as they make your marketing content more engaging.

High touch vs. low touch onboarding

The low-touch engagement model relies heavily on self-service content and knowledge base resources to help users navigate their customer journey.

For this model, you would need automated video demonstrations to enable customers to onboard themselves and solve their issues.

This is very different from the high-touch onboarding model, which relies on one-on-one assistance with actual humans. This model requires your sales team to personally engage prospective customers and guide them to success .

As a result, high-touch onboarding favors live video demos by a sales rep to ensure your high-ticket clients are well taken care of.

The complexity of your product

A final consideration before selecting a type of demo will be just how complex your product is. Complex products have a longer learning curve and require more thorough guidance to succeed.

Although a live demo might sound appealing here, as it allows you to handle each client personally and answer their questions, it isn’t. The complexity of the product can make this endeavor time-consuming. It may also be difficult for the client to remember everything you discuss.

On the other hand, you can record several product demo videos and add them to your resource center. This resource center will serve as an online learning platform for your users.

Users will, thus, be able to locate any video they need (when they need it) and revisit them as many times as they have to.

The impact of product demos on conversion rates

A great demo is a huge difference-maker when it comes to the success of your SaaS business.

As part of your sales process, a carefully crafted and well-executed demo can be the difference between a high-performing sales team and an underperforming one.

Think of it this way…

According to this extensive survey by David Skok and KBCM Technologies, the average SaaS company has an annual contract value (ACV) of approximately $21,000 and performs between 4 and 11 demos each week.

For most B2B companies, the demo close rate is somewhere between 20% and 50%.

Assuming you conduct 8 demos a week with a conversion rate of 20%, this will amount to ~$1.75 million in sales per year. At a 50% close rate, however, your total sales generated will amount to ~$4.37 million per year.

This is a potential loss of ~$2.62 million in sales due to an underperforming sales process. Thus, by simply using the right demo in your sales pitch, you can significantly shore up your close rate and boost your revenue.

How to create a product demo

Clearly, creating an effective product demo is no easy task. The process for creating a successful demo video that addresses users’ pain points can be divided into two main steps:

Decide which type to use at each step across the buyer’s journey

As earlier noted, there are certain factors you must consider before deciding on the best type of product demonstration for you. Similarly, you’ll need different demo types at different stages of the buyer’s journey.

At the awareness stage, the buyer is still in the discovery process. Here, you can use a short demo video to quickly introduce the potential customer to your product and its benefits in an engaging manner.

At the consideration stage, the buyer is beginning to compare products, so you need to show more depth. Webinars and live demos can help you show potential customers how your product can solve their specific problems.

Finally, at the decision stage, potential customers need a personalized demo that demonstrates exactly how your product can help them achieve their goals. This can be a live demo, a case study, or a targeted recorded demo.

Put simply, the buyer’s journey and your position in the sales cycle determine the ideal demo to move the prospective customer along the funnel.

Use a tool to create your own demo video

Next, it’s time to create your own video. Before you begin, though, you’ll need to decide on the best tool for your chosen demo format.

For example, if you want to pre-record a demo video and share it with prospective customers, you’ll need tools like Loom, Screencastify, or Camtasia to record your screen and edit your videos.

If, however, you’ve opted for a live demo instead, you’ll have to decide between tools like Zoom, Google Meet, Vimeo, and other live-streaming platforms.

Once you settle on a product demo tool ,take the time to plan out what you want to say. Keep in mind that a good product demo video should be short and to the point. It should also show (not tell) viewers how your product benefits them.

Most importantly, it should be engaging, with quality visuals and a good story. Go over your story a few times before you start recording, and make sure to edit for errors.

SaaS interactive demo examples

Let’s now consider some examples of SaaS companies that have incorporated interactive demos into their sales funnel.

Example 1: Loom

Loom abandoned the use of many sales reps in favor of the low-touch onboarding model. For this, Loom uses multiple in-app video demos to show new sign-ups how to complete different tasks.

The videos are bundled together in a resource library that appears immediately after sign-up. They address different use cases of the software and demonstrate how users can use them to address their pain points.

Example 2: Airtable

Airtable’s product demonstration video is a classic in the SaaS space. In this brief 2-minute video, Airtable demonstrates several use cases, taking a broad approach that shows users how they benefit from the product.

To keep viewers engaged as the video progresses, the information Airtable shares becomes even more specific.

Airtable realizes that anyone who views the video for longer than a minute is most likely a qualified lead who wants to learn more. They treat them as such by sharing more specific tactics and features.

Example 3: Zendesk

Zendesk sets you up for success from the moment you view their landing page. One of two primary CTAs invites you to view a demo of the product, even before you sign up.

Once you accept the invite to view a demo, you’re taken through a minor onboarding survey to determine your use case for Zendesk. Then, you’re presented with an interactive tour environment with dummy data.

Depending on your profile and use case, you’ll find varying numbers of product tours, each addressing a unique feature of the Zendesk software.

Example 4: Salesforce

Salesforce designed an entire demo center full of product demo videos to help prospects understand what CRM is and how each of their products works.

The demo center uses a playlist of videos to demonstrate how Salesforce can help a sales team resolve some of their pain points.

Example 5: SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey demos their product by showcasing survey templates across different categories on their website. You can explore each template by clicking on it to see what the survey experience will be like for users.

They also provide a screen selector area so you can view the survey on a PC, tablet, or mobile screen.

Example 6: Grammarly

Immediately after signing up for Grammarly, you’re transported to a demo content editor. The demo editor contains content riddled with errors, with Grammarly immediately highlighting the errors and offering corrections.

Not only does this demonstrate Grammarly’s uses, but it also shows the new user how to get the best out of it.

Product demo videos may require a bit of work and careful planning to create. Once they’re live, though, they’re an effective marketing tool that can supercharge your sales pitch.

Once you’ve prepared your product demo, Userpilot helps you deliver it in-app at the time and place of your choosing. Book a Userpilot demo to learn more.

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How to Deliver the Perfect Product Demo

Updated: December 02, 2021

Published: April 30, 2019

Would you ever buy a product without understanding its purpose or its capabilities?

I'm guessing your answer to this question is a ' no '.

Whether you're purchasing a new television for your apartment or buying a new CRM software for your company, it's imperative to know exactly what you're getting in return for your money.

Online research is a great place to start. But, there's a difference between looking at a page of specs and seeing the product in action. This is where a product demo can fill in the gaps.

What is a product demo?

A product demo is a demonstration of how a product or software works. It's used by salespeople to introduce a product, its functionalities, and its value to potential customers.

The product demo is different from a technical demo . A product demo is used to provide an overview of the product and the value it provides. On the other hand, a technical demo is more interactive and allows the prospect to gets to experience the product or software in a demo or sandbox setting.

Why's a product demo important? It gets the prospect excited about your product. The demo will give them an overview of your solution. Plus, it tells them how they can apply specific features to address their business needs and goals.

Software Demo Tips

• Prepare in advance.
• Set an agenda.
• Include time for initial questions.
• Describe the value propositions.
• Communicate the next steps.

1. Prepare in advance.

Before the product demo, you should know who you're meeting with. You'll want to craft your demo to cater to the specific audience you're addressing. To do this, you should understand your prospect's:

Identify who from the prospect's company will be participating in the product demo and what role they'll play in the decision-making process. How can your demonstration address the questions they might have?

Additionally, you should identify 2-3 value propositions for the prospect. Identify how your product or solution addresses their priorities and helps them reach their goals. These are a few things to consider that will help you prepare the demo and set an agenda.

2. Set an agenda.

Let them know the structure of your presentation. The agenda can be sent in an email to all the demo participants before the meeting.

Hello [Prospect Name],

Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I'm looking forward to meeting with you on Monday, April 15th, from 2:00 to 2:30 PM for a demonstration of [your product]. Here's what we'll be covering during the 30 minutes that we have.

• Introductions and initial questions (5 minutes)
• Product introduction (5 minutes)
• Product specifics and application (10 minutes)
• Q&A and wrap-up (10 minutes)

Please let me know if you have any questions I can address in the meantime.

Kind regards,

[Your Name]

Don't forget to include the amount of time you expect to spend on each section of the demonstration. The last thing you want the prospect to think is that their time is being wasted. Make the most of the short amount of time you have, and ensure the demo caters to the prospects' needs.

3. Include time for initial questions.

Use the first few minutes of your demonstration to ask if the prospect has any questions about how the demo will be run. Then ask some questions of your own.

• "I understand that your goals are X, Y, and Z. Is my understanding correct?"
• "You're facing X challenge with your current software provider. Do you plan to address this challenge the new software you choose?"
• "What's the selection criteria for the next software/solution you choose?"

Asking questions like these will help you identify if there's anything you missed in your research. You'll address the prospect's questions throughout the demonstration and you might even be able to identify another value proposition.

4. Describe the value propositions.

Once you provide a broad overview of the product, dive into the value adds the prospect will see from using the product. This is where you can address the goals and challenges they're facing, and dig into the specific tools, features, and functions that apply to them.

For example, you could say, "You mentioned that X was a priority. Here's how Y tool/functionality can help you address this and impact Z result/metric." Then explain in further detail the value the specific functionality will provide to the prospect.

5. Communicate the next steps.

At the end of your product demo, include some time for any last minute questions the prospect might have. If there's something you aren't able to cover during the demonstration, send a recap email to set up another meeting. And include details about what you covered during the meeting to ensure you're both on the same page.

Hi [Prospect Name],

Thanks for exploring a potential partnership today. It seems like [product name] is a good fit for [you/your team], especially in these areas:

[Feature #1]: Will allow you to [accomplish X goal]

[Feature #2]: Will help you [with Y challenge]

[Feature #3]: Will mitigate [Z issue]

You mentioned you’ll need to run this by [other stakeholders’ names, decision maker’s name], so I’m attaching two resources: [Helpful product resource] and [helpful product resource].

The next step is [action item]. Please let me know if you have any questions. If not, I’ll talk to you on [date/time].

Best Product Demos

Here are a few of the best product demo videos. They're standard demos whose style can easily be used for your demo presentation and customized for individual prospects. Use them as inspiration to create a product demo of your own.

This isn't your typical product demonstration deck or video. Slack created a landing page, similar to a timeline, that reveals more product features and video demonstrations as you scroll. It walks you step-by-step through the tool and its key features. See the product demo for yourself here .

2. SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey's demo is short and sweet. It gets straight to the point and uses animation to demonstrate the primary features and functionalities of the survey tool.

3. Owl Labs

Rather than demonstrating software, this product demo introduces the features of a physical product. It captures viewers' attention by using storytelling to introduce a real-life application of the device.

This product demo shows how Make lets you build and automate simple and complex workflows using a simple, visual interface.

Databox starts the demo by introducing the challenges their customers face before adopting their solution. Using a voiceover, the video provides an overview of how the product works. It breaks down the demo into different sections so you can easily skip to the product features that are important to the prospect you're working with.

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Why product demos are important for b2b saas sales, when do product demos happen in the sales process, who usually presents the demo, where do product demos happen, how product demos can improve close rates , how to deliver a successful product demo, start creating product demos that close deals.

Updated on May 19, 2024.

That freakin’ product demo, amiright?

It can be the most wonderful moment in the sales process , when sales pro and buyer can look deeply into each other’s eyes and connect on the thing that brought them together: your perfect SaaS product.

Or, y’know, it can be the scene of a sales rep meltdown, software malfunction, buyer death from boredom, and just overall mayhem.

But nonetheless, the product demo is crucial. That’s because SaaS buyers today have more demo options to choose from than ever before. Just take a look at G2 or any other software review site, and you’ll see that your list of competitors is growing by the day.

The first impression is key. It is no longer about seducing the prospect or doing a sales pitch: It’s when you reveal your product for the first time, and when it comes to sales, there’s no second chance to make a first impression. 

This article covers everything you need to know to prepare and create a highly converting product demo .

But first, let’s start at the very beginning.

What’s a product demo?

It would probably make sense for us to define demos for you before we get into anything else.

A product demo is the phase of a sales process where a team member (usually a sales rep) makes a presentation that demonstrates the value and benefits of a product or software to a prospect.

The demo’s main objective is to show how your product (and its features) solves your prospect pain points, and to position your solution as the most efficient tool to achieve this goal.  

Many reps also use sales demonstrations as part of their buyer enablement strategy to help customers navigate the buyer journey.

But what’s the best way to present your product so that customers learn its value and become ready to buy?

Well, let’s go through these one by one and understand their pros and cons.

1. Interactive product demos

An interactive demo is a  software demo  that allows prospects to interact directly with it, giving them a demo experience that’s closer to the experience they’ll have when they use your product.

Interactive product demos often include built-in guides that direct prospects through the product demo so that they can enjoy the demo with or without the assistance of a sales rep. 

If you’re using an  interactive demo software  like Walnut, these demos are also really easy to build, customize, and share so that you can send the perfect demo for each prospect regardless of where they are in the sales process. 

For example, SDRs can send links to a mini interactive demo in their cold outreach or their  schedule a demo email template  while AEs can send or share more thorough sales demos in their  demo follow-up emails  when prospects are more serious.

And once you send your demo to your prospect, you can track how they engage with it, who they share it with, and which parts they enjoy the most. This will help you optimize your sales process as you move forward.

Pros of interactive product demos

• Closer to actual experience:  Prospects get the demo experience of clicking through your product.
• Personalized:  Reps can easily add the prospect’s name and company to give the feel of how the product will look.
• Focused:  You can tailor your demo to meet the customers’ specific pains. 
• Save time and money:  No need for developers or production teams to create a high-quality demo.
• Easy to create and customize:  Quickly  create interactive demos  with  demo maker software .
• Scalable:  Once you’ve created one demo “template”, duplicate (and edit) your demos easily.
• More engaging for prospects:  Allows prospects to click through themselves and focus on what’s interesting to them.
• Shareable:  Instead of leaving a demo leave-behind, send prospects the demo itself to share with colleagues.
• Can be used throughout sales process:  Give your buyers a chance to see the product ASAP.
• Provides key data and analytics:  Track key metrics to optimize your sales process.

Cons of interactive product demos

• Requires product demo platform:  While it’ll save you time and money in the long run, you’ll need to start using a  demo platform  to create interactive product demos.

2. Interactive product tours for marketing

A product tour for marketing is usually a short (or more in-depth) interactive walkthrough of your product that showcases it’s value.

This method of marketing is called  product-led growth  and is a great way for SaaS companies to let top-of-the-funnel prospects fall in love with their product. You do this by giving them the chance to experience it for themselves directly on your website.

Marketing teams can embed an interactive tour on their website or in their marketing materials and use it to gather leads. This can help your prospects quickly understand your product’s value without needing to first book a meeting.

Pros of product tours for marketing

• Let prospects try before they buy:  Buyers love to try products out for themselves to see if they enjoy using them. 
• Engaging:  Allows prospects to click through themselves and focus on what’s interesting to them.
• Provides key data about your leads:  Gather leads and track how they use your product.
• Learn about your product:  Track which features your prospects click on to understand what’s resonating with your audience.

Cons of product tours for marketing

• Requires product demo platform:  While it’ll save you time and money in the long run, you’ll need to start using interactive product demo software to create product tours.

3. Pre-recorded sales demo video

A lot of sales professionals will use pre-recorded product demo videos during their call with prospects. 

The goal of this kind of video is to demonstrate the product’s value while showing it on the screen. In other words, it’s kind of a product walkthrough that explains how some of the product features solve a prospect’s pains and bring them value. 

During these demos, the sales rep will explain the product’s value verbally while illustrating how the software enables it. 

The main issues with this type of demo is that it is unable to be customized for specific use cases and can’t be personalized for each buyer. In addition, the prospect would usually expect to try the product and to see it live at some point in the process.

Pros of sales pre-recorded demos

• Not super expensive:  Doesn’t require a full production and can be done in-house.
• Focused:  Zeros in on specific pains.
• Failure-free:  Since the demo isn’t happening live, there are no risks of bugs and updates.

Cons of sales pre-recorded demos

• Time-consuming:  Needs to be re-created over and over again.
• Not customized:  Generally doesn’t show only the relevant features that each prospect wants to see.
• Not personalized:  Rarely includes the prospect’s brand assets.
• Not interactive:  The prospects don’t see the product live and can’t try it.
• Not engaging:  Prospects have to simply sit and watch. They can’t request the presenter to focus on specific features.

4. Marketing product demo videos

A marketing product demo video is usually a short clip that features your product value. 

The goal is to push the visitor to purchase a plan, start a free trial, or request a demo. They can be animated, text-based, or show real-life use of the product. They’ll in general show the product value while explaining how it solves the specific pains of the target audience. 

Since these videos address a wide audience (which is what marketing is about anyway), they’ll usually have an entertaining aspect and will be easy to understand even for people who aren’t familiar with the industry or technology. 

This kind of video is great to attract the attention of the prospects, explain the value of the product, and create awareness. 

However, while they’re a great asset for top-of-the-funnel leads, they aren’t the most efficient tool to close deals that require financial commitments. Advanced stages in the sales process require more advanced SaaS demos that the sales team will handle

Pros of marketing product demo videos

• Easy to understand:  While hard to do, engaging product videos can show your product in an entertaining way.
• Re-usable and multifunctional:  You can use them on the website, for user acquisition/lead generation purposes, email marketing, and more. 
• Benefit brand awareness:  If done well, videos can help raise brand awareness.

Cons of marketing product demo videos 

• Expensive:  They generally require full production, which can be very costly.
• Not interactive:  Videos need to be very captivating in order to engage an audience, and product videos rarely are.
• Not precise enough:  Most prospects would want to understand the product more in-depth and even try it.

5. Product presentations

A cheap and efficient way of presenting a product is by using a good old Powerpoint or Google Slides presentation. 

This allows the sales rep to create templates for each vertical or use-case of prospects that they can edit by themselves.  Demo presentations  also allow a more readable and easy-to-digest format. They’re meant to be scalable and straightforward. 

Basically, presentations have a lot of good s(l)ides but there is one major downside: The prospect doesn’t get to know the product—and this can feel not reliable. 

In other words, the problem is that product demos should be about demonstrating a product/software not presenting it—a small nuance that means a lot. That said, they can be a great tool to use between the cold outreach stage and the live demo stage, but they can’t replace the demo itself. 

Pros of sales product demo presentations

• Time-saving:  Presentation tools are easy to use and to duplicate.
• Resource-saving:  Everyone can do it. They don’t require the need for technical help.
• Personalized:  Each prospect can get a personal presentation featuring their brand.
• Focused:  Each prospect gets a tailored answer for his needs.

Cons of sales product demo presentations 

• Doesn’t show the product in action:  While you may show screenshots and even GIFs of specific features, it’s not covering the full scope. 
• It’s boring:  When’s the last time you sat through a slide deck presentation? Now imagine one that’s about a SaaS product. 
• It doesn’t do your product justice:  Your product is rich and your UI may be amazing, but your prospect will never know.

6. Live product demos

Live product demos  are one of the most standard ways to demonstrate a product/software. 

Sales pros simply explain the value of their product’s features while using it in real-time in front of the prospects—via a conference call tool that’s part of their  sales tech stack  or face-to-face. 

This kind of demo allows you to walk the prospect through your real interface, at your rhythm. In addition, it generates more trust to see a live product than a video or something else. 

However, live demos are notorious for bugging. Software updates, internet connectivity issues, product bugs, and more can lead to some really awkward moments for the sales rep.

Likewise, it can pose security risks by opening up the potential for data leaks, privacy breaches, and other sharing of confidential information. 

Pros of live product demos  

• Creates trust:  The prospect sees the actual product in action. 
• Time-saving:  You just have to show the product as is, no need to record or customize anything.
• All encompassing:  You can show all the features the prospect wants to see.

Cons of live product demos  

• Not personal enough:  If you want to customize your product for each prospect you’ll need to require help from the dev and design team which is time and resource-consuming.
• Bugs and updates:  Sh*t happens. If your product crashes in the middle of a demo, it’s hard to recover from it.
• Overwhelming:  Rich software can be overwhelming for prospects looking to answer specific needs. 
• Security concerns:  You may unintentionally leak customer information or share confidential data.

If you ever want to close more deals and improve your Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) and Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR), then you need to pay attention to how you present your product. 

Why? Because the quality of your product demo is usually the difference between closing a deal or not.

You could have the most amazing software product in your niche or the best customer service but still have poor sales numbers if your demos suck. 

When done right, your demo gives you the chance to highlight your unique selling points, show how your products can change a prospect’s life or business, and give them reasons to choose you over the competition.

As part of buyer enablement , sales professionals who use a demo platform like Walnut to create personalized and interactive product demos can share them with prospects throughout the sales process, which shortens the sales cycle for both parties.

However, old school product demos usually happen in the later stages of a buyer’s journey as they move through the sales funnel. 

A buyer’s journey traditionally starts with prospects reading a blog post or video that makes them aware of your product. They may also gain awareness by receiving outbound sales emails from the sales team or from a recommendation.

The journey then moves on to the consideration stage. At the consideration stage, the buyer will want to know how your product can solve their specific problems and help them achieve certain business goals. Buyers often indicate they’re considering your products by joining your email list, downloading a white paper, or attending your webinars.

After considering your product, buyers will often read your case studies (to see how you’ve helped businesses like theirs), check your pricing (to know if it’s within their budget), and finally schedule a software demo, to know how your software can solve their unique problems. 

In most companies, presenting a sales demo to prospects is usually the responsibility of a sales rep. But it’s not limited to them alone. A sales executive, solutions engineer , or other organization members can also present a product demo. 

Most demos these days happen online rather than in-person. Those in-person presentations don’t often work because it’s hard to find a time slot that fits you and your prospects. And let’s not talk about COVID. 

Your product demo delivery option needs to be flexible to accommodate to your prospects’ needs. 

There’s a lot you can do to improve the chances of successfully closing a deal. And one thing in particular is using an interactive demo platform.

Let’s take buying a car for example. What if you couldn’t take it for a spin before buying it?

Well, this is the reality that many SaaS prospects still face.  

When allocating their company’s limited resources, buyers want to make sure they understand how your product works before they commit to purchasing it. 

And interactive demos make it easier for you to sell your product by allowing you to let the product sell itself. This can help you speed up the sales process as well as reduce friction with buyers.

Using an interactive demo platform (like Walnut), you can create interactive and personalized product demos that you can use to really drive your product’s value home during each and every stage of the sales funnel.  

Some demo platforms even let prospects share your demos with each of the  decision-makers on the buying committee to help move the deal forward.  

The bottom line is that when a demo platform helps prospects understand how life-changing your product could be for them, it increases the chances that they’ll end up signing on the dotted line.  

Now that the basics about demos are out of the way, it’s time to learn how to prepare software demo presentations that convert. 

Getting prospects to say “yes” after a demo doesn’t come by chance. Here are some steps you need to take that will help you get more “yes”s than “we’ll get back to you” responses.

We’ve grouped the steps into three categories — before, during, and after the demo.

Before the demo presentation: How to prepare

Study and research your prospect.

One of the biggest demo mistakes sales reps make is that they don’t fully understand their prospects. 

For your demo to be successful, you need to research and understand your prospect like the back of your hands. Understanding your prospect goes beyond knowing your prospect’s name, job title, and where they work. 

You need to be able to identify their interests, needs, and pain points. You can achieve this by performing good old online research. 

Type in your prospect’s name and company into Google to see what comes up. Check their profile on LinkedIn and other social media platforms as well, to know who they are, what they’re talking about, and to collect professional information about them.

All the insights you find would serve as ammo for when you hop on a discovery call with the prospect before scheduling a demo.

If done right, the discovery call would help you unearth challenges your prospects are hoping to overcome and make it a no-brainer for them to book a demo. 

Schedule your demo 

Now it’s time to send your prospects a schedule a demo email.

Once your prospect has decided to book a demo, you’ll have to pick a meeting software or screen sharing tool that allows you to successfully run the demo.

The most popular options here are Zoom and Skype.

Try to get as many key decision-makers to join in on the demo. Send personalized messages to remind your prospects of your demos (you’d be surprised at how many people forget they scheduled a demo).

Set the plan or agenda for the demo

Much like a skeleton, a product demo agenda provides structure to your product demo. Without a plan, your demo might be all over the place and not flow as it’s supposed to. 

It’s good practice to use the information you gathered from your earlier research to create your demo agenda. 

Typically, the agenda should include:

• An introduction where you welcome and establish common grounds with your leads. Your aim here is to find a human-to-human connection with your prospect
• A brief research recap. Weave the challenges or pain points you found during your research into a story that your prospect can see themselves in
• The product presentation , which is the whole point of the meeting. Here you describe your product’s value and position it as the solution to your prospect’s pain
• A recap that serves as a summary of the product demo. This is the part where you allow your prospects to ask questions that can help you discover other pain points they have
• Process for next steps. Lay down the process prospects need to follow to close the deal

Sharing the demo agenda with prospects would help them prepare better for the demo and know what to expect. 

You might not consider it a big deal, but when you let prospects know the agenda for the demo, it puts their minds at ease and makes them trust you more — and you’re surely going to need all the trust you can get.

Test everything before starting

If you’re not using a crash-proof demo platform like Walnut, make sure to double-check all your equipment and tech you plan to use for your demo to ensure everything is running fine. 

It can be quite embarrassing to have your tools acting up while you’re in the middle of a presentation. Not only can this make you lose your composure or train of thought, but it can also quickly cause your prospects to become disinterested in your demo.

As a little demo checklist, make sure you test your:

• Video calling/Screen sharing tool
• Microphone or audio settings and
• Room lighting

Even the best checks and re-checks, the truth remains that “whatever could go wrong, would go wrong.” It’s sad, but that’s life. 

However, with a software demo platform like Walnut, you can run your demos in an encapsulated sales demo environment or sandbox environment . That’s our fancy way of saying our tech ensures that your demos run as smooth as butter without any bugs or loading times.

Write a script and rehearse your demo

Aside from your sales tech stack, you also need to check what you want to say. It’s no use having a great internet connection and zero bugs only for you to stammer your way through the presentation. 

So instead of leaving things to chance, it’d be great to write a demo script that’ll keep you focused. Of course, the script isn’t set in stone, and some things might change as you go along. The script’s point is to help you identify important issues you don’t want to miss. 

When you rehearse your script well, you’ll also become more confident during your presentation.

Create personalized demos — at scale 

Each prospect is unique, so don’t try to use a blanket format for your product demos. 

Before the demo experience, you must have uncovered some pain points and challenges that your prospects face, so personalize your sales demo to address your prospects’ specific pains.

Personalization also means that you focus on the features of your products that can help your prospects. There is no need to tell them everything your product can do if it doesn’t apply to their business.

Just like with emails or any other form of outreach, personalization goes a long way in warming up your prospect and making them primed to listen to what you have to say.

With Walnut, your sales team can easily customize their demos – from the logos to the texts, features, figures, and more. You can also learn, optimize and duplicate your demos for each vertical, allowing you to scale and create much faster and higher quality demos.

During the product demonstration: Dos and Don’ts

You’ve scheduled the demo, and it’s now time to make your presentation. Here are some steps that will help you wow your prospects with your demo.

Don’t jump right into the demo

Yes, you read that right. Sure, you want to show prospects all the fancy things your product can do and have them nodding their heads in agreement. But not so fast.

More than all things else, your prospects are humans too. As such, they crave human connections, even during a product demo.

Imagine you’re at a car dealership and two sales reps approach you. 

The first sales rep goes, “Hey, you see, this car’s engine has the power of 24 horses”. With a smile on his face, the second sales rep says, “Hey, I see you’re looking at minivans. Are you planning a family trip soon?

Which of these sales reps would you want to attend to you?

The second guy, right? Yes, the second guy would still try to sell you a car just like the first guy, but because of the human-to-human interaction he created, you’ll feel drawn to him.

The same goes for your demo. 

While you don’t want to use all your time for chit-chat, you must create an atmosphere that allows you to know each other. More generally, it’s essential to build a strong relationship with your prospect .

Manage your time smartly

SaaS buyers, especially in the B2B industry, are conscious of time. 

You can respect your prospect’s time by following the schedule you created for the demo. 

It can be tempting to go overboard, especially when you have a lot of things to say. But you need to resist that temptation and follow a schedule or timeline instead. 

Using the sales demo tip we mentioned earlier, here’s what the time structure for your demo should look like:

• Introduction: 5 minutes
• Research recap: 5 minutes
• Demo: 20 – 30 minutes
• Feedback and question: 10 minutes
• Next steps: 5 minutes

Focus on benefits over features

Prospects don’t usually care about your product’s features unless it helps them achieve a personal or business goal. 

Instead of providing your prospects with a list of all the features of your product, it’d be better if you focus on highlighting your products’ benefits.

You can borrow a leaf from Apple’s marketing campaign for the iPod. Instead of saying the iPod has 8GB memory (a feature), Apple said 1000 songs in your pocket (a benefit that their audience cares about).

Like Apple, make sure to use your prospect’s language when communicating the value of your products.

Where necessary, you can pull out case studies and testimonials that show prospects how similar businesses like theirs have used your products to overcome their problems.

Like Mike DeCorso formulated brilliantly in his interview for Walnut: “People want the hole, not the shovel”. 

Keep the presentation simple

The demo’s goal is to close a deal and not impress prospects with your vast vocabulary and technical jargon. 

Instead of using big words that make prospects pick up the dictionary, use simple concepts and expressions that your prospect is already familiar with.

Address objections

Don’t be afraid of objections. In fact, you should expect them. If you go through your presentation without objections, it might show that your prospects are not interested in your product.

You need to take your time to research your prospects before your demo. From your research, you should have been able to gauge how much your prospect is willing to spend – allowing you to manage the pricing topic more efficiently.

If the prospect still isn’t satisfied with your offer, the best way to handle it isn’t by reducing your price but by positioning your product as an investment instead of a business cost. 

You can also handle objections by actively listening to the prospects to identify their underlying fears and concerns.

Always ask questions to confirm that you have handled any objections.

Ask questions and encourage engagement

A demo is not supposed to be a monologue, as these kinds of interactions bore prospects fast.

Be willing to allow dialogue that might help you understand how your product can help your prospect better. 

Many sales reps hesitate to welcome questions because they feel they might not know the answers. It’s fine if you don’t know the answers. You’re not the Riddler – and if you are, big fan, keep it up. 

Note down difficult questions that come up during your presentation and tell your prospects you’ll address them when you’re following up. 

Sometimes, you can even create questions of your own that’ll help you get personal and earn more trust with your prospects.

After the product demo: How to move forward

Conclude with a call to action and define the next steps.

Like calls to action on a landing page drives visitors to take action, so do CTAs at the end of your demo.

Your CTA should help prospects identify the next steps they need to take now that the demo is complete.

If the prospect is ready to start using your product, what steps should they take? The best sales reps usually have the answer to this question even before they start the demo. According to the same research we mentioned earlier, winning product demos involve 12.7% more time devoted to discussing “Next Steps” at the end of the call. 

Send a follow up email after product demo

After the presentation, send a demo follow-up email to your prospect to remind them of the next steps they need to take to complete the sales process.

Often, prospects prefer to learn about your product on their own instead of talking to a sales rep. If you’re using a product like Walnut, you can include a guided interactive demo they can walk through by themselves as a sales leave-behind. This way, they can try the product out for themselves, share it with coworkers and fall in love.

Remember proper email etiquette when sending follow-up emails. Be patient and polite even though you’re trying to close a deal. Don’t send a follow-up two hours after the demo — give some time.

Also, include a summary of your discussion while highlighting your USP and benefits and the next steps. 

If the prospects asked a question you couldn’t answer during the demo, you could also include it here.

You’ve seen that demos are a vital part of your sales process, and by now, you must have picked up a thing or two that’ll help you create demos that close deals.

Remember that your prospect should be the main focus of the demo, not you or your product. You’re only acting as a guide to help your prospect solve their problems while using your product.

It’s time to put the customer in the center of the sales process by creating personalized and interactive demos that your prospect will enjoy.

Learn how to create an interactive product demo in 5 steps !

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• Platform Overview Empowering teams like yours to tell their stories with winning demos
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The Ultimate Guide to Product Demos

In modern enterprise sales, sales reps only get about 5% of a customer’s time . Before speaking with a rep, most buyers look to self-educate on a vendor’s website. Even after a sales conversation, prospects may carefully weigh the purchase decision with peers via a buying committee. Regardless of the stage in the buyer journey, product demos can shorten sales cycles and increase conversions. A product demo, or product demonstration, showcases a product’s features, benefits, and functionality in action. In this guide, we dive deep into the world of product demos, exploring their benefits, types, and their pivotal role in navigating the complex modern sales cycle.

You can read this guide from start to finish or skip to the sections you’re most interested in learning about.

Benefits of product demos

The sales funnel for product demos

The best product demo creation tool

How to create a product demo in 3 steps

Product demo examples

Frequently asked questions: demystifying product demos

What is a product demo?

A product demo is a presentation or interactive showcase of a product’s features, benefits, and functionalities. It is a strategic and visual way for businesses to effectively communicate the value of their products to potential customers. Product demos provide a tangible and experiential understanding of how a product works and how it can address the needs and pain points of the target audience.

In a product demo, businesses typically highlight the key aspects of their product through various means such as live presentations, interactive demos, video presentations, or even hands-on experiences. The aim is to engage the audience, create a memorable experience, and convey the unique selling points that differentiate the product from competitors.

By showcasing a product in action, a product demo goes beyond text-based descriptions and abstract explanations, giving potential customers a concrete understanding of how the product can meet their requirements. This approach helps build trust, establish credibility, and address any uncertainties that potential customers may have about the product’s capabilities.

Overall, a product demo serves as a powerful tool in a company’s go-to-market arsenal , playing a crucial role in influencing purchasing decisions and driving conversions.

Product demos elevate sales processes to new heights of efficiency and effectiveness. By providing tangible evidence of a product’s capabilities, they transcend mere descriptions and provide evidence of how a product will work for potential customers. Sales team members can rely on direct feedback gained through the discovery process to tailor product demos to meet the needs of their prospect.

Demos give customers a taste of product ownership before they commit to making a purchase. For marketing teams , these demonstrations can elevate a company brand, creating a great first impression and instilling confidence in a product’s fit for a prospect. Ultimately, a high-quality product demo can be the driving force behind closed deals.

Product demos hold significant importance for businesses across industries, serving as invaluable tools that can make a substantial impact on various aspects of their operations and success. Here’s a closer look at why product demos are important:

Clear Communication of Value A product demo allows you to visually and experientially communicate the value of your product to potential customers. Instead of relying solely on textual descriptions or static images, a demo brings the product to life, showing exactly how it works and how it can benefit the customer. This clear and tangible presentation of value helps potential buyers better understand how your product can meet their needs.

Addressing Customer Pain Points Product demos provide a platform to address specific pain points and challenges that potential customers may have. By showcasing how your product can solve real-world problems, you demonstrate that you understand a prospect’s needs and are offering a viable solution. This personalized approach enhances the relevance of your product and increases the likelihood of conversion.

Building Trust and Credibility Demonstrating your product’s capabilities in a real-time setting builds trust and credibility. Potential customers can see the product in action, which helps establish authenticity and minimizes skepticism. When they experience the product’s benefits firsthand, they are more likely to believe in its claims and view your business as a reliable source.

Engagement and Company Brand Building Product demos are engaging by nature. They captivate the audience’s attention, keeping them focused on your product and its features. This engagement leads to better retention of information and a stronger connection with your brand. An engaging demo experience can leave a lasting impression, making your product more memorable.

Faster Decision-Making Seeing a product in action can expedite the decision-making process for potential customers. A well-executed demo provides stakeholders with the necessary information to evaluate the product’s fit for their needs. However, you don’t have to have every decision-maker in the room for every demo. Interactive demos can enable companies to build consensus in the buying process, without requiring repetitive demos to multiple stakeholders. This can reduce the time spent on research and consideration, leading to quicker purchasing decisions.

Direct Feedback Loop Product demos enable you to receive direct feedback from potential customers. As they interact with the product, they may ask questions, share concerns, or provide insights. This feedback is invaluable for improving your product, enhancing its features, and refining your marketing and sales strategies.

Differentiation from Competitors In a competitive market, standing out is crucial. A compelling product demo allows you to showcase what makes your product unique and superior to competitors. It’s an opportunity to highlight key differentiators and position your product as the optimal choice.

Enhanced Sales Processes Product demos streamline the sales process by providing a tangible and persuasive presentation. They serve as a powerful tool for sales representatives to guide potential customers through the buying journey. Well-prepared demos can help overcome objections, address doubts, and ultimately close deals more effectively.

In essence, product demos play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between a potential customer’s curiosity and their decision to purchase. They facilitate understanding, build trust, and provide a memorable experience that can set the stage for long-term customer relationships and business success.

Types of product demos

Businesses rely on different types of product demos to engage audiences and showcase their offerings in the most compelling way. Each type caters to diverse preferences and varying stages of the customer journey. From interactive product demos to product tours to personalized demos, let’s explore each of the product demo variations.

Interactive Product Demos Forrester research shows that 60% of buyers will go to a vendor’s website before accepting an online or in-person sales meeting. Interactive product demos are a great first step for buyers to explore a product’s key features and benefits hands-on. Unlike static product tours, interactive demos empower potential customers to explore a product in a meaningful way. They serve as immersive experiences that drive sign-ups and ensure customers are well-acquainted with SaaS tools’ functionalities. Many companies choose to add interactive product demos to their homepage or marketing campaigns to engage prospects looking to self-evaluate.

Product Tours Self-guided product tours offer a customer-driven way to explore features. This allows users to learn about the product at their own pace, diving deeper into the functionality that matters most to their specific pain points. Ultimately, many teams choose to embed product tours via an interactive demonstration on their product page, driving user satisfaction in the evaluation process.

Personalized Demos Once prospects are ready to talk to sales, live demos can play a critical role in closing the deal. According to a study from Bain & Co. demos are one of buyers’ most widely used sources of information during the consideration stage: 72% of respondents said the vendors they ultimately chose outperform the rest of the field by using demos and trials. By addressing the specific pain points and challenges of prospects, personalized demos bring customization to the sales process. These demos typically follow a qualifying marketing interaction or discovery call. Live product demos enable teams to achieve personalization in sales, by helping prospects visualize how a product will work for their needs, or within their specific environment.

Video Demo Tools & Videos While video demos hold potential, they come with downsides such as limited interactivity and personalization. However, when used strategically, they can provide quick insights into a product’s features and benefits. Popular video demo tools enable businesses to create compelling product demo videos that capture attention and convey value effectively. While product demo video examples abound on enterprise companies’ websites, interactive demos may get twice as much engagement as static content — such as the product screenshots typically shared within a demo video.

The Sales Funnel for Product Demos

Companies can use product demos throughout the enterprise buying cycle . In the awareness phase, marketers and product teams embed interactive demos on the website to help buyers understand product value immediately. According to Forrester, interactive product tours featured on the website resulted in 60% uplift in average website interactions that converted to leads.

From there, sales and presales teams use live, personalized demos to tailor the product experience to a prospect’s specific use case or pain points. In the closing phases, interactive product tours can help buying committees evaluate products, even in the absence of final sales interaction.

Here are a few ways different personas can use product demos throughout the sales funnel.

Prospective Customers The product demo process serves as a prime opportunity to delight prospective customers. Early in the buyer experience, interactive demos can help prospects self-evaluate. Further down in the sales funnel, personalized demos can help in building relationships and fostering trust among buyers. Live demos should be a two-way conversation rather than a rehearsed presentation — successful reps look at demos as an opportunity to engage buyers about their pain points and highlight product features most relevant to their needs.

Sales Reps & Marketing Professionals Both sales representatives and marketing professionals can leverage demos as a tool for showcasing a product, building trust, and improving the buyer experience. Through effective product demonstrations, they can forge connections with prospective customers and lay the foundation for long-term relationships.

Delivering successful sales presentations and demonstrations requires careful planning, effective communication, and a deep understanding of the audience’s needs. To do it right, honing in on your target audience’s industry, challenges, and pain points is critical to tailoring your presentation to address specific needs and concerns. Customize examples and scenarios that resonate with your audience’s experiences. Know your product inside and out, and be prepared to handle potential objections or questions that may arise during the live demo process.

Sales Cycle & Process The product demo weaves seamlessly into the sales cycle, catering to each stage of the buyer’s journey. From the awareness stage to the consideration stage and beyond, product demos accelerate the buyer’s journey, facilitating more informed decisions. Both interactive and personalized demos play a pivotal role in shortening the sales cycle, making them an indispensable asset.

Here are a few ways to use demos throughout the sales cycle:

• Awareness stage:Interactive demos can be used directly on the website or product page, or embedded within marketing materials to showcase product benefits directly.
• Consideration stage:Live demos help sales teams connect directly with buyers based on their individual needs, and are often a critical part of the sales process.
• Decision stage: According to our recent survey of sales practitioners , the majority of enterprise sales teams (86%) have lost a deal to a committee decision at least once in the last month. Instead of the typical PDF or demo video recording, an interactive demo can guide buying committees through the best features within your solution, making it much easier for your champion to help you close the deal.

Sales Presentations & Demonstrations Sales presentations and demonstrations serve as the dynamic duo that brings a product to life. Through strategic planning, engaging content, and personalized delivery, sales presentations and demonstrations bridge the gap between a product’s potential and the customer’s understanding, laying the foundation for successful conversions .

Delivering a successful sales presentation requires careful research of a buyer’s industry, pain points, and objectives. From there, it’s key to develop a narrative that highlights relatable scenarios or customer case studies. Showcase what sets your product apart from competitors, by comparing your product’s features and benefits to alternatives in the market. The ultimate goal is to clearly articulate the value that the product offers to the prospective customer.

The Best Product Demo Creation Tool

The right demo creation platform should help anyone on your go-to-market team build demos quickly and easily. Demo creation platforms make it possible for go-to-market teams to generate and share high-fidelity, custom interactive demos that look, feel, and behave just like a software solution without developer involvement.

Overview Among the tools available, Reprise stands out as the first fully integrated, interactive demo creation platform. Reprise is the only solution built for the entire go-to-market demo lifecycle. It’s easy to use and extensible for all types of demo creators, from product marketers, to solutions engineers, to account executives. Reprise enables anyone to build product demos and illuminate key features at any stage in the sales process — improving both conversion rates and the prospective customer experience. In addition, using Reprise removes the security and failure risks that often arise from a homegrown demo sandbox environment.

Features The Reprise demo creation platform is made up of three core products. Here are some of the key features and benefits of each.

Reprise Reveal Reprise Reveal helps sales team members easily customize a live application or existing demo environment on-demand, with no code required. Reveal works by sitting on top of your real product, helping you tell an interactive, compelling story for prospective buyers. Using Reprise Reveal, you can create demo templates by use case, vertical, or persona. Reveal applies edits to your live demo environment instantly so sales teams can give buyers an immersive experience, without extensive setup time or engineering involvement.

Reprise Replay Reprise Replay enables go-to-market teams to create interactive demos and product tours with ease. You can create demo templates or demo libraries by use case, vertical, or persona. With Reprise Replay, it’s simple to edit, customize, or change the look and feel of your application to create tours, leave-behinds, and demos that show off the breadth of your product’s capabilities. Depending on the prospect’s needs, you can change charts, add data, swap pictures, build animations, insert videos, show integrations, hide or highlight parts of your product, and much more.

Reprise Replicate Reprise Replicate helps teams create a safe, stable demo environment. Instead of demoing in their homegrown demo environment, which can be difficult to maintain and prone to error, teams can clone a full application into a new environment for flawless demos without the headaches of traditional sandboxes. As with other Reprise products, it’s simple to genericize your data, then customize by vertical, use case, market segment, and more.

Hundreds of enterprise customers trust Reprise to tell their story with product demos. Customer case studies from companies like Cloudera, EvaluAgent, and Unbabel showcase how Reprise shortens time-to-value for prospective customers, shrinking sales cycles and conveying complex product messaging much better than tactics such as free trials. More customer language and testimonials can be viewed on review site G2 , as well.

How to Create a Product Demo in 3 Steps

Creating a product demo with Reprise Replay is simple. Here’s an overview of how to do it.

1. Capture your application. Reprise Replay uses screen capture technology to capture screens and recreate an interactive demo that you can customize. Simply open Reprise and select the “Product Tour” use case. Press the “capture” button that appears at the bottom of the screen, and navigate through the screens in your application you’d like to capture.

Step one in creating a product demo is capturing your application screens in Reprise Replay.

2. Edit or add interactive elements to your demo. For example, using the Replay Editor, you can edit text or images directly on the screen, either in one location or across all screens. You can also add images as screens, which is a great way to show desktop or mobile apps in your tours or incorporate the first page from a deck into your demos. Interactive elements such as hotspots are easy to add using drag-and-drop functionality.

Step two includes editing text or images, or adding interactive elements to your product demo using a drag-and-drop editor in Reprise Replay.

3. Preview and publish your product demo. When you want to preview your demo, simply click “Preview” in the upper right-hand corner to preview your entire demo from start to finish. Or, if you prefer, you can preview a single screen. Once you’re ready to publish, give your demo a name and description, and press “Publish” in the Replay Editor.

Caption: In step three, add a title and description to your demo and press publish!

Product Demo Examples

Below are three examples of Reprise-powered demos that provide prospects with a firsthand product experience, communicating the value of even the most complex products. These teams have leveraged demos to accelerate their sales cycles, improve the efficiency of their sales operations, and even keep customers informed of new products or features as they launch.

1. Pendo – which provides a product experience platform supporting enterprise customers like Morgan Stanley, Verizon Connect, and Cision – needed an easier way to showcase their product and its ability to solve customer problems than spinning up trials. Using Reprise, Pendo’s marketing team built a library of product tours that offer prospects a way to experience the product independently.

Their product tour library has been a successful driver of website conversions, serving more than 200,000 views. The Pendo marketing team also used a product tour to support a recent product launch, which proved to be a top-performing call to action.

In addition to helping marketing make a bigger impact, product tours have improved Pendo’s sales team efficiency. Prospects take tours before they’re ready for a sales conversation, so they’re more qualified once they do engage.

See one of Pendo’s product tours here .

2. HR platform provider Hireology saw an opportunity to modernize their sales motion. With Reprise product tours, Hireology prospects experience the product first-hand and go-to-market processes are more consistent and efficient.

At the top of the funnel, Hireology uses the product tours on their website to engage prospects with self-service marketing content, allowing them to self-qualify in or out of a sales process early on – without consuming the sales team’s cycles.

Mid-funnel, in addition to presenting live demos, sales teams share guided product tours as leave-behinds to highlight specific features for different audiences and their unique needs. They extend Hireology’s reach to a broader circle outside of the core buying committee in order to create wider consensus without needing every stakeholder to participate in every live call or demo. And they’re easy to build – Hireology’s eight feature-specific leave-behinds were created within a single month.

Across the funnel, every demo makes a bigger impact with consistent delivery and tight messaging. As a result, Hireology has seen opportunities involving product tours close 50% faster than those where product tours were not utilized.

See the Hireology product tour here.

3. Digital River is an e-commerce platform that helps organizations grow internationally while removing risk and complexity. Their sales team historically relied on sales engineers to set up demo environments before each live demo, which required extra effort and made it prohibitive to jump into a demo on the first call. This process introduced the risk of losing a prospect between the first call and second.

Reprise has evolved the way Digital River demos. Sales reps can independently deliver demos, without worrying about the stability of the demo environment. And they can be adaptive, showing aspects of the product a customer will care about most based on real-time feedback. This real-time feedback helps to qualify whether the solution is relevant earlier in sales cycles, improving efficiency.

With Digital River’s live demo platform, prospects are qualified earlier on, and sales engineers get time back that had been previously spent creating demo environments and supporting early sales calls. The customer experience is also better, because prospects get to see the product sooner, and the demo they see is catered in real time to their needs and interests.

See one of Digital River’s demos here .

Frequently Asked Questions: Demystifying Product Demos

How do product demos improve close rates? Product demos provide a tangible showcase of a product’s value, addressing concerns and building trust, which collectively contribute to higher close rates. Demos allow buyers to self-qualify earlier in the funnel so buyers are more educated and purchase-ready by the time they get to sales. And, they enable SEs to be more efficient, so they can give customized, best-practice demos that result in higher close rates.

What is the purpose of a product demo? The purpose of a product demo is to visually and experientially communicate a product’s features, benefits, and functionality, allowing potential customers to make informed decisions.

What makes a good demo? A good product demo is engaging, informative, and tailored to the audience’s needs. It effectively communicates the product’s value proposition and leaves a lasting impression.

What should you include in a product demonstration? A product demonstration should include a clear presentation of key features, benefits, real-world use cases, and a compelling narrative that resonates with the audience.

When do product demos happen in the sales process? Product demos are strategically placed throughout the sales process, from the awareness stage to the consideration stage to close, guiding potential customers toward making a purchase decision.

What is the goal of a product demo? The goal of a product demo is to provide potential customers with a firsthand experience of a product’s value, leading to increased understanding, trust, and ultimately, conversions.

In the complex enterprise sales process, product demos emerge as one of the most effective ways to showcase a product’s key features and benefits, while weaving in compelling and targeted narratives that help potential customers understand how your product will work specifically for them. Armed with this comprehensive guide, you’re now equipped to take advantage of the power of product demos, forging prospect connections, accelerating conversions, and driving go-to-market success.

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What is a Product Demonstration? Types, Features, & Benefits

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, grabbing customers' attention is an art form in and of itself, involving creativity and strategy. 

As businesses struggle to be heard above the noise, a powerful tool has emerged in the marketing world: product demonstration videos .

In this blog post, we'll explore the many advantages of incorporating product demo videos into your marketing toolbox. Whether you’re a startup looking to make a splash, or an established enterprise seeking to revitalize your brand presence, harnessing the power of video demonstrations can be the game-changer you've been searching for. 

Let’s look into why.

What is a Product Demonstration?

What is the purpose of a product demonstration.

• Engaging Visuals
• Demonstrations of Key Features
• Real-World Use Cases
• Interactivity
• Clear Call to Action
• Visual Engagement
• Clear Communication
• Demonstration of Use Cases
• 24/7 Accessibility
• Shareability
• Increased Conversion Rates
• Builds Trust & Credibility
• Live Demonstrations
• Recorded Video Demos
• Interactive Demos
• Animated Demos
• Testimonials and Case Studies
• Free Trials and Samples
• Virtual Reality (VR) Demos
• Augmented Reality (AR) Demos
• Introduction
• Problem Statement
• Solution Showcase
• Visual Assets
• Callouts and Text Overlay
• Demonstration Flow
• User Interface Navigation
• Testimonials or Social Proof
• Call to Action (CTA)
• Know Your Audience
• Keep It Concise
• Focus on Benefits, Not Features
• Tell a Story
• Show, Don't Just Tell
• Use High-Quality Production
• Include Callouts and Annotations
• Add a Human Touch
• Optimise for Mobile
• Include a Clear Call to Action
• What’s The Difference Between a Product Demo & a Sales Demo?
• Clear Understanding of Value Proposition
• Engagement and Interest
• Visual and Emotional Appeal
• Building Trust and Credibility
• Overcoming Objections
• Encouraging Action

A product demonstration is a display of how a product or service works, typically showcasing its features, functionality, and benefits. 

Be it app demos or any demonstration in general, they help viewers get a better understanding of your offering.

Product demos are commonly used by businesses to introduce new products to potential customers, highlight key aspects of existing offerings, and illustrate how their solutions can solve specific problems or meet particular needs.

There are many ways to do this, depending on the nature of the product and the target audience. They may include live presentations conducted by sales representatives, interactive online demonstrations, recorded video demos, or even hands-on experiences at trade shows or events.

The primary goal of a product demonstration is to provide potential customers with a clear understanding of what the product does and how it can benefit them.

By showcasing real-world use cases, demonstrating unique features, and addressing common pain points, businesses aim to engage and persuade prospects, ultimately driving sales and fostering customer satisfaction.

In this matter, when creating a  feature roadmap , product developers should align with the key aspects highlighted during demonstrations to meet customer needs.

What are The Features of a Product Demonstration?

Effective product demos typically have several key features to engage and inform the audience:

Make your product demo clearly communicate the purpose and value proposition of the product.

It should be easy for the audience to understand what the product does and how it can benefit them.

2. Engaging Visuals

Use visual elements such as graphics, animations, and videos to make the demo more engaging and memorable.

These visuals help to illustrate key points and demonstrate the product in action.

3. Demonstration of Key Features

Highlight the most important features and functionalities of the product, focusing on those that are likely to be of interest to the target audience.

This helps to showcase the unique selling points of the product and differentiate it from competitors.

Software demo videos are a great example of this.

4. Real-World Use Cases

Provide real-world examples and scenarios in which the product can be used.

This helps the audience understand its practical applications and benefits.

This also makes the demo more relatable and demonstrates how the product can solve specific problems and meet specific needs.

5. Interactivity

Interactive elements such as clickable prototypes or live demonstrations allow the audience to actively engage with the product during the demo.

Interactive videos can help to create a more immersive and memorable experience and increase audience engagement.

6. Clear Call to Action

A product demo should conclude with a clear call to action, prompting the audience to take the next step, whether it's signing up for a free trial, contacting sales for more information, or making a purchase.

By incorporating these features into a product demo, you can effectively showcase your offering, engage your audience, and drive desired outcomes like increased sales and customer acquisition.

Benefits of Making Product Demonstrations

Product demo videos offer a multitude of benefits for businesses looking to effectively showcase their offerings and engage with their audience, such as:

1. Visual Engagement

Video is a highly engaging medium that captures attention more effectively than text or static images.

By presenting your product in a dynamic visual format, you can create a more immersive experience for your audience, keeping them engaged and interested in what you have to offer.

2. Clear Communication

Demo videos allow you to clearly communicate the features, benefits, and value proposition of your product in a concise and easily understandable manner.

This can help to overcome any confusion or ambiguity that potential customers may have about your offering, making it more likely that they will see its value and consider making a purchase.

3. Demonstration of Use Cases

Video demonstrations provide an opportunity to showcase real-world use cases and scenarios in which your product can be applied.

This helps potential customers to visualize how your product can solve their specific problems or meet their particular needs, making it more relevant and compelling to them.

4. 24/7 Accessibility

Once created, demo videos can be made available online 24/7, allowing potential customers to access them at their convenience.

This means that your product can continue to be showcased and promoted even outside of regular business hours, reaching a wider audience and maximizing your marketing efforts.

5. Shareability

Video content is highly shareable on social media platforms and other online channels.

By creating compelling demo videos, you can encourage your audience to share them with their networks, increasing your brand's visibility and reach organically.

6. Increased Conversion Rates

Studies have shown that including video on a landing page can increase conversion rates significantly.

So, make sure to use blogging or eCommerce landing page templates to add high-quality videos to your landing pages without any coding knowledge and enhance user engagement.

By incorporating demo videos into your sales and marketing materials, you can effectively guide potential customers through the buying process and encourage them to take action.

7. Builds Trust and Credibility

Seeing a product in action through a demo video can help to build trust and credibility with potential customers.

It allows them to get a better sense of what to expect from your product and can alleviate any concerns or doubts they may have about its effectiveness or reliability.

Overall, product demo videos are a powerful tool for businesses looking to showcase their offerings, engage with their audience, and drive conversions effectively.

By leveraging the benefits of video content, you can create a more compelling and persuasive marketing strategy that resonates with your target audience and helps you achieve your business goals.

What Are The Different Kinds of Product Demonstrations Out There?

Product demos come in various forms, each tailored to suit different needs, preferences, and target audiences.

Some common types of product demos include:

1. Live Demonstrations

Real-time presentations conducted by sales representatives or product experts either in person or through webinars.

Live demos allow for direct interaction with the audience, answering questions in real time and customizing the presentation based on audience feedback.

2. Recorded Video Demos

Pre-recorded videos showcasing the product's features, benefits, and functionalities.

Recorded demos can be hosted on your website, and social media channels, or shared via email, allowing potential customers to access them at their convenience.

Here's an example from Apple .

Leave it to the geniuses at Apple to take something as simple as a product demo video and hype it to mind-blowing proportions.

Their demo video for Airpods is typically minimalistic and slick, but still breathtaking and detailed, saying a lot with very little.

It just goes to show the kind of potential you can unlock with this format.

3. Interactive Demos

Interactive videos allow users to actively engage with the product through clickable prototypes, simulations, or guided tours.

They provide a hands-on experience, allowing users to explore the product's capabilities and features in a self-paced manner.

4. Animated Demos

Animated demos use animated graphics, illustrations, or explainer videos to demonstrate how the product works and highlight its key features.

Animated demos are visually engaging and can simplify complex concepts, making them easier for the audience to understand.

Here's an example from Slack to drive the point home

Slack used the power of slick, friendly animation with bright colors and clean graphics to explain their Canvas offering.

Animation gives you the freedom to do things not easily possible anywhere else. It’s also attention-grabbing and holds your interest from start to finish.

5. Testimonials and Case Studies

Testimonial demos feature satisfied customers sharing their experiences with the product and discussing how it has helped them solve specific problems or achieve their goals.

Meanwhile, case study demos provide in-depth analyses of how the product has been implemented in real-world scenarios, showcasing its effectiveness and impact.

Have a look at this example from WHOOP to get a better idea.

This is a great example of how you can do a product demo in the form of a testimonial video.

It’s presented as a short amateur review by a typical user, rather than a professionally-produced ad piece.

The user explains how the WHOOP health and fitness tracker kept track of her stress levels while watching an exciting sporting event, something most of us can relate to. It’s simple, efficient, and honest– and that’s why it works so well.

6. Free Trials and Samples

Offering free trials or samples of your product allows potential customers to experience it firsthand before making a purchase decision.

Free trials give users the opportunity to test the product's features and functionalities in their own environment, helping them evaluate its suitability for their needs.

7. Virtual Reality (VR) Demos

VR demos provide an immersive experience that allows users to explore and interact with the product in a virtual environment.

This is especially true in fields like virtual reality in medical training , where realistic simulations are crucial for effective learning and practice.

VR demos are particularly effective for showcasing physical products or environments that are difficult to replicate in traditional demos.

8. Augmented Reality (AR) Demos

AR demos overlay digital content onto the real world, allowing users to visualize how the product would look and behave in their own environment.

AR demos are often used for products like furniture, clothing, or home decor, allowing users to see how the product would fit or look in their space.

We'll let IKEA put things into perspective.

They say that you should always aim to “show, don’t tell.”

And this deceptively simple demo does away with the hype and marketing jazz that we’re all used to, simply announcing what it does and showing the app at work.

By leveraging these different types of product demos, businesses can effectively showcase their offerings, engage with their audience, and drive conversions effectively.

The key is to choose the demo format that best aligns with your product, target audience, and marketing objectives.

What Should You Include in Your Product Demo Videos?

When creating a product demo video, it's essential to include certain elements to ensure that it effectively communicates the value proposition of your product and engages your audience.

Here are some key elements that should be included in a product demo video:

1. Introduction

Start the video with a brief introduction that grabs the viewer's attention and sets the stage for what they are about to see.

Clearly state the name of the product and provide a brief overview of what it does.

2. Problem Statement

Identify the problem or pain point that your product addresses.

This helps to establish context and relevance for the viewer, making them more receptive to your solution.

3. Solution Showcase

Demonstrate how your product solves the problem identified earlier.

Showcase its key features, functionalities, and benefits, highlighting what sets it apart from competitors.

4. Use Cases

Provide real-world examples or scenarios in which your product can be used.

Show how it helps users achieve their goals or overcome challenges, making it more relatable and compelling.

5. Visual Assets

Use visuals such as screenshots, animations, or graphics to illustrate key points and enhance the viewer's understanding of your product.

Visuals help to keep the audience engaged and make the information easier to digest.

6. Callouts and Text Overlay

Include callouts or text overlays to emphasize important points, highlight key features, or provide additional context.

This helps to reinforce your message and ensure that important information doesn't get overlooked.

7. Demonstration Flow

Structure the demo in a logical sequence, guiding the viewer through the product's features and functionalities in a step-by-step manner.

Make sure to cover the most important aspects of the product and address any common questions or concerns that viewers may have.

8. User Interface Navigation

If your product has a user interface (UI), demonstrate how it works and how users can navigate through it.

Show common actions and workflows, making it clear and intuitive for viewers to understand how to use the product.

9. Testimonials or Social Proof

Incorporate satisfied customer testimonials or reviews from reputable sources to build credibility and trust.

Social proof helps to validate your product's effectiveness and can sway potential customers toward making a purchase.

10. Call to Action (CTA)

Conclude the video with a clear call to action prompting viewers to take the next step, whether it's signing up for a free trial, contacting sales for more information, or making a purchase.

Make it easy for viewers to act on their interest in your product.

By including these elements in your product demo video, you can create a compelling and informative presentation that effectively showcases your product's value proposition and motivates viewers to take action.

Effective Product Demonstration Video Tips

Here are some tips for creating an effective product demo video that captures attention, engages your audience, and drives results:

1. Know Your Audience

Understand who your target audience is and tailor your demo video to address their needs, pain points, and preferences.

Speak their language and focus on showcasing how your product can solve their specific problems or meet their particular needs.

2. Keep it Concise

Attention spans are short, so keep your demo video concise and focused.

Aim for a duration of 2-5 minutes to ensure that you capture the viewer's attention and deliver your message effectively, without overwhelming them with too much information.

3. Focus on Benefits, Not Features

Highlight the benefits of your product rather than just listing its features.

Show viewers how your product can improve their lives, save them time or money, or help them achieve their goals.

Focus on the value proposition and what sets your product apart from competitors.

4. Tell a Story

Create a narrative arc for your demo video to make it more engaging and memorable.

Start with a problem or challenge that the viewer can relate to, then introduce your product as the solution.

Show how your product addresses the problem and leads to a positive outcome, such as increased productivity or satisfaction.

5. Show, Don't Just Tell

Use visuals and demonstrations to show how your product works rather than just talking about it.

Incorporate screenshots, animations, or real-world examples to illustrate key points and make the information easier to understand.

6. Use High-Quality Production

Invest in high-quality production values to make your demo video look polished and professional.

Use good lighting, clear audio, and high-resolution visuals to ensure that the video is visually appealing and easy to watch.

7. Include Callouts and Annotations

Use callouts, annotations, or text overlay to highlight important points, features, or benefits throughout the video.

This helps to reinforce your message and ensure that key information doesn't get overlooked.

8. Add a Human Touch

Incorporate personal touches such as a friendly voiceover or on-screen presenter to make the video feel more human and relatable.

This helps to establish a connection with the viewer and keeps them engaged throughout the video.

9. Optimize for Mobile

Many viewers will be watching your demo video on mobile devices, so make sure that it is optimized for mobile viewing.

Use large text, clear visuals, and a responsive layout to ensure that the video looks good and is easy to navigate on smartphones and tablets.

10. Include a Clear Call to Action

By following these tips, you can create an effective product demo video that effectively showcases your product's value proposition, engages your audience, and drives desired outcomes.

What’s The Difference Between a Product Demo Video & a Sales Demo?

The terms "product demo" and "sales demo" are often used interchangeably, but there are subtle differences between the two:

So while both product demos and sales demos involve showcasing a product or service to potential customers, the key difference lies in their focus and context.

A product demo is more general and educational, aimed at providing an overview of the product and its features, while a sales demo is more targeted and persuasive, focused on closing a sale by addressing the prospect's specific needs and concerns.

How Do Product Demonstrations Improve Conversion?

Product demo videos can significantly improve conversion rates by addressing key barriers to purchase and providing potential customers with a compelling and immersive experience.

But high-converting product demo videos have certain traits that make them effective.

Here's how product demos contribute to increased conversions:

1. Clear Understanding of Value Proposition

Product demos allow potential customers to see the product in action and understand its value proposition more clearly.

By demonstrating how the product works and how it can benefit them, demos help to alleviate any uncertainty or confusion, making it easier for customers to see the value in making a purchase.

2. Engagement and Interest

Product demos are highly engaging and can capture the attention of potential customers more effectively than static images or text descriptions.

By showcasing the product's features and capabilities in a dynamic and interactive format, demos keep customers interested and invested in learning more about the product.

3. Visual and Emotional Appeal

Videos are a powerful medium for evoking emotions and creating a connection with the audience.

Product demos can leverage visual storytelling techniques to create an emotional impact and appeal to the viewer's senses, making the product more memorable and desirable.

4. Demonstration of Use Cases

Product demos demonstrate how the product can be used in real-world scenarios, showing potential customers how it can solve their specific problems or meet their particular needs.

This helps to make the product more relevant and relatable to the customer, increasing their likelihood of making a purchase.

5. Building Trust and Credibility

Seeing the product in action through a demo video helps to build trust and credibility with potential customers.

It allows them to get a better sense of what to expect from the product and can alleviate any concerns or doubts they may have about its effectiveness or reliability.

6. Overcoming Objections

Product demos provide an opportunity to address common objections or concerns that potential customers may have about the product.

By showcasing how the product addresses these concerns and provides solutions, demos help to overcome barriers to purchase and increase confidence in the product.

7. Encouraging Action

Product demos often include a clear call to action prompting viewers to take the next step, such as signing up for a free trial, requesting more information, or making a purchase.

By guiding potential customers through the buying process and making it easy for them to take action, demos help to increase conversion rates effectively.

Overall, product demos play a crucial role in the conversion process by educating potential customers, building trust and credibility, addressing objections, and encouraging action.

By leveraging the power of product demos, businesses can effectively engage their audience and drive more conversions.

And there you have it, everything you need to get started on making great product demo videos for your offering!

It’s time to bring your ideas to life and make it real for your viewers.

Remember that video is more art than science.

So as we always say in our blogs, don’t be afraid to experiment and try different things and see what works specifically for you and your audience. 

What did you think? Is there anything that stood out to you in this blog? Anything we left out? Let us know in the comments!

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Demo Presentation Template

Captivate your audience by delivering a professional product demonstration. Show customers or investors how your product or service will benefit them.

About the Demo Presentation Template  

This Demo Presentation Template helps you get your flow of ideas across easily and professionally. With this template, you can show potential and existing customers what your product or service can do.

When you have a visual presentation showing how your product works, customers can better understand how it solves their pain points. Use a demo presentation to enhance your sales presentation and stimulate interest in your product.

What’s a demo presentation?

A demo presentation is a meeting between your business and a client (or potential client) in which you showcase and present a product or service. It typically includes a full run-down of the product’s key selling points, uses, target audience , and other relevant features. 

The aim of a product demo is to demonstrate your product’s selling power and hopefully win over the client in question with a deal. It’s all about showing your product in the best possible light and answering any questions the client may have. 

An amazing demo presentation should inform, enlighten, and excite your client. 

While it’s important to be vocal about your product’s highlights and potential, a big part of any product demonstration should include a fair degree of listening. The essence of a demo presentation is to bring life to your business’ product or service and inspire clients to take action. 

What should a demo presentation include?

Miro is the perfect online presentation creator . When putting together a demo presentation, the following several boxes need to be ticked: 

Excellent product/services knowledge

If you don’t know your product inside and out, clients will be able to tell, and they’ll be put off as a result. Make sure to conduct a thorough analysis of your product well before the presentation starts. You need to be able to clearly communicate the product’s attributes and confidently answer any questions.

Real-life examples and scenarios

Clients will gain a much stronger impression of your product if they feel they can apply it to their own lives or businesses. Providing real-life examples of how they can benefit from your product is a crucial aspect of any demo or prototype presentation.

Effective visual aids

Make it even easier for clients to fall in love with your product by providing effective, well-designed visual aids. From infographics and images to demo videos, visual aids can make your presentation more impactful and increase the client’s likelihood of conversion. 

When to use a demo presentation

A demo presentation is helpful for connecting with clients. Just about every product and service can benefit from a strong presentation, such as: 

A sprint demo presentation. Within the Scrum framework , a demo presentation comes at the end of a sprint. Sprint demos are needed to showcase progress and project status to stakeholders who are invested in the outcome.

An app demo presentation. This type of presentation is especially useful if you’re trying to find investors for the development of an app. It sheds light on the potential app’s revenue and social impact.

A prototype presentation. A prototype presentation is also useful for gaining support from investors for a still-developing product. By presenting a prototype, you can summarize the problems your product is trying to solve and improve investors’ overall understanding of your product.

How to use the Demo Presentation Template  

If you’ve never created a demo presentation before, using a template can be tremendously helpful. Follow these simple instructions to make the most out of Miro’s Demo Presentation Template: 

Step 1: Fill in your template

You’ll need to fill in your template with information for each slide. You might include the following information in your slide deck:

the product’s identity

the target market

the revenue potential

key selling points 

potential risks along the way 

Step 2: Edit and customize 

Whether you’re creating an app demo or prototype presentation, this customizable template can suit your needs. Edit, refine, and polish the order, layout, visuals, and structure of your Demo Presentation Template to suit your business and what it offers. 

Step 3: Brainstorm ideas and collaborate

With Miro’s presentation mode , you can preview your entire presentation as a team. With an easy-to-navigate structure and flexible framework, your demo presentation plan can evolve and be improved with ease. When you’re ready for your final presentation, simply select this mode and use the forward and back arrows to move smoothly through your presentation.

Tips for a great demo presentation

Whether you’re delivering a sprint demo presentation, an app demo presentation, or a prototype presentation, here are a few helpful tips to bear in mind: 

Know your product well. Uncertainty and lack of knowledge aren’t going to win over clients. You want to demonstrate confidence, diligence, and professionalism. Make sure to do your research well and have answers prepped for questions you might be asked.

Have a clear intro, middle, and conclusion. Using a storyteller structure in your presentation can make it more digestible to clients. Use visuals and clear communication to break down your product’s features into distinctive, cohesive sections.

Listen well. Even though this presentation is about your product, it’s important to leave some room for others to speak. This will make the presentation more conversational and allow clients to flesh out your product from their perspectives.

Don’t be distracted. When delivering a professional demo presentation, you want to emulate reliability, uniformity, and expertise. Maintain strong eye contact and stay focused on the presentation’s goals. Make sure your connection is strong, especially if the presentation is virtual .

How do you start a demo presentation?

Your demo presentation should start with a brief description of its agenda. Then, dive into your intro, work your way into the main points, and end with a conclusion or call to action. An open Q&A session can be held at the end.

How do you prepare for a demo?

Prepare for your demo with lots of research on your product/service and the clients you will be presenting it to. The more you know about these things, the more influential your presentation will be.

What makes a good demo presentation?

An effective demo presentation should include relevant and accurate information about your product. The presenter should have great communication skills and use strong visual aids. Your demo presentation should have a clear structure and logical flow — which you can get using this Demo Presentation Template.

Get started with this template right now.

Logo Presentation Template

Works best for:.

Presentations, UX Design

Make your logo ideas shine with the Logo Presentation Template. Use it to deliver logo designs, explain the thought process behind them, and show how they work in various contexts.

Critical Design Review Presentation Template

Use this template to finalize the design phase of a project. Keep all team members on the same page and ensure that your team’s technical efforts are on track.

Effective Meeting Template by Zoom

Team Meetings

Run effective meetings and keep everyone focused with Zoom’s Effective Meeting Template. Bring structure and creativity to every online meeting.

Project Presentation Template

Presentations, Product Management

Use our Project Presentation Template to provide an overview of your upcoming project. Get buy-in from investors, keep stakeholders in the loop, and show colleagues your plan of action.

UX Presentation Template

Create a stunning UX presentation with Miro’s memorable slide deck. Customize your slide deck to display your UX research in the perfect format for your audience. Add charts, images, and visuals to present your findings.

Keynote Presentation Template

Presentations, Workshops

Designed to create enthusiasm and build knowledge about a specific topic, keynote presentations are more powerful than most people think. With them, you get to inspire and unify an audience with a common purpose. We give you an easy way to do this — just use our Keynote Presentation Template to create your own captivating presentation.

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Last updated: 14 November, 2023

What is a demo?

Types of saas demos, sales demo call, teaching demo (academia), website demo, video product demo, combined approach, how to create a powerful sales demo email.

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Key aspects of the efficient SaaS product demo

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If you are in B2B SaaS sales, you know that a great product demo is the most critical piece in the sales process that can make or break your chances of closing the deal. It’s a unique opportunity to demonstrate the value of your product or service to prospects.

A demo is the shortened form of the word “demonstration.” It means a trial version or sample of a digital product (software, game, music, etc.). Demos are usually spread among users who might be interested in trying the product, for them to test it before buying, and also with the advertising purpose. 

Besides, a demo serves as the presentation and is an integral part of the product marketing process. As we know, digital marketing is focused on high-level conversion . Marketers create special product demos that can be presented in different formats. But the main idea of each demo is to get the purchase done or close the deal.

Let’s take a closer look at SaaS demos because SaaS products are in demand, and the number of SaaS offers is growing fast day by day.

Each marketing team can choose the best type of SaaS presentation based on the requirements of their target audience. As the SaaS market provides users with high-quality applications, the definition of a tech demo will be used here. 

SaaS tech demos may be presented in the following formats:

The sales rep of the company communicates with each potential customer by phone. This kind of product demonstration is the most personalized one but is poorly efficient for SaaS marketing campaigns.

This online presentation is similar to a guide. Some marketers offer a live stream to tell more about solutions prospects may find in the promoted product or app. Teaching demos are also not very popular among sales reps who specialize in SaaS markets.

Web-users see a customized pop-up screen while visiting online resources. The format of website presentations can be different: text message that includes graphics, table with statistics, slide-show demo, video presentation, and many more.

This is one of the efficient tools for email drip marketing campaigns. You can put text in the email body and add an attachment or a link to the presentation.

This is a special demo that focuses on prospects’ pain points and hot-topic requirements. Salespeople that run digital marketing campaigns for SaaS products prefer this format the best.

It should be noted that the combined approach is considered the most efficient for B2B SaaS companies. For example, marketers can prepare the demo video/academia/website presentation section and use the links to this material in emails. 

Most prospects prefer feeling special. This is why the best way to brief them on the product presentation in any format is by sending customized and personalized email letters. This message should contain a link to a sales demo. 

Additional recommendations for the achievement of results are the following:

• Create a specific call to action (CTA)
• Make polite conversation
• Use bright info content and add some catchy details presented in your demo

When to use demos in the digital marketing campaign   

SaaS product presentation doesn’t take place in the first stage of a digital marketing strategy. In general, each campaign has four main steps:

• Lead generation & management These two processes often take place together. Lead generation and management allow collecting leads and help them move through the sales funnel .
• Ideal customer profile (ICP) creation This is the stage of research, analytical investigations, and other studies based on already-gathered statistics related to leads.
• Pitch stage During this stage, all promotional materials are created. Here the procedure of the product demo delivery takes place.
• Conversion stage This is the final step of the marketing process. The most expected result is high sales rates. A meaningful demo leads to better conversion because most prospects convert into willing buyers and users of SaaS products.

One more way to see when demo delivery takes place is to find it in the typical plan of the customer journey. There are many detailed graphs with different steps to take into account. According to the one below, the process of demo delivery should take place in the mid-course of the customer journey:

Some marketers prefer to mention or show all the strong sides of the promoted product or service in the demo. But a properly-done demo has to solve problems of the targeted audience and meet clients’ requirements instead of promoting services or products.

Any sales process requires a high-quality demo. Marketers need to pick an optimal demonstration variant that will become an effective tool for digital marketing progress. It’s better if you create a customized story, not a tour of the product’s functionality.

Tech demos contain information about the specifications of the product. But technical data should take up the minimum part of sales presentations. The most powerful demo should contain:

• 80% of information about prospects’ requirements, needs, pains, and possible solutions;
• 20% of detailed information about the SaaS product the company sells. 

It means that the more marketers focus on potential buyers’ issues, the better the final result will be. A perfectly-done demo of any format is characterized by two other features:

• Visualization of any statistics mentioned (if these numbers are necessary for prospects’ decision-making).
• Decision contents (demo version can be combined with free-trial options; the main idea is to show prospects different options to choose from).

Wrapping it up

As it was mentioned before, SaaS products are in great demand nowadays, so the rivalry in this segment is very intense. SaaS companies prioritize product demos, which results in higher conversion rates. But they can also provide their prospects with free trials or even freemiums (absolutely free-of-charge versions of SaaS applications but with limited functionality).

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A Guide to Demo Day Presentations

by Geoff Ralston 7/25/2016

In 2005 Y Combinator held its first Demo Day. Eight companies showed off their products and sold their vision to an audience of about 15 investors. Today, accelerators and incubators around the world hold their own demo days, and in 2016 over 200 YC companies will describe their startups to an audience of hundreds. Creating an effective demo day presentation has become an important part of participating in YC, not just due to the importance of Demo Day, but because the very process of fashioning the presentation is valuable. Surprisingly, it can be the first time founders achieve clarity together and come to a shared understanding of their story. 1

Since that first YC batch we’ve helped over 1000 companies with their presentations. This guide summarizes what we’ve learned and describes how to create an effective demo day presentation. It is the perfect companion to A Guide to Seed Fundraising , where we discuss the mechanics of raising seed capital. 2

While reading this guide keep in mind that a short presentation to investors will seldom convince any of them to invest on the spot. This is especially true when the presentation is one of many. In that case, investors are simply trying to manage the flow of information and, more than anything else, figure out who they can ignore and who they’d like to meet. Therefore, your goal should be to intrigue your listeners enough that they will want to meet you and learn more. Keep that goal in mind and follow the prescriptions below, and you are much more likely to have a great demo day.

For readers without the time or inclination to read even this short manual, I’ll give up the secret to a great presentation now: practice. Make sure you know your story so well that it comes out as smoothly as a Steve Jobs pitch. It turns out that the very process of working thoroughly and intensively on your story will force you to improve it and make it more persuasive.

There is a more extensive reading list at the end of this post, but must-reads include: • How to Present to Investors by Paul Graham 3 • How to Design a Better Pitch Deck by Kevin Hale 4 • Advice on Pitching by Aaron Harris 5

Your Presentation Like all presentations, your demo day presentation is a story. Each founder will have occasion to act as a salesperson for their company and to tell that story–this is a chance for everyone to get on the same page. Your presentation should be the culmination of an effort to synthesize and understand as deeply as possible your core message, your opportunity, and, especially, the product you are building. The very best demo day presentations have four core qualities:

• Clarity – the presentation is clearly and simply presented. • Excitement – the opportunity is compelling; it demands listeners pay attention. • Informative – it teaches listeners something they did not know. • Memorable – your story stays with the audience; later they can recall who you are and what you do.

The best technique to achieve these qualities is a process of repetition, critique, and editing (including, importantly, selective removal). But in order to build your presentation you need to start with a framework. We call this the story’s vertebrae.

Vertebrae Most listeners will remember – at most – 3 or 4 key points from a presentation they have just heard, especially if it is one presentation out of many. The vertebrae of a presentation are those points. They will be the most compelling and memorable ways to describe the company and its opportunity. These are not necessarily the points that explain what the company does, but rather those that will be most likely to pique the attention of your audience and convince them that they want to learn more. The presentation is then constructed to convey these points as effectively as possible.

A great way to derive these four points is via the Socratic method. Ask yourselves: • What are we building and for whom? • Why hasn’t this been done before? • Why is it hard to do what we are doing? • Why is this an opportunity not to be missed?

It is helpful to begin your story as narrowly as you can and then expand upon that simple story only as far as you need to and no further. The best presentation will be complete yet concise: a story told with great clarity.

The Audience The goal of any presenter is to capture an audience’s attention and bring them along through their story. The very best presenters are captivating, informative, provocative, and sometimes funny. The worst are painfully awkward, convoluted, boring, or all of these.

The first step to success is to know to whom you are speaking. Or, rather, to know what it is that speaks to the people in front of you. Investors care only to find the next hot startup, and your goal is to convince them that it might just be you. Unfortunately, you usually have a distressingly short time in which to do this. This is true regardless of the length allotted to your presentation, since most investors will tune out almost instantly.

It turns out that investors have a much easier time deciding which startups they do not like. Since this is the easier path they do it first, and thus their initial goal is to decide which startups they do not have to talk to. This makes their main goal much simpler – to decide which startups they must meet.

A presentation that is built to make a company impossible to ignore, that actually instills fear in investors that missing this opportunity might mean missing the next Airbnb, is most likely to get you that next meeting and a chance to close a deal. All investors, angels, and venture capitalists alike have a deep fear of missing out on the next big thing when it is right in front of them.

Presentation Organization Demo day presentations tend to follow a consistent structure, but there is also plenty of room for variation, especially for experienced presenters. Here is an outline of the usual components, though the order of how you present them is up to you; in most cases the introduction will come first and the conclusion at the end, though sometimes we advise companies to show impressive traction on the very first slide, and that is all it will take to grab the audience’s attention and hold it. I’ve heard my colleague Justin Kan yell, “Don’t bury the lead,” when a founder finishes with the fact that they have $5mm in revenue and are profitable, rather than starting with that fact.

The Introduction This is not much different from the so-called elevator pitch. Briefly say what you are doing and why. It is especially helpful to start off by saying as clearly as you can what you are in terms that the audience is likely to understand. For example, “We deliver groceries to customers in their homes,” is clearer than “we are a next generation, AI-based resolver of grocery needs.” This is sometimes called a mission statement, but regardless, strive for conciseness and clarity. A common error is to avoid describing what you do until far into the presentation. That is always a mistake.

The Problem You Are Solving In almost every case, a simple description of the problem your product solves should be a part of your presentation. However, beware of the caveat above, and do not spend too much time describing your problem leading up to your fantastic solution, and leaving the listener wondering what, exactly, you do until half your pitch is done.

The Product and the Customer Explain in more detail what you are building and for whom. This used to be where you would show a demo, but ironically, demos seldom work in modern demo day presentations. Explaining rapidly and clearly what your product does can be the most challenging, and rewarding part of getting ready for a demo day.

The Opportunity This is usually expressed as a total addressable market (TAM). It is vastly better to be concrete and bottoms up (e.g., “We can sell for $X, and we have Y potential customers, leading to an addressable market of $X * Y”) rather than nebulous and top down (e.g., “The software market is a $15 trillion dollar market…and if we can capture just 1% of that market…”). You goal is to persuade the audience that the opportunity is real, that you are not making up data out of thin air, and that your company has a real shot at the dollars you describe.

The Traction By demo day – thanks to the current era of shareware, frameworks and AWS – most companies are up and running, accepting customers, and, hopefully, growing like weeds. Here is where you get to show your weed-like growth. Bring out your hockey sticks and show us your startup growth curves. Sure you have a great story – but now is the chance to persuade listeners that it is non-fiction. What happens if you have no traction or have not launched? This is not the end of the world. Many startups have successfully presented their companies pre-traction, but you must keep in mind that in that case your success rests on the power of your story to persuade. You will be forced to lean more heavily on your personality and credentials, your story, and on your dream.

The Team How you integrate your team into the presentation is up to you, but it is important to keep in mind that investors are investing in you and your team above all, and therefore to generate interest you must sell the team. However, realistically you cannot do much during this brief presentation, so only spend time here on truly notable aspects of the team (“Jill has a PhD in rocket science and holds the patent on the core technology upon which this market is built.”).

The Conclusion Do not conclude with a whimper but rather with a bang. Insist that your audience remember you. Tell them as directly as possible what to remember about your company and opportunity. It is often effective to list explicitly the 3 or 4 vertebrae you would like them to retain.

Although I did not explicitly include a section on business model above, it is important that by the end of your presentation, investors believe you have one. Sometimes the model is obvious and it is unnecessary to belabor it (“we are a new kind of retail store”), but even in these cases it may be necessary to explain why you will be profitable. Few in the audience will believe a model where the unit economics seem impossible. You do not have time to elaborate and explain your model in detail, therefore you must find a way to describe it in simple and easy to retain terms.

Slides The most important part of your presentation is the story you tell. The slides accompany and enhance your story, but should never dominate. They are the supporting cast and you are the leading man or woman. Work on your story and then build slides that support that story. Do not build a slide deck and then tell a story that supports your slides. In the latter case your presentation will stutter from slide to slide and you will try to memorize and smooth over slide transitions. In the former, your transitions will naturally blend into the story and it will become a cohesive whole.

Please remember that an audience cannot read a slide AND listen to you simultaneously. If you force them to do so, they will probably read the slide and ignore you. Slides have to be dead simple to glance at and understand. In a presentation that lasts a matter of minutes you do not have time to walk your audience through a complex slide. Try this and you will find 80% of your listeners will be reading their email by the time you are through. Do not count on your audience being willing to work to understand you.

A good test is whether this slide or this point is more or less likely to persuade someone to join or invest in your company. This sort of testimonial feels good but has almost no impact on a listener.

Slide Tips Creating great slides is an art form that great presenters learn to master. Keep in mind that your slides are your support, not your competition. Kevin Hale’s presentation is a must-read. Follow his directions and keep the following tips in mind:

• A slide should have one main point, never more. • Use pictures rather than words whenever possible, and make them relevant and additive to your point. In other words, the slide should be an aid to making your point clear. If it is neutral or confusing, it would be better if it weren’t there. • Minimize the number of words on a slide. If there are words they should be in a very large font. If you have more than 7 words on a slide it is likely to be too many. • Quotes are great, but make them large and read them aloud to your audience to emphasize the point. Don’t expect the audience to read a quote while you say something else. • If you have images and text, make sure the text is on an area that provides contrast so it is readable. If necessary, add a semi-transparent background to the text. • Make sure fonts are large and easily legible from a distance. Likewise, do not choose colors which wash out easily or are hard to see. Primary colors or black are usually safe choices. • Put important text at the top of the slide. People sitting in the back of an auditorium may not be able to see the lower part of a screen. • Avoid cumulative graphs. By definition these always show growth – up and to the right – and always cause immediate suspicion that there is no real growth.

Preparation After coaching founders on hundreds of demo day presentations, there is really only one preparation technique that matters, and luckily it is dead simple: practice . And after you’ve practiced, practice some more. Not only will your delivery improve, but, and this is no less important, you and your co-founders will eventually discover what works and does not work on your own, just from listening and relistening to your own ideas as to why your company will be a massive success.

Practicing with co-founders and/or others is, in fact, vital to your success. Most of you will have no idea what you sound like nor the mistakes you will make when you first practice your presentation. You may speak too loudly, too softly or too quickly. Practice in front of people who will give you honest, unvarnished feedback. If you don’t have people to practice with, record yourself and watch the recordings.

Who Should Present One person should give the presentation. We strongly recommend against switching back and forth between presenters. It is also terribly easy to overcomplicate this choice. The presenter does not have to be the CEO or the person with the most equity. Simply choose the presenter who presents the best. A demo day presentation is not about glory, it is about generating the most interest possible. Choose the team member who speaks most clearly, with the most confidence, and makes the most persuasive case for your company.

Technique Every speaker has their own technique and it is important to be authentic. Yes, you are acting, but few of us are good enough to act convincingly as another person. Those who are that skilled probably don’t need to read this part of the guide. The rest of us need to find our own voice, our own passion, and our own inner storyteller. However, there are some common qualities shared by all great speakers from which you can learn:

• Be confident and enthusiastic . Show your passion. • Project . This is especially important if you are speaking to a large crowd, but will always make you more impressive, signal greater passion, and make you more easily understood. • Smile, but not too much . It will not only make you seem more relaxed and confident, it will make you more relaxed and confident. • Speak slowly . We advise founders to speak unnaturally slowly, especially if they talk fast habitually. By the way, this is especially important in a demo day presentation because your listeners are absorbing such a huge amount of information, they need extra time to process what you are saying. • Pause from time to time . A pause is powerful – it forces the audience to pay attention, forces you to slow down, and gives you time to gather your thoughts. • Speak clearly. Especially if you are not presenting in your native tongue. • Speak with cadence. With practice, even a memorized script can become more natural and interesting. A monotone, robotic delivery will put your audience to sleep. • Stand or move naturally. Don’t be stiff. However, don’t move too much. Do not pace. Do not dance! See below for more tips on movement.

Movement An important part of appearing confident, powerful, and formidable up on stage is how you move during your talk. It is almost never a good idea to be completely static. Your should be as natural as possible and not stand like a statue. An unmoving founder will often leave investors equally unmoved. Equally important is not to move too much so that you distract your audience.

Most of the time you should stand with your feet planted firmly and your weight equally distributed. Try not to shift your weight as that will cause you to sway distractingly. Similarly, although it is perfectly fine to move, do not pace. Take a few steps, stop, talk for a while, then move again if you like.

Always face your audience. Avoid turning to look at your slides. Your presence is diminished each time you lose eye contact with your audience. If you want to point at something, do so while facing towards the front. If you are not sure you are on the right slide and there is no monitor in front of you, you can check, but trust your clicker and don’t do this on every slide.

Generally, repetitive movement is a distraction to the audience whether it is pacing or swinging your arm at each point you make or each time you make a slide transition.

It is very difficult to give your presentation and pay attention to all these things simultaneously. The best way to improve is to have others give you feedback and work to eliminate bad habits on each iteration. It is also very useful to record yourself and watch what you do.

Common Errors As you practice and refine your presentation, refer back to this list to make sure you aren’t making any classic presenter mistakes. Some of the most common errors we see include:

• Muddying, or leaving out entirely, a description of the problem you are solving and how you are solving it – in other words not communicating what you are doing. This description should be covered very early in your presentation. • Using jargon, unnecessarily complex phrasing or descriptions, or marketing boilerplate. E.g.. “Our SaaS product provides customers the complex analytical solutions for their enterprise big data needs.” • Exaggerating the truth. Exaggerations, or worse, outright untruths, are fatal errors. • Completing your presentations without leaving investors with a clear idea as to why they should care. • Screen vs. presenter disease – where the audience cannot figure out whether to pay attention to your slides or you, but they are forced to choose. • Looking at your slides when talking. Face your audience and project to them. Here, as always, practice helps. • Saying too many words, especially if they are complex or buzzwordy. Listeners get “buffer overflow” and forget everything. Then, they read email. Talking too fast. Talking in front of a lot of people is different than talking one on one. • Including a slide that does not help investors invest in you. For example, “That’s nuts!” and for that exclamation including a slide with a picture of nuts. • Including complex graphs. • Including a video. They are almost never a good idea – investors are there to judge you and therefore want to see you perform live. • Dancing: it is hard to present like a superstar, but we can learn from superstar presenters. Look how they move. They do not shift from foot to foot or jump jerkily from position to position or, especially, throw their hands and arms around much. They move in deliberate, confident strides and often stop and stare directly into the audience to make a point. • Plowing through without pause. It is important to pace your talk. Not only do you need to breathe, but so does your audience. In fact, if you do not pause, you miss an opportunity to emphasize your most important points. • Your approach to your presentation tells listeners a ton about you. If you seem bored or angry or anything but confident and passionate about your idea, your chance of winning them over is next to zero.

Concluding Thoughts The path to success for startups is highly variable, but successful startups have a lot in common. Companies need to build great products, find customers that love those products, and then scale to many such customers. Every startup needs to create their story, their vision of what and why their company exists. A demo day presentation is often the first, clearest, most succinct version of that story. Hopefully, this guide will help make that presentation a key step on the path to success.

Sources 1 The Magic Thread . My post on the core of a successful demo day pitch. ↩ 2 A Guide to Seed Fundraising (Imagine K12 Manual) , Geoff Ralston. A guide focusing on the fundraising which occurs during, after (and sometimes before) demo day. ↩ 3 How to Present to Investors , Paul Graham. Techniques for effective demo day presentations. It is a bit dated, but still is required reading. ↩ 4 How to Design a Better Pitch Deck . YC partner Kevin Hale’s great guide to building pitch decks. ↩ 5 Advice on Pitching . YC partner Aaron Harris’s quick guide to best practices. ↩ 6 How I Pitched My First Startup . Keen.io founder demo day advice. 7 How to Write Your Demo Day Pitch . The other Keen.io founder demo day advice. 8 The Anatomy of a Y Combinator Demo Day Pitch . OATV founder Bryce Roberts on demo day. 9 YC Demo Day Prep Resources . YC Alum Danielle Morrill’s demo day tips.

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Geoff Ralston

Geoff Ralston is the former President of Y Combinator and has been with YC since 2011. Prior to YC, he built one of the first web mail services, RocketMail which became Yahoo Mail in 1997.

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Table of Contents

Software demo presentations - what exactly are they?

7 essential elements for a good software demo presentation, an opening to remember, personalized to the target audience and their problem, focus on the value that ties back to their pain point, a strong demo script with engaging content, an interactive product demo that wows the buyers, strong ctas that get them to take actions, clear metrics to measure engagement, common mistakes to avoid in a software demo presentation, feature dumping without regard to their pain point, making the conversation a one-way street, sticking to the script with no regard for the buyer's pov, a guide on how to create a software demo presentation, start with a warm introduction, highlight the product features that solve their problem, take them to the aha moment of the conversation, engage them in a question-and-answer segment, communicate the next steps clearly and close, create demo presentations that your prospects will love with fable.

Your prospects have expressed interest in your SaaS offering and are eager to learn more about it during the software demo. Now, all that remains is for you to deliver an effective demo presentation that is more captivating and engaging than the final minutes of a Super Bowl game with the scores all tied!

That's what a great demo presentation is supposed to achieve - to deliver a great demo experience that wow your prospects.

This article will provide an overview of the various elements involved in a great software demo presentation. So, let's get our demo thinking hats on and nail those demo presentations!

A live software demo is a tool that sales teams utilize to demonstrate a SaaS product to prospective buyers. It is a visual walkthrough of the software. Sales reps, solution engineers, and account executives rely heavily on visual demonstrations to showcase the product's functionality to buyers, and to engage, attract, and persuade them.

Software customers require a method to evaluate the product, comprehend its functionality, and assess its features and advantages prior to making a purchasing decision. The software sales demo provides an opportunity for the sales teams to allow buyers to experience your product. An interactive demo created with Fable can be used during the sales demo phase of the buyer journey, providing prospects with links that they can engage with on their own at any point during the sales experience.

Learning to create an interactive product demo can be straightforward, especially on a platform like Fable . Today, we will discuss how to make the demo presentation impressive and delve into the more challenging aspects.

Having learned about what a software demo is, it is important to explore the essential components of a great software demo presentation:

Begin your demo with something that captures the viewer's attention. Possible options for a welcome message include a variety of methods such as an interesting statistic that relates to their specific pain point, successful customer stories who faced a similar problem, an appealing image, or even a video.

Remember, first impressions make a huge difference!

Before you start creating a software demo, ask yourself this - what the buyer persona is, and what their problem is?

Highlight the potential benefits of your product to meet their requirements. Including personalized elements in the product demo, such as the prospect's name and company logo, can enhance their understanding that the demo was tailored specifically for them.

Once you have collected all the necessary information, analyze how your product features can address your prospect's biggest challenges. To maintain viewer engagement with your demo, it is important to not solely focus on guiding them through your product. Develop a compelling story that addresses the areas of concern.

Ensure the story of the demo revolves around what the buyer wants to know about your software.

To create a successful software demo, it is important to have a well-crafted demo script that incorporates a compelling storyline to capture the customer's interest. A demo script that starts with a problem, provides a solution, and highlights the benefits of the product is an effective approach. Include various engaging elements such as GIFs, humor, sales memes, rich text, movie references, sports references, or any other topic the prospect finds interesting to enhance this demo.

The gist of it all is - whatever you do, please don't be boring!

Of course, nobody just wants to hear how a product will solve their problem, but want to see how the product actually works. They want to learn how to navigate and utilize all the features effectively. It is important to carefully break down the process into small steps by following a step-by-step guide. Provide your audience with the link to their customized software demo and allow them to try it on their own.

Keep them engaged by having them click through the product so that they can see how it works and the value it can bring them.

The demo presentation should be aligned with the purpose of its creation by including a strong call to action. If your goal is to increase sign-ups for a free trial, your call to action could be "Sign up for a free trial."

Include clear calls to action (CTAs) throughout your software demo to guide your audience through the next steps of the process.

Analyze the analytics to assess factors such as the timing of demo views, duration of views on different screens, viewership demographics, etc. This will allow your sales team to effectively follow up with the prospect.

Use this information to fine-tune your future demos and make them failproof.

Regardless of how excellent your software may be, if it is not effectively presented, it will not capture and engage decision-makers interest. Below are some common mistakes seen in sales demos that sales representatives often make.

Your prospective client is not interested in hearing about the features of your product and how amazing they are. They are solely focused on how those features can address their issue. Emphasize on the product features that can benefit them, rather than simply discussing its capabilities. Focus on the value rather than the functionality.

Most demo presenters go on a monologue about your product while flipping through a slide deck. There is nothing worse for a potential client than having to stay awake through a conversation that has so little role for them.

Utilize interactive sales demos to effectively engage your audience. Address them by their name. During a Zoom demo, it's recommended to pause screen sharing for important moments so that your audience can see your face. Please ask any questions you may have in the chat to better understand their interest in specific features.

It is recommended to create a demo script, prepare, and practice before giving a demo presentation. However, it can be uncomfortable if the prospect asks a question that is not in your script and you are unable to answer.

One way to solve the problem is by becoming more adaptable in utilizing the script. If the prospect asks questions, it is important to take a moment to pause and respond to their inquiries.

When presenting a demo, it is beneficial to plan ahead and organize your presentation in order to maintain control and effectively respond to any unexpected situations on the field. It is beneficial to be prepared, confident, and have a structured flow during your demo presentation.

The main purpose of introducing yourself is to establish a connection with the prospect. After introducing yourself, provide a brief overview of your product demonstration and outline the agenda for the call. Ending the introduction with a question, such as "What are your thoughts on this agenda?" creates an opportunity for discussion.

As stated previously, it is recommended not to overload your demo with excessive features and unnecessary details of your tool. Instead, consider the potential customer's concerns and connect the features as a solution to those concerns. It is your responsibility to ensure that you explain to them how your product can offer value to them as a team and individually. To achieve this, it is necessary to have a strong grasp of their goals and objectives.

Find a way to create a memorable 'Aha!' moment for the prospect that will make them remember you and your product. This is the time to demonstrate your showmanship to your prospect, rather than simply talking about it. Using an interactive product demo can help create an 'Aha!' moment sooner by allowing the prospect to try out the tool on their own, in a sandbox environment, without the involvement of a salesperson.

Additionally, one can enhance their demo by preparing questions to ask their prospects. Beginning the demo with a conversation will ensure that the next chunk of time is not spent in a monologue.

A higher level of engagement leads to an increased likelihood of purchasing. Encourage them to ask questions to ensure ongoing engagement with the demo. It is recommended to establish a connection by being relatable and personable whenever feasible. Establishing genuine relationships can help ensure that your prospects remember and value your advice.

Please conclude the demo presentation by restating the message and providing a call to action or outlining the next step. Would you like the prospect to complete a form, arrange a follow-up online meeting, or proceed to the final stage of signing the deal? Include your next action in your demo script and ensure clear communication before concluding the presentation.

To maximize your chances of closing deals, it's important to present your software demos in the most effective manner possible.

Fable is a software that allows you to create interactive product demo presentations. The platform offers advanced features such as analytics, no code personalization, unlimited sharing, integration with CRM and Slack, and more.

So what are you waiting for? Book a free demo with us now and see for yourself how you can take your demo game a notch higher!

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Introduction:

Demo, short for sales demonstration or presentation, is a pivotal aspect of the sales process, allowing sales professionals to showcase the features, benefits, and capabilities of a product or service to potential customers. In this article, we'll explore the concept of Demo, its significance in driving sales conversions, and strategies for delivering compelling and impactful product demonstrations that resonate with prospects and drive purchase decisions.

Definition:

Demo, or sales demonstration, refers to the presentation or showcase of a product or service by a sales representative or team to potential customers or prospects, aimed at illustrating its functionality, value proposition, and suitability to address their needs or requirements. It involves highlighting key features, demonstrating use cases, and addressing customer inquiries or objections to showcase the product's capabilities and benefits, fostering engagement and interest in making a purchase.

Key Components of Demo:

• Product Knowledge: Effective demos require comprehensive product knowledge, including an understanding of features, functionalities, use cases, and competitive advantages, enabling sales professionals to articulate value propositions, address customer needs, and tailor demonstrations to resonate with specific audience segments.
• Engaging Presentation: Deliver compelling and engaging presentations that captivate audience attention, communicate key messages effectively, and highlight the unique selling points and benefits of the product or service, leveraging visual aids, storytelling techniques, and interactive elements to convey information in a memorable and persuasive manner.
• Customization and Personalization: Tailor demos to the unique needs, preferences, and interests of individual prospects or target segments, showcasing relevant features, use cases, and benefits that align with their specific requirements, challenges, or objectives, demonstrating a deep understanding of their business context and priorities.

Strategies for Delivering Compelling Demos:

• Focus on Value: Emphasize the value proposition and benefits of the product or service, highlighting how it addresses customer pain points, solves challenges, or fulfills needs, and delivers tangible outcomes or returns on investment, positioning it as a valuable solution worth investing in.
• Interactive Engagement: Foster interactive engagement and participation during demos by encouraging questions, soliciting feedback, and inviting prospects to explore features or scenarios hands-on, creating a collaborative and immersive experience that promotes understanding, involvement, and buy-in.
• Follow-Up and Support: Provide follow-up support and resources to prospects after the demo, such as additional information, product trials, or consultations, to reinforce the value proposition, address remaining concerns or objections, and facilitate the decision-making process, ensuring a seamless and positive customer experience from initial engagement to purchase.

Conclusion:

Demo, or sales demonstration, is a vital component of the sales process, enabling sales professionals to showcase the features, benefits, and capabilities of a product or service to potential customers. By mastering key components of demo delivery and implementing effective strategies for engagement and persuasion, sales teams can deliver compelling and impactful demonstrations that resonate with prospects and drive successful sales conversions in today's competitive marketplace.

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6 Software Demo Presentation Examples That Drive Conversions

What is a Software Demo Presentation?

1. office 365 , 2. employeecycle , 4. grammarly, 5. duolingo, 1. well-crafted demo script, 2. a memorable start, 4. illustrate the business benefits and roi, 5. make it interactive, 6. add visuals, 7. compelling ctas, 8. don’t forget accessibility, do’s and don'ts of creating a software demo presentation, wrapping up.

Does your marketing team want your audience to know the product's features?

Perhaps your customer success team wants to help existing customers resolve their real-time queries.

Maybe your sales team wants to show the product's unique features tied to a pain point before a live demo call. 

Software demo presentations fit throughout the buyer's journey—and across functions. This article will briefly explain software demos, the best software demo presentation examples, and the ingredients that make the best demos. 

A software demo presentation is a visual walkthrough, video, or demonstration of software. Demos are extremely useful for marketing & product marketing teams, sales teams, solution engineers, and account executives to attract new customers and retain existing ones. They showcase the features and benefits of your product to potential customers in a visual and interactive manner.

About 88% of consumers believe interactive SaaS demos help them make better purchasing decisions. And it's pretty easy to understand their growing popularity. Software demo presentations allow potential customers to experience the product hands-on and review its many features without spending much time signing up or setting up a new account. This helps them reach the "aha moment" without encountering a paywall, subscription or sales demo. This, in turn, helps build trust and confidence and facilitates a shorter and more efficient sales cycle.

Let’s move on to the best software demo presentation examples and learn from them. 

6 Software Demo Presentation Examples

Software demo presentations can be used for varied use cases. Whether you’re looking to boost customer engagement, increase conversions, or bring in more revenue, you need a stellar demo of your software product. Here are some great examples from leading brands.  

Office 365 uses a protagonist – Ms. Coleman, in their demo video. Through engaging storytelling, the demo tackles common pain points experienced by teachers—tight budgets, task overload, large class sizes, and time constraints. The demo effectively illustrates how the product addresses these challenges, empowering Ms. Coleman to enhance her efficiency and productivity.

What makes it stand out?

This software demo presentation example stands out for its masterful combination of storytelling, visual aesthetics, and clear communication. It effectively highlights the platform’s specifications, functionality, and accessibility. 

Employee Cycle, a leading platform for HR data visualization, is another example of an interactive self-serve product demo. This demo guides HR professionals through their comprehensive analytics hub. It ensures users effortlessly grasp the platform's capabilities, streamline onboarding, and effectively utilize features for visualizing and optimizing HR data. 

This interactive demo provides a hands-on approach for HR professionals to understand the platform's capabilities. This immersive experience ensures that users can actually use the platform before making the buying decision.  

Slack uses its interface to demonstrate what it can do for its users. Slack’s product demo takes users on a guided journey highlighting the key benefits, such as initiating channels, integrating tools, and fostering collaboration while demonstrating how to accomplish tasks effectively.

What sets Slack demo apart is how it steers the conversation. The demo seamlessly guides prospects through each section even without a sales rep.

Grammarly product demo videos stand out for their persuasiveness. It is one of the best software demo examples showcasing the product’s USPs. This software demo perfectly overviews the problem and showcases the simplicity of their solution. This demonstration effectively showcases the product's capabilities and demonstrates how it solves day-to-day writing problems.

The real-life footage featuring actors in everyday situations enhances the viewer's understanding and engagement

Duolingo starts its software demo with social proofs. It also uses animation to take precedence over screenshots to demonstrate the platform's functionality. With a runtime of 41 seconds, Duolingo is a great software demo example of “Short Is Sweet”. The demo covers features, benefits, and why it's better than competition without being boring or long. 

Duolingo includes statistics and hard facts showcasing its effectiveness. It leaves viewers confident about the app's ability to facilitate language learning.

Strell, an AI-powered SEO content optimization platform provides self-serve demos and product tours. It uses SmartCue to create an interactive product demo that allows users to understand the depth of their AI-driven SEO tools, showcasing how real-time data analysis can enhance content optimization.

Strell enables its users to dive deep into their platform. Giving a first-hand experience of the platform allows prospects to understand how the nuances of AI-driven SEO align perfectly with their requirements. 

8 Essential Components of a Software Demo Presentation

An excellent software demo presentation includes some must-have components to win over your prospective customers. We recommend making sure your demo consists of the following eight elements.

The demo script is a foundational ingredient that can make or break your interactive demo. It should be captivating enough to capture your prospect’s interest. You can enhance the script with engaging elements like GIFs, humor, sales memes, rich text, movie or sports references, etc.

Start your software demo with something that grabs the viewer's attention. It can be a stat related to their specific pain point, a question related to their pain point, a quote, or successful customer stories.

3.  A solution to a problem

Your product exists to solve your prospect’s problems. Don't just guide them on the features and functionality of your product in your software demo. Instead, help them understand how your product solves their problem.

Apart from covering the basics, your demo should clearly illustrate the ROI. You should answer how much time and money your product can save and how it will drive efficiency. This will make your product stand out. 

Prospects get onto sales calls two weeks faster when they view an interactive demo. Interactive product demos help create engaging experiences that showcase the value your audience is looking for. They also help them understand how your product solves their pain points.

Attractive title screens, characters, motion graphics, and transitions can make your software demo more interesting. It can transport viewers to fantastical worlds, evoke specific emotions, and build engagement. 

Do you want your prospects to download a resource, contact sales, request pricing information or sign up for a free trial? The call-to-action for your software demo should align with what you want to achieve from your demo presentation. In addition, the placement of the CTA should also be thought about carefully. It's a good idea to place a secondary CTA in the middle of the demo for customers who might not reach the end. 

Use the right titles, tags, captions, descriptions, and alt texts to make your demo more accessible. Captions and transcripts can benefit people who speak different languages, have different accents, or prefer to consume your content differently. 

Now that you understand the components of a great software demo presentation, we will discuss the do’s and don’ts you should keep in mind while creating product demos.

By now, you know software demo presentations make your and your teams’ lives easier. However, to tap into their benefits, you need to tap into your buyer personas, pick key pain points your product solves, and use a robust tool to create these demos quickly. Smartcue is one such interactive product demo software that helps you take your demo game a notch higher! You can create product demos in minutes and close deals faster than ever. 

Ready to take SmartCue on a test drive? Book a call with us and Try SmartCue for free!

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16 Best Product Demo Examples That You Need to Copy

Home / User Onboarding / 16 Best Product Demo Examples That You Need to Copy

I’m a big fan of mobile games.

I’m a bigger fan of paid mobile games that can be downloaded for free and the purchase is made after a demo.

And I’ve never ever paid for a game before trying it.

That’s why I never played Minecraft…

Moral of the story: understanding the importance of product demos is not like discovering a new coding language. It’s simple and straightforward.

And people better understand facts when they are presented with examples.

So here I gathered the best 16 product demos for you to understand better and draw your path clearly.

But before, let’s see what product demos are:

What is a Product Demo?

A product demo or a product demonstration is a presentation of what your product is and how it mainly works. The product demo will be the first impression of your product. Therefore, the demo plays as the opening speech and determines how many of the listeners will sleep.

There are multiple versions of product demos.

👉 One-on-one demos are real-time demonstrations. A person from the support, sales, or product teams meets the user/customer face-to-face or in an online meeting, and performs a live demonstration.

Live demonstrations usually take too much time, effort, and durability (since it’s not easy to do the same thing over and over again), and since it requires more workforce, it comes across costly.

👉  Video demos are recordings of a person doing the demonstration. Video demonstrations require less work than one-on-one demos, and are the preference of 65% of users on the internet.

👉  Interactive demos are real-time demonstrations, but not made by a person. The product walkthrough takes the user through the whole process and helps them complete the demo on their own.

What is the purpose of a product demo?

The primary purpose of the product demo is to demonstrate the value of your product, while also educating the user.

On the other hand, a product demo can serve many different purposes.

It can be used to show off your new, innovative features and help the user learn more about how they work.

A good demo will also demonstrate just how simple using your product is.

For instance, a robotic person only shows you how to get to the homepage using the „homepage” button, while a good product demo can help you understand how to save your work before you decide to go to the homepage.

What makes a product demo good?

I won’t go in deep with this one because I want to focus on the details within the examples.

But overall speaking, here is what makes a product demo good:

• If the demo is as personalized as possible,
• If the demo gives just enough information to answer simple questions but not overload,
• If the demo is accessible more than once ,
• If the demo leaves space for Q&A’s ,
• If the demo states the benefits along with the features,
• If the demo can be regularly updated and adjusted according to the changes on or in the product,

You can call yourself a product demo genius

If you need more information about how to create sales demos, here you have a source.

16 Examples of Great Product Demos

There isn’t only one way to create a demo.

A demo is not teaching how to get from point a to point b.

A demo is making the people want to get from point a to point b with your product.

Here are the best examples:

1- Masterclass

MasterClass is an online learning platform that lets people get classes from worldwide known people, people that have proven to be the best.

Even though Masterclass is such a powerful platform, they need to prove they are worth it.

Here’s an example of what their demo videos look like:

They sell knowledge.

Their demo video shows that the knowledge they provide is accurate and worth the money.

This means, their way of using demos is great.

2- Duolingo

If you live on earth, you probably have heard of Duolingo. Even people who have no interest in language learning know what Duolingo is.

Yet, just like Masterclass, this enterprise company has to prove worthy and show that they really are the to-go choice for every single person no matter how they prefer to learn.

So here’s how they delivered in their demo:

They included all their features in a video, and they made it seem to work.

In the demo, they have proven that they deliver while quickly demonstrating how things will be. That’s how you do a working demo.

As I said before, demos don’t necessarily have to be videos. You can also let users discover the product themselves - along with a bit of push that helps them get to the „Aha!” moment faster.

That’s exactly what Ajar did.

Ajar is a property management and rent collection site that helps landlords, property managers, and real estate agents smoothly manage their processes.

Since property management is a sensitive issue, they needed an in-depth demonstration of how they provide the best and safest solutions.

And here’s what one of their interactive demos looks like:

Image-quote “Our sales team was previously onboarding users by having a 1:1 session with them. This was not always convenient and was very time-consuming. We wanted to expand to the global market without having a physical presence in all countries.” - Marina Matta

Interactive Product Demos - is there such a thing?

If demos are better when they’re visual, why not tell what I’m saying with visuals?

Here’s a table:

So how do you create interactive demos easily and quickly for the least amount of money?

👉 With UserGuiding.

Don’t hear it from me; hear it from the over 9000+ customers that UserGuiding put a happy face on.

I don’t trust a hairdresser with bad hair. The same thing goes here.

4-CitizenShipper

When you make a demo, will you introduce the mobile version or the desktop version of your website? What about both?

CitizenShipper is an online transportation marketplace that was founded in 2008.

They needed a demonstration solution for both their desktop and mobile versions, and they found that the best way to make a demo for both was using interactive demos.

They also integrated Resource Centers to act like „demo bank and help center” at the same time.

Therefore, their demo did not only rock, but their choice gave them a diverse range of creative and trending practices as well.

5- SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey has its unique approach to a demo.

Just like mobile games, SurveyMonkey takes you through a survey that includes almost all of their features.

This way, you both experience the product as an end-user and get to see if the product is worth it.

While this is not suitable for everyone, it is very effective for companies that can use this approach. Just like our next one:

6- UserGuiding

Userguiding is a digital adoption tool that helps users build interactive demos and onboarding sequences.

A tool that helps people build demos should have a great demo itself to prove its worth, right?

That’s why UserGuiding serves all kinds of people.

UserGuiding offers all three kinds of demos:

• Live demos for high personalization,
• Video demos to increase the range of reach,
• And interactive demos to demonstrate how effective they are.

Here’s what their video demo looks like:

As for what their interactive demo looks like, I’d recommend you to try it out yourself!

7- IKEA place

IKEA place is IKEA’s new mobile app that lets you virtually place IKEA furniture into your home by scanning your home.

Their video is bright, and it displays what the app does along with how it works.

But the best part of this demo is that the video also shows the benefits with real-life examples.

A demo that can create an emotional bond and proves that they can feel empathy towards your problems is more likely to engage with the target audience.

8- Doorport

Doorport is a new generation doorbell and remote door lock company.

Their solution turns any house into a smart house, and reduces the stress of who’s behind the door.

Well, let’s see the rest from their demo video:

As you can see, Doorport simply proves that demo videos don’t have to look expensive to be effective - even though it could be a bit smoother.

9- Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a CRM for sales that allows managers to manage and organize their sales funnels.

Their demo video is quite long at 4 minutes.

As you can see in the video, they did what I’ve been telling not to do: simply showing what the product does.

So what makes this demo good?

The script. The fact that the voiceover has a tone that makes it feel like you are listening to a person live gave this demo video a soul and made it valuable.

That’s why you can easily watch this 4-minute long demo video. It’s well written and well-executed.

10- CuePath

CuePath is a medication-monitoring tool which is based in Canada.

They are a small company with limited resources, and they needed a simple yet effective solution to show their worth, in other words, a demo.

So they came up with a brilliant idea:

Along with their user engagement elements, they posted an in-app message which includes a hotspot. This way, they could point out their value, draw attention to themselves, and guide people straight to the order page.

Cubeit is an organizer for your applications.

Am I a user of Cubeit? No.

Is it written on the website? No.

So how do I know?

This demo video has three main strengths:

• It’s explanatory
• It’s simple

And that’s all that a demo video needs — a simple solution for a simple app that makes a big difference.

12- Soapbox

First of all, soapbox has not 1 but 3 demo videos.

Soapbox is a recording tool by Wistia that lets you record your screen and your face at the same time.

Which means you can use Soapbox itself to create demo videos.

While that’s the case, Soapbox used a perfect method to advertise themselves while teaching us an important lesson: the script is essential, but not everything.

Here’s the second video:

The first video and the third video include the exact same characters and script, but were shot and edited with different budgets, showing us how important pricing is when it comes to creating a video.

Also, the demo itself, even in the $1000 one, shows that funny elements are a good method to spike your demo video up.

13- Nightingale

Nightingale is a smart house sleep system by Cambridge Sounds.

The product simply neutralizes the sounds in a room and adjusts the room’s acoustic according to your needs.

In the demo, they could have chosen to put the product in action, just like Doorport, or they could have made someone do a good voiceover, like Pipedrive.

But they chose to use good visualization above everything else.

For people that value their sleep, they visualized the sounds, how cooler could a demo video be...

14- Peloton

Peloton turns your house into an indoor cycling gym studio.

Let the demo talk for itself:

I’m not a fan of indoor sports, but this demo managed to convince me.

If the video told me about how many courses they have or how their bike is the newest best model on planet earth, I would have said,” I get it. I’m happy for those who need it. I’m out, though.”

Their demo video shows the feelings of those who designed it, and those who have used it. It promises feelings, not weight loss.

And that’s why it’s a fantastic product demo video.

Tasty started out as the recipe channel of BuzzFeed, but quickly became a brand itself. Now Tasty does not only share recipes but also sells its own ingredients and kitchen gadgets.

Not far before, Tasty launched a mobile app to combine all its services. That’s why they needed an announcement, and a demo, so they decided to combine both:

A simple, colorful, well-scripted, short demo video.

Not the most unique one, but definitely an ideal one!

16- Canva Button

The Canva Button is an extension of Canva where you can add the button to your website and let your customers do their design without leavşng your page.

I had to put together a long sentence to tell you what it is, and I’m not sure if I delivered my message clearly.

Meanwhile, the product demo takes only 1 minute to tell you every single detail about the product.

The demo speaks for itself, and the visuals speak louder than the script. That’s probably why the voiceover isn’t the best.

Still, it’s a pretty good product demonstration.

Notice how all the giants have both video and interactive demos?

That’s because the old practice is doing live demos, the current practice is videos, but the trending and most successful method is doing self-serve interactive demos.

Also, if you need tools to create the best demos, here you can find some options.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you demo a product.

There are many ways to demo a product, but the most popular ones are live demos, video demos, and interactive demos.

Who should do product demo?

A product demo is like a trailer of your product. It sets the expectations, and it influences the people for whether or not they will pay for the whole product.

How long should product demo be?

An interactive demo should be between 4-8 steps ideally. A video demo should mostly be between a minute and 4 minutes. It’s mostly recommended to keep it simple and short so that you don’t bore and overload your audience.

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9 Tips To Give A Great Product Demo

Ever wondered how to do a demo presentation that wows everyone - your customers, your manager, and yeah, even the CEO? Preparation is your friend, but we've dug into that in another article. Today, we've listed these nine handy tips for rocking product demos. Get these down, and you'll not only show off your product in style but also click with your audience, steering your business toward more awesome engagements.

This article was updated on the 25th of October, 2023.

What Is a Product Demo?

How to give a demo presentation, how long should a product demo be, 1. treat your demo as a conversation, 2. present the agenda, 3. read your audience, 4. run a discovery session, 5. focus on significant features only, 6. deal with bugs, 7. mind the time, 8. end a product demo properly, 9. sales call monitoring and sales call tracking.

A product demo (short for product demonstration) is a way companies show how their product or service works to potential customers. It's about showing how the product can fix a problem or make things better for the user.

Usually done by salespeople or product managers, product demonstrations can be live events, pre-recorded demo videos, or interactive AI presentations . A good demo is made to fit the audience's needs and is engaging, helping customers see how they'd benefit from the product. This helps in educating the customers and can also help in making sales.

Success in these demos often boils down to good planning and a personalized approach. This article assumes you've already done your prep work — researched, planned, and now you're ready to hit the play button on that video call.

If you're unsure about any prep steps or how to handle sales calls, check out our guide on how to prepare for a winning demo call.

In delivering an effective demo, knowing your audience is key. Tailor your presentation to address their specific needs, highlighting how your product solves their challenges rather than just listing features. Keep it engaging by encouraging questions and providing clear, relatable examples.

Post-demo, a clear call to action helps guide what steps the audience should take next, making it easy for them to move forward with your product. Keep refining your approach based on feedback to continuously improve your demo presentations.

There’s no fixed, recommended, or data-backed time for a demo. However,  15-20 minutes seems like a reasonable length. Although product demonstration should not only be about your product’s features or complicated technical issues, you will undoubtedly mention them.

All this means that your potential customer, in a short period, will have to focus on specific information and not get bored. Talking for too long and presenting too many things at once will surely bore your prospect.

Moreover, remember that this kind of sales call is not a tutorial during which you explain all the options your product provides. So, keep it short, interesting, and value-focused.

Now, let's discuss nine actionable tips on how to give a good demo presentation.

A product demo, like any other conversation, should start with formal greetings and common courtesies. Avoid “attacking” your demo attendee and rushing to the first point from your to-say list. If you want a successful call, ask them how they are doing. Or mention that thing you discovered about them or their company during your research (the latest project, launch of a new feature, some personal achievement).

Keep building rapport . You are closer to winning this deal, but don’t be too quick to jump into details. Treat the prospect like a human being, and make them feel comfortable and relaxed during sales calls.

READ ALSO: What Is an Automated Sales Funnel & How to Create One

After the smooth start mentioned above, get to the next step. Include an agenda slide in your presentation. Tell your prospect how long the demo will last (and stick to that!), what topics you will cover, and how that relates to the pain points of their company.

Stick to a clear beginning, middle, and ending

While presenting your agenda, be clear about each part — what will happen at the beginning, when you will get to the details, and how the end will look. Inform your prospect that there will be time to ask questions (but they are also welcome to ask them during the presentation) and repeat a chosen part of the demo if needed.

Don’t forget to ask your prospect for permission to record sales calls. And one more critical thing — at the very beginning, get an  agreement to discuss the next steps  at the end of your conversation. Just say that your main aim is to reach a point at which your interlocutor is able to make a decision — to plan the next step or to resign and leave in peace.

After a few minutes of your demo, you can more or less get your prospect’s way of communicating. We have written about mirroring in our blog post about  9 mistakes you don’t know your sales reps make inside sales calls .

To make sure you conduct a successful sales call, make similar gestures, pay attention to their facial expressions, and look them “in the eye” even via your camera. What’s also really important is to  speak their language. Use similar words and phrases.  If you notice your prospect is laid back and does not create a distance, be more direct, make a joke, and do not seem too serious.

Even after in-depth research, there will still be some question marks. This is the time to turn these question marks into sentences full of unique data.

Tell your prospect that you want to fully understand their needs.  Ask the potential buyer to  identify their biggest challenges  in the long term and existing pain points that influence their everyday work.

What worries them as a leader/team member? What slows their people down? Do they have any thoughts and expectations regarding your offer? What are their requirements? Who will use the solution? Do you need to learn more about running a discovery session?

After a short, successful discovery session and a quick intro focused on the bigger picture, get straight to the reason for all this. We’ve covered this topic in our other article about product demos and demo calls, but we need to stress it once again.

If you want to give a great demonstration every time, you have to   talk about and focus on the value that a discussed part of your product brings! This conversation is not about general features or the visual aspects of your new dashboard. It's about how your product can help the customer. Or actually how your customer can benefit from the product. Remember, be customer-centric!

Relate to the prospect’s role

While presenting different features, always remember to  put them in the context  of how specific departments at your prospect’s company would use them and benefit from them.

If you have an opportunity to talk to the head of sales, show them how their reps could improve their work by implementing your product. You can mention the benefits for other departments, but only if you have enough time. Don't tell them a success story of that client who bought your solution, and their financial department miraculously started to be more efficient.

Give reliable examples

A great demonstration of a product always relates to potential problems in the prospect’s organization.   Never present options that are irrelevant to your potential client. To show how your solution can solve identified problems, and back your statements with examples.

But we mean real-life examples presented by using real-life data, not some abstract numbers your prospect cannot relate to. You should definitely avoid saying things like: “Imagine your team needs this and that…”. It's not about imagination. Your role is to make this demo as realistic as possible.

While presenting how your product works, you are not error-proof. Bugs can occur during online product demos and video calls. So, in case of an unexpected problem or system failure, do not lose your cool.

Never try to ignore an error message or unexpected pop-up  during a product demo because it'll cause a loss of trust. If something like that occurs, say that you are sorry, but do not elaborate or try to explain yourself by saying something like: “Oh, it has never happened before.”

Just go on with the conversation and try to figure out the best solution. Maybe you should bring up the topic of your customer support team and show your prospect how they work? Or use the knowledge base to look for a possible cause of the problem?

How do you improve sales calls? Always stick to the time you mentioned in the agenda, and avoid extending the conversation at any cost. The plan or a list of steps you prepare before your product demo is not only aimed to help you with structuring the call but also to make it easier for you to  control the time .

You have to know how long each part takes and check every 2-3 minutes if you are not running over time. When you notice one part took you more time than planned, try to shorten the following steps a bit.

Summarize the demo

Recap the main points,  emphasize what topics were discussed during your demo , which of them was the most important, and what actions are required on your prospect’s end to turn the outcome of the demo into success.

If there were any questions that you were not able to ask, bring them up, and promise you will get back with an answer as soon as possible. And, of course, do as you say. No broken promises.

Establish the next step

After summarizing the product demo call,  talk about the next steps . What should your prospect expect? Are they a decision maker, or do you have to talk to someone else? If they are a “gatekeeper,” are they convinced, and would they arrange a call with their superior? Remember about adding a good old call to action and secure the next contact.

A great demonstration call will bring you closer to the final transaction, but especially in the case of big deals, it will be just one part of your journey. So, make sure you know the next step.

How do you improve sales calls if you don’t measure the whole process of product presentations, don’t track sales calls, and don’t evaluate the work of your salespeople?

If you don't monitor and track sales calls, your sales department won't drive results in the long run. You need to analyze each and every conversation using sales call monitoring and then assess the overall performance of a single sales rep, each team, and then the whole department. 

How to track sales calls?

Sales call tracking  and sales call monitoring allow managers of sales departments to discreetly listen in on conversations between their agents and their customers or prospects. Sales call tracking systems usually offer real-time dashboards to view the list of active conversations taking place.

Sales call monitoring helps you evaluate both your agents and their communication strategies and improve all aspects of your sales department operations. Sales reps who conduct all sales calls should also use a sales call log after each product demo.

READ ALSO: 12 Ways To Monitor The Efficiency of Sales Calls

Continuous monitoring and improvement of your team’s calls will directly help you boost the efficiency and performance of all sales activities and will positively influence your company’s bottom line. 

A well-implemented sales call tracking and sales call monitoring software improves agent productivity. It enables you to manage, train, and support your agents to be more productive, efficient and contribute more to your business.

READ ALSO: The Seven Best Sales Tracking Tools for Small Businesses

Hopefully, now you know how to give a good product demo. A demo call that will move you closer to a closed deal is always about value. Your job is to prove to your prospect how your product will make their work easier, more efficient, etc.

Remember these tips that always work:

• Start with the right questions.
• Adjust to your audience’s way of communicating.
• Talk about essential features.
• Follow your plan (but be flexible).
• Set a clear next step.  

Treat every demo call individually, and if something new comes up during the conversation, react. Do not be this sales zombie who sticks to a certain plan no matter what. And, of course, relax! You cannot let the stress take over because you will start to make mistakes.

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15 critical elements every effective software demo needs.

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All the talk in the world can’t sell software as well as seeing it in action. That’s why every software or application developer needs to plan a strong, straightforward way to demo their product.

A good demo shows potential users your product’s capabilities and how it’s useful to them in a more tangible way than marketing copy alone. To help you develop one, we asked members of Forbes Technology Council to weigh in on how to create an effective software demo. Here are the 15 elements they believe your demo should have to win over prospective customers.

1. Simplicity

Often, prospects get tired of lengthy qualification demos where they have to answer a bunch of questions before even seeing the product. The best software demos are the ones where you have the potential customer browse through the product while you help them navigate it. That way they can develop an emotional bond through the experience. - Gordian Braun , onetool

2. A Solution To A Problem

Software demos should be geared toward solving a specific problem. If you know the challenge the client or industry is facing that your software can solve, it should be the focus of the demo. A demo of the features and functions can turn really generic and it can become difficult to keep the audience engaged. Focus on the challenge, not the features and/or functions. - Komal Goyal , 6e Technologies

3. Gratification

Demos are no different than stand-up comedy: What’s needed is gratification. It has to be the periscope to the future trends that will pave the way for companies to assume a power role. If a demo is constructively engaging, people will be forced to put down their phones, take off their glasses and sit up. - Omer Khawaja , ITBoost

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4. Actual Data

One essential part of a new software demo is the ability to leverage actual data. A prospect, or even a current customer, will want to see the software being demoed using data they can relate to. Another important part of a successful demo is to accomplish something tangible with the software instead of just going through a list of menus and buttons. - Robin Grosset , MindBridge

A key enabler of engagement, generally speaking, is context. In software procurement, this approach is materialized through the Conference Room Pilot concept. Seeing the software perform in the desired context or test-driving the software will always provide a more tangible perception and a stronger impact. - Bruno Mourao , Sonae

6. Real Use Cases And Comparisons

Our team has learned two major things in our demo experiences with customers. First, we must paint a picture of real business use cases—especially in a category such as quantum computing, which is full of hype. Second, we need to compare the new product to what people are using today so they can see the differences, or they will not see the value in switching to your more effective solution. - Christopher Savoie , Zapata Computing, Inc.

7. A Focus On Pain Points

Know your prospect’s pain points. An effective demo must be focused on your prospect’s needs rather than on your product’s capabilities. The best demos are the ones that successfully blend these two points. By understanding your prospect’s pain points you are showing them that you will take the time to understand their business and aren’t just there to demonstrate your product. - Erik Rind , ImagineBC Inc.

Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?

8. Relevance

Relevance is key. Feature and function presentations can quickly dilute the intended value, especially if the person delivering the demo does not have a good grasp of the business and/or individual they are presenting to. It is crucial to understand a prospect’s situation and challenges, as well as the impact these have on their job. Never underestimate empathy and understanding, even in a tech demo. - Andrew Barlow , AppLearn

9. A Clear Illustration Of The ROI

Software demos are everywhere, including product pages, videos and animations. For a demo to be effective, ensure that you cover the basics. What problems are you solving and for whom? Why should they choose your software? Illustrating the business benefits and ROI is crucial. Answering how many hours or how much money your software can save and how it will impact customers or employees will make your product stand apart. - Swathi Young , Integrity Management Systems Inc.

10. A Story That Connects With The Audience

A great demo is not an endless display of features and functions; it’s a story about how your solution will improve work or life in some way. Good, relevant demo content enables you to connect to the audience. Meaningful, real examples told in a flowing, story-based manner are dramatically more valuable than you clicking through all the menus and screens. - Tim McCormick , SaaSOptics

11. The ‘Why’

Too often people demo by “following the clicks.” This is a common mistake. Never follow the clicks. Each part of the software must be introduced with the “why,” and each “click” should tell a use-case story. This is how to show the power of the software and the difference it can make in solving real problems. Additionally, avoid the “silent lull”—keep the conversation moving to engage the viewer. - Jim Higgins , Solutionreach

12. Customized Features To Meet The User’s Requirements

Does the demo closely meet the customer’s use case? Ask questions up front to gain a good view of their pain points and use cases. Then demo every single feature and functionality that fits, making sure to talk to their use cases. There may be a lot of nuances, so build a solution that actually meets their requirements instead of giving them a canned demonstration—it’s more useful. - Archie Agarwal , ThreatModeler Software, Inc.

13. A Vision Of Value

Do your homework first and understand the net value your software generates for your prospect. Ask why relevant goals are important to them, their current path to goal achievement and their key performance metrics. Then create and present a clear vision of the value they will receive by using your software, and your software demo becomes the link to goal success. - Michael Levine , Advantage Talent, Inc.

14. Room To ‘Breathe’

While you want to fill your demo with the features that can have an impact and outline all of your benefits, it is important that you leave room to “breathe” in your demo and have ongoing conversations with prospects about their needs, their pain points and how the product relates directly to them. An effective demo must be a two-way street, so make sure you are making space in your demo to engage. - David Gasparyan , Phonexa

15. Built-In Trust

There is a technical value market with many consumers. These consumers will place a considerable value on having the most sophisticated item or the newest model on the market. The psychological value of a given product is based on service, warranties or a trusted brand name. Customers will purchase the product that makes them feel most comfortable and good about themselves. - Will Conaway , The HCI Group/Tech Mahindra

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Welcome PlayStation 5 Pro, the most visually impressive way to play games on PlayStation

Features including GPU upgrade, advanced ray tracing, and PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution take players to new heights.

UPDATE:  On September 26, 2024, pre-orders will be available directly from PlayStation at  direct.playstation.com  and at participating retailers in territories where direct.playstation.com isn’t available. On October 10, 2024, pre-orders will be available at all other participating retailers.

Over the last four years since the launch of PS5, we’ve worked hard to continuously evolve the console experience and deliver the great games our players expect from us. Today, I’m incredibly proud to announce the next step in that evolution and welcome PlayStation 5 Pro to the PlayStation family – our most advanced and innovative console hardware to date.

We developed PS5 Pro with deeply engaged players and game creators in mind – as many have asked for a console that runs even higher fidelity graphics with smoother frame rates at 60FPS. We achieved this on PS5 Pro with several key performance features.*

• Upgraded GPU : With PS5 Pro, we are upgrading to a GPU that has 67% more Compute Units than the current PS5 console and 28% faster memory. Overall, this enables up to 45% faster rendering for gameplay, making the experience much smoother.
• Advanced Ray Tracing : We’ve added even more powerful ray tracing that provides more dynamic reflection and refraction of light. This allows the rays to be cast at double, and at times triple, the speeds of the current PS5 console.
• AI-Driven Upscaling : We’re also introducing PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, an AI-driven upscaling that uses a machine learning-based technology to provide super sharp image clarity by adding an extraordinary amount of detail.

PS5 Pro provides gamers with amazing graphics at high frame rates. You can hear Mark Cerny, lead architect for PS5 Pro, discuss the key innovations from PS5 Pro in the following video presentation. This presentation provides a deep dive into the key performance features that make PS5 Pro truly special.

Other enhancements include PS5 Pro Game Boost, which can apply to more than 8,500 backward compatible PS4 games playable on PS5 Pro. This feature may stabilize or improve the performance of supported PS4 and PS5 games. Enhanced Image Quality for PS4 games is also available to improve the resolution on select PS4 games. PS5 Pro will also launch with the latest wireless technology, Wi-Fi 7, in territories supporting this standard. VRR and 8K gaming are also supported.

It’s humbling to see how game creators have embraced the latest technology from PS5 Pro, and several games will be patched with free software updates for gamers to take advantage of PS5 Pro’s features. These games can be identified with a PS5 Pro Enhanced label within their title. Some games you can look forward to include blockbuster hits from PlayStation Studios and our third-party partners, such as Alan Wake 2, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, Demon’s Souls, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Gran Turismo 7, Hogwarts Legacy, Horizon Forbidden West, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, The Crew Motorfest, The First Descendant, The Last of Us Part II Remastered, and more. 

We kept the look of the PS5 Pro consistent with the overall PS5 family of products. You’ll notice the height is the same size as the original PS5, and the width is the same size as the current PS5 model to accommodate higher performance specs. Players can add an Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive, or swap out console covers when they become available.

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PS5 Pro fits perfectly within the PS5 family of products and is compatible with the PS5 accessories currently available, including PlayStation VR2, PlayStation Portal, DualSense Edge, Access controller, Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore. The user interface and network services will also remain the same as PS5.

The PS5 Pro console will be available this holiday at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $699.99 USD, £699.99 GBP, €799.99 EUR, and ¥119,980 JPY (includes tax). It will include a 2TB SSD, a DualSense wireless controller and a copy of Astro’s Playroom pre-installed in every PS5 Pro purchase. PS5 Pro is available as a disc-less console, with the option to purchase the currently available Disc Drive for PS5 separately.

PS5 Pro will launch on November 7, 2024 and will be available at participating retailers and directly from PlayStation at direct.playstation.com. Preorders will begin on September 26, 2024.

Our PS5 journey would not be possible without the millions of players that have supported us through the years and have shared with us their love of gaming. Whichever console option players choose, whether it’s PS5 or PS5 Pro, we wish to bring everyone the very best gaming experience that fits their needs. 

*Features only available on select PS5 games that have been enhanced for PS5 Pro when compared with the PS5. PS5 Pro enhanced features will vary by game.

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