🧭 demo roadmap

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Show product features without losing attention

Mike Gallardo explains how his team structures demos hitting 80% of reps’ quota. Keep your prospects engaged, build sales momentum, and improve your next steps forward:

✔ Begin with “what we heard”

❖ Begin with one slide that describes your last conversation together.

❖ Include their #1 priority, main challenges, and desired future state.

✔ Preview by “where we’ll go”

⇒ Show one slide on what you’ll cover in the demo and why.

⇒ Connect product features using their priorities and issues.

⇒ Point out some differentiations when given the opportunity.

✔ Lead with strongest features

✱ Kick off with the most powerful capability to grab attention.

✱ Frame by: “If there’s one thing you take away from this call, let it be this.”

✱ This exact response instantly builds selling momentum ahead.

✔ Ask before presenting demos

➔ Ask discovery-style questions first.

Example: “You mentioned paying contractors is a challenge. Can you walk me through your current process step by step?”

✔ Establish stronger questions

Never ask “Does that make sense?” Instead, use stronger prompts:

• “What stood out most to you about what we just walked through?”

• “Who else on your team would benefit from [feature] and [benefit]?”

• “What was running through your mind as I was showing you that?”

✔ Multithread with stakeholders

Run this 3-step sequence:

1. “What steps need to happen on your end to finalize a project like this?”

2. “Who’s involved in each step and how?”

3. “What would make each of those people say yes or no?”

✔ Always close with next steps

↳ End every call with a scheduled follow-up.

↳ Leave 5–8 minutes to set this up properly.

↳ If no call is booked, assume the deal is lost.

Present your demos without confusing buyers

Victor Antonio provides a simple, organized way to run demo presentations that avoids common mistakes reps usually make. Follow these effective moves in your demos quickly:

Step 1: Asking the “why”

✱ Find out why prospects ask for demos beforehand.

✱ Ask questions connecting directly to what matters:

• How does this help customers generate more revenue?

• How does this solution offered reduce costs associated?

• How does the solution efficiently minimize time usage?

Example: If a company uses different tools for completing one task, and your software replaces all three platforms, highlight that it minimizes costs and speeds up workflows.

Step 2: Know the “what”

Before clicking around, orient your prospects.

➤ Explain the layout of your platform:

“Top left shows reporting, bottom right is integrations…”

➤ Narrow focus based on necessities:

“You’ll spend 80% of your time in this quadrant—let’s start there.”

↳ This prevents overwhelm by making demos easier to follow.

↳ Without proper orientation, customers aren’t absorbing value.

Step 3: Doing the “hows”

Show customers how functions are being used every day.

✔ Give workflows tailored to needs, not just an extra feature tour

✔ Keep things simple, don’t overload with advanced functions

✔ Frame results in language they’ll understand when shown

Prospects explore more with newly installed systems.

From problems to solutions by asking one question

Chris Orlob breaks down how the right questions move the direction from seller to buyer. Use thought-provoking questions that gradually reinforce products in their world:

Before showing features:

❖ “How are you doing [X workflow] today?”

❖ Builds contrast with what you’re about to present.

After showing features:

“How does that compare to how you’re doing it now?”

↳ Automatically locks in your product’s value.

“To what extent would this be useful in your situation?”

↳ Gets your prospects imagining use cases.

“How do you imagine your team currently using that?”

↳ Perfect for decision makers who won’t be daily users.

Questions mid-demo:

“To what degree have I been resonating so far?”

✱ Better than asking “any questions?”

“Do you imagine [solution] solving [problem]?”

✱ Ends the loop between problem and solution.

Deepen engagement with:

“What benefits do you feel are showing up in your world from this?”

➤ Make them articulate what value means.

“Where do you want to double-click with asking some questions?”

➤ Opens the world for your prospect’s curiosity.

“It seems like that resonated. What challenges make that hit personally?”

➤ This question surfaces hidden problems.

“It seems like this isn’t resonating. Where am I missing the mark on this?”

➤ Pulls you back in when you’re drifting away.

When buyers do the talking, they start selling themselves.

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