Stick to the (demo) script at your own risk, because it might just kill your meeting. This might sound counterintuitive, but demo scripts can often throw you off your game.
Relationships Matter in Sales
The Office, for all its humor, has some great sales tips. It turns out that, even though he’s a terrible manager, Michael Scott is a fantastic salesperson. Fans of the show will remember “The Client” from season 2, where Michael takes a prospect, a government employee named Christian (played by the great Tim Meadows) to Chili’s. Michael and Christian bond and share jokes (including singing that old Chili’s theme song), much to Jan’s chagrin. But at the end of the night it’s clear there’s a method to Michael’s madness, as the relationship he built leads to a sale. Because even on The Office, people buy from people they like.
We also know that, in many ways, Michael can be a bit of a dumpster fire. This is on full display in “Money” from season 4, which is there one where Michael runs out of money (he famously “declares bankruptcy”). To make ends meet, he takes a job as a telemarketer.
This telemarketer job is a bit shady, as it’s to sell “Lipopedrine Diet Pills.” At the job Michael has a hard time not being a manager, and instead his job is to “smile and dial,” or make cold calls. During a sales meeting (ironically, Michael refers to it as “useless”), manager Nick Figaro (Alan Wasserman) gave him a simple formula to follow:
- Make the call
- Say the lines
- Make the sale!!!
This goes about as well as expected. When Michael chats with a prospect (and not actively selling at that moment), Nick hangs up the phone, and brings Michael into his office to chew him out. Nick’s problem? Michael needs to “dial the number on the heat and stick to the script,” which Michael can’t do (yes, Vikram, who follows the script, outsells Michael every night, but that’s beside the point).
Scripts Are For Telemarketers, Not for Demos
When you’re demoing, you’re not doing a 30 second telemarketer pitch. But many salespeople try to follow this same formula which, while it may work for Vikram at the shady telemarketing outfit, won’t work in your demo. Because you’re not yourself.
I’m a big believer that presenters should be themselves in front of audiences as it’s obvious when someone’s inauthentic. And, trying to be something else, or say something that doesn’t feel right, takes a lot of brainpower – brainpower that can be used to listen the audience or ask good questions.
Instead of “sticking to a script,” write yourself a set list. Write out the key points you need to hit, and let the rest be a conversation.
6 Tips for Better Sales Meetings
Eliminate the word “click” from your demo.
Instead of narrating with “I click here,” “I click there,” you want to drop benefit statements like “look how fast it is to do this, or look how easily you can do that.” Just taking out the word “click” can make a huge difference for getting to that point.
Context, Feature, Benefit
Start with context – tell the audience why you’re going to show something. Then show the thing. Then give the benefit of the thing.
Start with a Story
Storytelling engages all of your brain. When you start telling a story the audience is with you and it is your job throughout the demo, to keep the audience with you. How do you do that? Reference back to the story. You are creating the moment and bringing the audience into the moment with you. Read more about storytelling here.
Set Next Steps
If you don’t set next steps, how will anyone know what to do next?
Save big claims for the end
You need to earn the right to make a big claim. Build value continually and build trust. When you have so much build up, the end is where you can make the big claims because you have proven your product and yourself.
Make the value clear
In the parlance of Thinking Fast and Slow, you want “cognitive ease,” or things to make sense without thinking too hard. And the more a story is plausible, the easier it is to believe. Therefore, make it as easy as possible for them to see value by being clear about the benefits. Define the value visually and verbally in no uncertain terms. It should be very obvious from your visuals and your verbal communication what the value is. If there is any doubt, go back and dework the portion of the demo.
What are your tips for better demos? Leave a comment!
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