Demo Best Practices: Show, Don't Tell (The Framework That Converts 45% of Demos to Closed Deals)

Your AE starts the demo:

"Let me show you all the amazing features we have. First, we have this dashboard where you can see..."

[30 minutes of feature walkthrough]

Prospect at end: "Interesting. Let me think about it and get back to you."

[Never responds]

What went wrong?

Feature dump (showed everything)
No relevance (didn't tie to their problems)
Talked 80% of time (prospect disengaged)
No interaction (passive watching)

Result: 15% close rate

Compare to top performer:

Opening: "Before I show you anything, tell me: What's your biggest challenge with lead follow-up right now?"

[Prospect talks for 5 minutes about their specific pain]

AE: "Got it. Let me show you exactly how we solve that..." [Shows one specific feature that addresses their pain] "Try it yourself—click here..."

[Prospect interacts with product for 2 minutes]

AE: "How would this work in your current process?"

[Continues conversation, showing only relevant features, asking questions throughout]

Result: 45% close rate

The difference: Show don't tell. Make it relevant. Make it interactive.

At SalesUp, we've refined demo frameworks across 5,000+ demos. Here's what actually works.

The Problem With Most Demos

The Feature Dump

What reps do:

"First, let me show you the dashboard.
Then we'll look at the analytics.
Then I'll show you reporting.
Oh, and we also have integrations.
And automation.
And custom fields.
And..."

Why it fails:

Information overload (they forget everything)
No relevance (most features don't apply to them)
Boring (passive watching)
No differentiation (competitors have same features)

Data: Feature dump demos convert at 12-18%

The Problem-Solution Gap

What actually matters to prospects:

What Prospects Care About	What Reps Show
Will this solve MY specific problem?	Generic feature list
How does this fit MY workflow?	How product works in general
What results will I see?	Product capabilities
Is this easy to use?	All the buttons and settings
Can I trust you?	Feature comparisons

Gap: Reps sell product. Prospects buy solutions to their problems.

The "Show Don't Tell" Framework

Phase 1: Discovery (40% of Time)

Goal: Understand their specific situation BEFORE showing anything

Structure:

1. Opening (2 min)
   - Build rapport
   - Set agenda
   - Get permission to ask questions

2. Current State (5 min)
   - "Walk me through your current process for [X]"
   - Let them explain
   - Take notes

3. Pain Points (5 min)
   - "What's working well? What's not?"
   - "What's this problem costing you?"
   - Quantify impact

4. Desired State (3 min)
   - "If you could wave a magic wand, what would you fix?"
   - "What does success look like?"
   - Get specific outcome

Total: 15 minutes of discovery for 30-min demo

Why this works:

✅ Prospect talks 60-70% of discovery (engaged)
✅ You learn exactly what to show (relevant)
✅ They articulate their pain (emotionally invested)
✅ Sets up perfect transition to demo

Phase 2: Transition (5% of Time)

Goal: Bridge discovery to demo

Script:

"Okay, I think I understand your situation. Let me summarize what I heard:

1. You're currently [current state]
2. The main problems are [pain point 1, 2, 3]
3. This is costing you [quantified impact]
4. Ideally, you'd want [desired outcome]

Did I get that right?

[Confirm]

Great. Let me show you exactly how we solve [pain point #1]..."

Why this works:

Confirms understanding (builds trust)
Uses THEIR words (resonates)
Creates expectation (they know what's coming)
Smooth transition (natural flow)

Phase 3: Tailored Demo (40% of Time)

Goal: Show only features that solve THEIR problems

Structure: Problem → Solution → Impact

For each pain point (5 min each):

1. Remind them of problem (1 min)
   "You mentioned that leads aren't followed up on quickly. Here's how we solve that..."

2. Show the feature (2 min)
   [Screen share: Show specific feature]
   "When a lead comes in, it automatically routes to your SDR and sends them an instant SMS alert..."

3. Make them interact (1 min)
   "Click here and try creating a routing rule..."
   [Let them drive]

4. Tie to their outcome (1 min)
   "So instead of 4-hour response time, you'd have 5-minute response time. Based on your numbers, that's 30% more meetings booked."

[Repeat for top 2-3 pain points only]

Key principles:

1. Show ONE feature per pain point

Don't show 5 features that do the same thing
Pick the best one for their use case

2. Use THEIR data

"You said you get 200 leads/month..."
"Based on your current 15% meeting rate..."
Makes it real, not theoretical

3. Let THEM drive

"Click this button..."
"Try searching for..."
Active participation = better retention

4. Always tie to OUTCOME

Not: "This feature does X"
Yes: "This feature will help you achieve [their goal]"

Phase 4: Objection Handling (10% of Time)

Goal: Address concerns before they become deal-killers

Script:

"Before we wrap up, I want to address a couple things that usually come up:

1. **Implementation:** 'How long does it take to get started?'
   - Most clients are live in 2 weeks
   - We handle all the setup
   - Training included

2. **Adoption:** 'Will my team actually use it?'
   - Average 85% adoption rate
   - It's easier than their current process
   - We provide ongoing support

3. **ROI:** 'Is this worth the investment?'
   - Based on your numbers, you'd need 3 extra meetings per month to break even
   - Average client sees 30-40% more meetings

What concerns do you have that I haven't addressed?"

Why preemptive objection handling works:

Shows you anticipated their concerns (builds trust)
Addresses with data/proof (credible)
Opens door for real objections (they share what's really bothering them)

Phase 5: Next Steps (5% of Time)

Goal: Get explicit commitment, not "we'll think about it"

Script:

"Okay, so based on what we've covered:
- This solves your [pain points]
- You'd see [specific outcome]
- Implementation is [timeframe]

What are you thinking? Does this solve what you need?

[If YES:]
"Great! Next step would be [trial / proposal / contract]. I can have that ready by [day]. Does that work?"

[If UNSURE:]
"What's giving you pause? Is it [objection 1] or [objection 2]?"

[If NO:]
"I appreciate your honesty. Can I ask—is it that this doesn't solve your problem, or is there another reason?"

Why direct ask works:

No ambiguity (clear yes/no/maybe)
If objection exists, surfaces it immediately
Prevents "we'll think about it" limbo

Advanced Demo Techniques

Technique 1: The Before/After Visual

Instead of: Explaining how feature works

Do this: Show them before vs after

Example:

"Here's what your current process looks like:"
[Show messy spreadsheet, manual work, delays]

"Here's what it looks like with us:"
[Show automated workflow, instant alerts, dashboard]

"See the difference?"

Why it works: Visual contrast makes impact obvious

Technique 2: The Customer Story

Instead of: Generic demo

Do this: Walk through how similar customer uses it

Example:

"Let me show you how [Similar Company] uses this.

They had the same challenge you do—leads coming in after hours.

Here's their setup:
[Show their specific workflow]

Result: They went from 40% to 85% lead contact rate in 30 days.

Would a similar setup work for you?"

Why it works:

Social proof (similar company succeeded)
Concrete example (not theoretical)
Asks if it applies (gets buy-in)

Technique 3: The Live Test

Instead of: You driving the demo

Do this: Have THEM use the product live

Example:

"Okay, your turn. I'm going to share control with you.

Try creating a lead routing rule:
1. Click 'Add Rule'
2. Select your team members
3. Choose round-robin distribution
4. Hit save

[Let them do it]

How intuitive was that?

Now imagine your SDRs using this every day. Would they be able to figure it out?"

Why it works:

Tests usability (they see if it's easy)
Builds confidence (they can do it)
Ownership (they're already using it mentally)

Technique 4: The ROI Calculator

Instead of: Talking about abstract benefits

Do this: Calculate their specific ROI live

Example:

"Let's do some quick math together.

You said:
- 200 leads/month
- 60% contact rate currently
- 20% meeting rate

With our solution:
- 200 leads/month
- 90% contact rate (industry avg for our clients)
- 28% meeting rate (industry avg)

That's:
- Current: 24 meetings/month
- With us: 50 meetings/month
- Increase: 26 meetings/month

If your close rate is 25%, that's 6.5 extra deals per month.

At ₹5L per deal, that's ₹32.5L additional revenue per month.

Our cost is ₹3L per month.

ROI: 10X

Make sense?"

Why it works:

Uses THEIR data (credible)
Clear math (easy to understand)
Undeniable ROI (hard to say no)

Technique 5: The Trial Close

Instead of: Waiting until end to ask for sale

Do this: Test commitment throughout demo

Checkpoints:

After showing feature 1:
"Does this solve the [pain point] you mentioned?"
[Get yes before continuing]

After showing feature 2:
"Can you see this working in your process?"
[Get yes before continuing]

After showing feature 3:
"So far, are we on the right track?"
[Get yes before continuing]

Final close:
"You've said yes to all three pieces. What's stopping us from moving forward?"

Why it works:

Gets micro-commitments (builds to full commitment)
Surfaces objections early (can address immediately)
Makes final ask easier (they've already said yes multiple times)

Demo Structure by Call Type

Discovery Demo (First Call)

Time: 30 minutes

Structure:

Discovery: 50% (15 min)
High-level demo: 30% (10 min)
Next steps: 20% (5 min)

Goal: Qualify + show it can work

Show:

Overview of solution
1-2 key features that solve their #1 pain
Brief case study

Don't show:

Every feature
Technical details
Pricing (save for later)

Deep Dive Demo (Second Call)

Time: 45-60 minutes

Structure:

Quick recap: 10% (5 min)
Detailed demo: 60% (30-40 min)
ROI discussion: 20% (10 min)
Next steps: 10% (5 min)

Goal: Prove it will work for them

Show:

Detailed workflow tailored to them
All relevant features
Integration with their tools
Reporting/analytics

Executive Demo (Final Call)

Time: 20-30 minutes

Structure:

Business case: 40% (10 min)
Quick demo: 30% (7 min)
ROI/pricing: 20% (5 min)
Close: 10% (3 min)

Goal: Get executive buy-in

Show:

Business outcomes, not features
ROI calculator
Risk mitigation
Competitive differentiation

Don't show:

Technical details (they don't care)
Every feature (overwhelm)

Common Demo Mistakes

Mistake 1: Starting Demo Too Soon

What happens: Jump right into screen share without discovery

Result: Generic demo, low relevance

Fix: Spend 40% of time on discovery first

Mistake 2: Showing Everything

What happens: "Let me show you every feature..."

Result: Information overload, prospect disengaged

Fix: Show only 2-3 features that solve THEIR problems

Mistake 3: Talking Too Much

What happens: Rep talks 90% of time

Result: Prospect checks out mentally

Fix: 50/50 split—you talk 50%, they talk 50%

Mistake 4: Not Handling Objections

What happens: Avoid objections, hope they don't come up

Result: They come up later and kill the deal

Fix: Proactively address top 3 objections in demo

Mistake 5: Weak Close

What happens: "So... what do you think?"

Result: "We'll think about it and get back to you"

Fix: Direct ask: "Does this solve your problem? What's the next step?"

Measuring Demo Effectiveness

Key metrics:

Metric	Target	What It Measures
Demo-to-Close Rate	35-50%	Overall demo quality
Demo-to-Next-Step Rate	60-80%	Engagement level
Discovery Time	40% of call	Are you asking questions?
Features Shown	2-4	Are you focused or feature-dumping?
Prospect Talk Time	50%+	Are they engaged?

Post-demo self-assessment:

☐ Did I spend 40% on discovery? (Y/N)
☐ Did I show only relevant features? (Y/N)
☐ Did I make it interactive? (Y/N)
☐ Did I tie features to their outcomes? (Y/N)
☐ Did I handle objections? (Y/N)
☐ Did I ask for the next step? (Y/N)

Score: ___/6
If &lt;5, review recording and improve next time

Case Study: Show Don't Tell Framework Increased Close Rate 2.7X

Company: B2B SaaS, project management tool

Before (Feature dump demos):

Start with screen share immediately
Walk through every feature (30 min)
Ask "what do you think?" at end
17% close rate

After (Show don't tell framework):

15 min discovery first
Show 2-3 relevant features only
Make prospect interact with product
Calculate ROI together
Direct close
46% close rate

Results:

Metric	Before	After	Change
Demos per week	20	18	-10% (more time per demo)
Close rate	17%	46%	+171%
Deals closed	3.4	8.3	+144%
Avg deal size	₹4.8L	₹6.5L	+35% (better qualification)

Key insight: Fewer demos, higher quality, 2.4X more deals closed

What SalesUp Does

We run discovery-first demos for all qualified leads.

Our process:

40% discovery (understand their situation)
Tailored demo (show only relevant features)
Interactive (let them use the product)
ROI calculation (using their data)
Direct close (ask for next step)

Our results:

40-50% demo-to-close rate (vs industry avg 18-25%)
65-75% demo-to-next-step rate
₹6-8L average deal size (better qualification through discovery)

Book a demo to see our demo framework in action.

Most demos convert at 15-20%. Top performers hit 40-50%. Spend 40% on discovery. Show only relevant features. Make it interactive. Tie to outcomes. Close directly. Show don't tell.