The "Show, Don't Tell" Demo

💡Key Idea: A practical way to run a short demo that helps a prospect experience real value. You'll use this to run an 8–12 minute walk-through inside a single combined discovery + demo call.

✋ Permission Slip: You don't need a deck, a feature tour, or a perfect script. It's fine to skip parts, to end early when there's a mismatch, and to change your flow call to call. Your goal is clarity and learning.

📊 Outcome

By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to run an 8–12 minute demo inside a single discovery + demo call. You'll know when to lead with the “after,” how to re-anchor the why, and how to keep the story tight.

🛠️ Resources

• Required: Demo Planning Worksheet (in your course folder)
• Optional: A 3-minute Loom of your strongest flow to use as backup and leave-behind

Core Principles for an Effective Demo

1. Solve problems, not features.

‍Pick the 1–3 reasons customers actually pay you. Build the demo around those. If you find yourself inside settings, admin, or edge paths, you've drifted. Permission Slip: Don't feel obligated to showcase every feature. Focus relentlessly on the prospect's stated pain points. If it doesn't directly address their core problem, it's a distraction.

2. Lead with outcomes when it helps.

Often it's clearer to open on the “after” screen, then show the two or three steps that create it. Some products work better the other way around, for example a conversational tool where input is the point. Choose the path that gets them to “I get it” the fastest. Decision Framework: Ask yourself, "Does starting with the 'after' immediately resonate with their expressed pain?" If yes, lead with impact. If the process itself is the value (e.g., a new workflow tool), start from the beginning.

3. Narrate the why consistently.

Keep re-anchoring to their words. “You said X slows you down. This step removes that, here’s how.” A confused viewer stalls. A clear story moves forward. Success Benchmark: Aim for at least one "You said X, this solves Y" re-anchor every 2-3 minutes to ensure alignment.

4. Own mismatches with honesty.

If their pain and your prepared flow don't line up, bridge it: “We hear screenshot chaos in Figma more than Slack threads. The same fix applies. I’ll show you the flow and you can tell me if it solves what you described.” Curiosity beats defensiveness. Permission Slip: It's okay if your product isn't a perfect fit for every prospect. Be honest and transparent; it builds trust and saves both parties time. Don't force a square peg into a round hole.

5. Slides can help in a few cases.

Live product is the default. Slides are useful for quick agenda setting, for pre-product prototypes, or for post-demo items like pricing or implementation. This isn't an exhaustive list. Use slides when they add clarity and speed. Decision Framework: Use slides only when they convey information more efficiently or clearly than a live product demonstration. If it can be shown in the product, show it there.

📏 How Many Workflows Should I Demo?

This is more of a guide than a definitive rule:

• If your product has a single wedge, go deep on that one workflow
• If it solves a few core pains, show two or three
• Try not to spend time on secondary "nice to have" paths on the first pass. Book a follow-up if needed

Target 8-12 minutes for the demo segment inside a 20-30 minute call.

✅ Prep Checklist for a Combined Discovery + Demo Call

You can use this to prep for your first couple demos. You certainly don't have to keep using this after you get comfortable.

• Research the person and the company. Note role, tenure, and likely pains by industry
• Write the top 1-3 pains you expect, in their language. Bring a guess, not a lecture
• For each expected pain, draft a one-line Before → After and one proof line
• Open the app to either the first "after" screen or the clean starting point of your first workflow
• Have a Loom backup that hits first value in under 3 minutes. It works as a fall-back, a leave-behind, or for teammates who couldn't attend

🎬 The Flow

Note: The outline below is just a guide, there's no perfect way to demo, but it's a good framing to start with. After walking through this, I'm gonna break down a great demo from a real company.

0) Frame, 15-30 seconds

"From what I know about your team, the big headaches are A and B. I'll show you how customers use [Product] to fix those, then we'll check what's missing. Sound good?"

1) Magic Moment loop, 2-4 minutes per problem

Run this loop once per chosen problem.

• Problem in their words
• Before current state, one line
• After new state on your screen. Open here if it helps
• Action the two or three steps that create the after
• Proof metric, artifact, or short customer line
• Re-anchor with a question. "If this cut X from hours to minutes, what changes next week?"

2) Pause and probe, 3-5 minutes

Start wide, then go precise, then invite critique.

• "Initial reaction?"
• "Did this actually solve A and B for your team?"
• "In an ideal state, what would you change?"
• "Any adoption blockers we should know about? Security, privacy, integrations, seats?"

3) Transition

After you've gathered the above, you'll move to packaging, pricing, and next steps. We cover that in the next section.

🎥 Demo Example

🔧 Troubleshooting, with Curiosity First

• Their pain doesn't match your flow. Acknowledge the gap, show the closest working path, and log what would make it perfect. The cause could be ICP drift, product gaps, or a polite "no." Your job is to learn which.

• Wrong persona in the room. Don't force a demo that isn't for them. Use the time as discovery. "Whose workflow does this impact most? From your seat, is this a real problem here?" Book the buyer for the focused walkthrough.

📹 Leave-Behind

Keep a short Loom of your strongest flow. Narrate it live if needed. Send it afterward so champions can share internally and so stakeholders can replay the critical moments.

🔄 Adapting Pitch to Pitch

Your demo is a living thing. Try different openings. Swap the order of flows. In the morning you might start with the outcome. In the afternoon you might start from the task. Keep notes on what lands. Don't stall trying to perfect a script in a vacuum. Learn on calls and tighten as you go.

✏️ Assignment

1. Fill out the Demo Planning Worksheet from your course folder. Use it to structure your next call and get into the right headspace. You won't use it forever. It's a starter to help you build a sharper, faster demo.

2. Optional: Record a 3-minute Loom. Time to first value under 60 seconds. Use it as a backup during the call and as a leave-behind afterwards.

🚀 What's Next

Now that you know how to run an effective demo, we'll move into presenting your offer. You'll learn how to package your solution, set pricing, and make it easy for prospects to say yes.