The Basics of an Effective Demonstration

Setting the scene:

• Keep the backdrop simple, neat, tidy and free from distractions.
• Plants and neutral colour schemes are advisable. 
• The camera should be level so that you are looking level at your prospect (not up or down at them).

Dress Code:

• Still dress to impress even though you are on a video call (first impressions still count virtually!)
• The level of formality will depend on the industry you are speaking with (e.g. if you are selling into financial services it’s advisable to dress more formally than if selling to a DIY company) as a rule of thumb dress level with, or one step up from your prospect.
• I recommend using a boom mic rather than over the head earphones, this will make the conversation feel more natural similar to if you were in a room together.

Timescale:

• It is wise to leave the audience intrigued and wanting to hear more, rather than bored and looking forward to the presentation to end.
• If you are presenting slides, and then a demo, keep it to a max of 6 slides (5-10mins), make the 6th slide a discovery slide for in depth Q&A for discovering pain points and further qualification (10-20mins). Then the demonstration should not be a show and tell of the entire platform, rather a speed to value of how the relevant part solves the specific pain point you have uncovered during discovery.
• In total, the entire process including slides, Q&A, demonstration and close for next steps should be around 45mins and absolutely no longer than 1 hour.