This post was originally published by Jenny Boling on lessonly.com.
Sales demonstrations, also known as sales demos, help increase the percentage of closed sales for your business. However, sales demos are only beneficial if the demo is a good one and if the sales rep putting on the demo is well-versed in the product and the demonstration itself. Sales training programs, including SaaS sales training courses, B2B inside sales training and B2B sales training topics, should all include training courses that focus on sales demos.
As you look to select the best outside and inside sales training for your sales reps, it’s important that you take a look at the training courses and see what exactly they teach. Here are a few of the various modules or topics that sales training courses should hit on when it comes to delivering sales demos to potential clients or customers.
Understanding the basics
When it comes to sales demos, one of the first things that online sales training should teach your sales reps is the art of delivering a great demo. This should include all of the basics surrounding a demonstration, such as what a demo is, why a demo can make or break the sale, when you should show a potential client a demo and the overall importance that demos can have when it comes to closing sales. If your team doesn’t know what a sales demo is and how it can help them, they will not see the value or importance of providing their customers with a great demo.
Using a demo account
Another key factor to look at when you’re looking at sales training ideas and programs is teaching your sales reps how to actually use a demo account. Some products you can demonstrate directly in front of a customer. For example, think of those classic vacuum sales reps. They could demonstrate how the vacuum worked right in front of the customer. In other cases, you may have to have a slide show or video that shows the product being demonstrated and lists the benefits, such as cost savings, for the client. Your sales reps need to know how to access demo accounts and videos. Without this, they have nothing to show a potential client.
Seeing examples and best practices
One of the things that companies with top sales training programs do is highlight demo examples and best practices. You want to help to ensure that each sales rep is able to demo a product to a client in a way that they feel comfortable, yet still, ensure that they do not oversell the product or make false claims. Putting practices in place helps to lay down the ground rules for demoing products, including acceptable ways to demonstrate a product and phrases that they can or should now say. Providing examples of demos that top-achieving sales reps have given gives your team some ideas and feedback as to what a great demo looks like and why that demo is good.
Avoiding common mistakes
Another step that some of the top types of sales training programs implement when it comes to sales demos is a section on demo crimes, or what not to do when it comes to demos. There are many positive things that you can do when it comes to demos, and thinking outside of the box can help a sales rep be creative and close a sale. However, at the same, you want to ensure that your sales reps are only using the product how it is designed to be used and not putting on a bad demo that may scare potential customers away. Talking about demo crimes, or things sales representatives should not do when demoing a product can help them learn the rules and boundaries that your company has in place when it comes to product demonstrations.
Maintaining momentum
Finally, some of the best courses for sales professionals have training modules on maintaining momentum when dealing with sales demos. It seems that demos can either go one of two ways. They can encourage or convince a customer to buy your product or sale, or they can stall the process. A sales rep needs to know how to react if the demo does not go according to plan and the customer seems confused or starts to lose interest in the product. Teaching your sales rep how to improve downward momentum and how to keep a conversation going can be invaluable and can increase the overall sales for the product. Looking for online sales training certification courses that have a section on maintaining momentum after a product demonstration may allow you to see an upward tick in the sales of your staff.
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