How do you balance features and benefits in your software demo?

1 Know your audience

Before you start your software demo, you need to know your audience. Who are they, what are their pain points, what are their goals, and what are their expectations from your product? By doing some research and asking the right questions, you can tailor your demo to their specific needs and interests. You can also use this information to prioritize the features and benefits that matter most to them and align them with their desired outcomes.

2 Focus on value

One of the most common mistakes in software demos is to focus too much on features and not enough on benefits. Features are the technical aspects of your product, such as functions, capabilities, and specifications. Benefits are the positive outcomes that your product delivers, such as increased efficiency, reduced costs, or improved customer satisfaction. While features are important to demonstrate how your product works, benefits are what sell your product. They show how your product can help your prospects achieve their goals and overcome their challenges. Therefore, you should always link features to benefits and explain how they create value for your audience.

3 Use stories and examples

Another way to balance features and benefits in your software demo is to use stories and examples. Stories and examples are powerful tools to engage your audience, illustrate your points, and create emotional connections. They can also help you demonstrate the real-world impact of your product and how it has helped other customers with similar problems or goals. You can use stories and examples to show how your product works in different scenarios, how it solves specific pain points, or how it delivers measurable results. You can also use them to showcase your product's unique selling points and differentiators.

4 Keep it simple and clear

A software demo is not a training session or a technical manual. You don't need to show every feature or explain every detail of your product. You only need to show the features and benefits that are relevant to your audience and their objectives. You also need to keep your language simple and clear, avoiding jargon, acronyms, or complex terms that might confuse or alienate your audience. You want to make your product easy to understand and use, not hard and complicated. You also want to keep your demo short and concise, respecting your audience's time and attention span.

5 Involve your audience

A software demo is not a one-way presentation, but a two-way conversation. You want to involve your audience in your demo, not just talk at them. You want to make them feel part of the process, not just passive observers. You can do this by asking questions, soliciting feedback, encouraging participation, and addressing objections. You can also use interactive features, such as polls, quizzes, surveys, or demos, to make your demo more engaging and dynamic. By involving your audience, you can build rapport, trust, and credibility, as well as uncover their needs, concerns, and motivations.

6 End with a call to action

The last step in your software demo is to end with a call to action. A call to action is a clear and specific request that you make to your audience to take the next step in the sales process. It could be to schedule a follow-up meeting, sign up for a free trial, request a quote, or make a purchase. Whatever it is, you need to make it clear, compelling, and urgent. You also need to summarize the main benefits of your product and remind your audience of the value proposition that you have offered them. By ending with a call to action, you can move your prospects closer to a buying decision and increase your chances of closing the deal.