Don't Say "Demo"

Don’t say “demo” in a demo meeting. 

Hmmm – sounds strange…!  However, every time we use the word “demo” in a demo meeting, we are telling our customers that what we are showing them is not real – it’s a “demo”.  This causes customers to assume that they may need a deeper level of proof, such as a POC.

The word “demo” tells customers that what they are about to see is not a real environment; it’s fake.  It has been specifically set-up to show the software in the best possible light – and it won’t reflect how things work in a real customer environment.

“OK, now we’ll show you a demo…” – Sounds innocuous, but wouldn’t it be more compelling if we simply said, “OK, now let’s take a look at the software…”

In Great Demo!, we suggest saying something like, “Would you like to see it in action…?”  Again, no mention of “demo” – the customer assumes they are seeing the real thing, not a fake environment.

In traditional demos, ask yourself,

1. How many times do you use the word, “demo”?  (And each time what the customer hears is, “fake”)
2. How many times does the word “demo” appear on the screen in your software in our demo environment?  (And each time the customer sees it they think, “This is fake…”)