Great Demo!

Friday, March 27, 2026

Demo Skills Level 7: Using Biased Questions to Outflank Competition

Achieving Level 7 is a major step! Most presales and salespeople are completely unaware of the use of Biased Questions.

In traditional demos, vendors endeavor to show as much functionality as time allows, regardless of whether that functionality is meaningful or relevant for the prospect. In Great Demo! methodology, you learn how to present exactly the capabilities the prospect needs, based on discovery.

But what if you realize, during the demo, that there are features your prospect should need or want, that you hadn’t discussed during discovery?

How do you introduce those capabilities, but without the risk of flogging your prospect with unwanted features and Buying It Back? You use a Biased Question!

A Biased Question leads your prospect towards a logical conclusion, such as the need for your competitively advantageous capability. In these cases, the capability is introduced verbally and then shown only when the prospect agrees that it would be useful and wants to see it.

The Level 7 practitioner has a store of Biased Questions ready to deploy (both in discovery and demos) and introduces them when appropriate.

In the midst of a demo, the functionality is then shown if the prospect agrees that it is desired. In a discovery conversation, if the prospect decides they want the capability, then it becomes a Specific Capability to be shown in the subsequent demo.

Biased Questions are frequently used by Level 7 reps to drive Vision Reengineering conversations.

Why are Biased Questions so important? Two major reasons:

1. Avoids leaving money on the table.

2. Enables outflanking competition.

Using Biased Questions is an effective competitive weapon. When a prospect embraces a broader or deeper solution that includes capabilities your competition lacks (or suffers from inadequacies), you are establishing competitive differentiation.

Skillfully applying Biased Questions can tip the competitive scales in your favor and increase the size of the order. Delightful!

Measurement(s) for Achieving Level 7:

A) Uses Biased Questions.

B) Expands and establishes Reengineered Vision for prospects.

Pros:

- Enables outflanking competition.

- Can increase the size of the purchase.

- Often improves the solution consumed by the customer.

- Reduces potential churn.

Cons:

- Demos may still be comparatively dry and uninspiring.

Grade: A-

Want a bit more?

See “Stunningly Awful vs Truly Terrific Competitive Differentiation – What, When, and How?”

https://greatdemo.com/truly-terrific-competitive-differentiation/

And here’s more on “Buying It Back”

https://greatdemo.com/stunningly-awful-demos-buying-it-back/

Biased Questions and Vision Reengineering are both covered in Great Demo! and Doing Discovery:

Great Demo! Third Edition:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9SNKC2Y/

Doing Discovery:

https://www.amazon.com/Doing-Discovery-Important-Enablement-Processes/dp/B0B8RJK4C2/

Thursday, March 26, 2026

Demonstration Skills Level 6: Manages and Explores Prospect Questions

“Any questions so far?” “Nope, we’re good…”

There are three parts to this level:

1. Assessing and managing the flow of questions.

2. Exploring the intent behind prospect questions.

3. Encouraging an actual conversation to take place!

Let’s start with number 3!

Vendor reps operating at skills Levels 1-5 all suffer from a high risk of vendor monologues. These reps are eager to pack as much info into their demos as time allows, which reduces or eliminates the possibility of prospect questions or feedback.

A classic indicator of monologue delivery is the following frequently repeated exchange:

“Any questions so far?”

“Nope, we’re good.”

“Peeling Back the Layers” in Great Demo! methodology is all about encouraging a productive, bidirectional conversation to take place. Prospects that actively participate in the demo, through inquiry and commentary, are much more engaged and are much more likely to retain the key ideas presented, particularly if it was their questions that drove the discussion!

OK, now that we are actively encouraging questions, let’s return to how to manage the flow.

Achieving the number 1 above is a dynamic process of determining, “Is this something I need to answer now, or should it be deferred until later?” The use of a questions Parking Lot is an indicator of successful question management. (See Chapter 8 in the Third Edition of Great Demo! for details on this process.)

Far too many demos are diverted in the first few minutes by prospect questions that drag the presenter into the weeds. Innumerable prospect executives have left demo meetings early because of lengthy, detailed explanations by vendor reps thrashing further into the underbrush!

I’d be an extremely rich person, monetarily, if I had a dollar for every time a vendor provided protracted paragraphs of answers to questions that only needed a crisp “Yes” response! (Please take up a collection for me.)

Number 2 above is exploring the why behind prospect questions. Is the question being asked in earnest vs a “I’m just curious?” Is it a “landmine” planted by a competitor? Does it represent the need for a “KO” capability vs a less important “nice to have” feature?

How many times have we heard a prospect ask, “Can your software do X?” and the vendor responds “Absolutely! Let me show you how this works…” or “No, but we have a workaround – here, I’ll show you…” without any reciprocal inquiry?

In both cases, the vendor missed an important opportunity to seek clarification.

“How important is this to you?”

“What prompted your question?”

“What is it you need to accomplish with this kind of capability?”

“How often would it be used?”

Prospect responses to these questions can make or break a demo. Skilled question management can keep you out of the weeds, enable you to identify and categorize prospect needs and wants, and address competitive threats while simultaneously encouraging the conversation.

The Level 6 practitioner manages and investigates prospect questions thoughtfully!

Measurement(s) for Achieving Level 6:

A) Achieves a Talk:Listen ratio of 50:50 or better (larger “Listen” numbers are better).

B) Applies Parking Lot principles.

C) Asks clarification questions.

Pros:

- Enables a true conversation to take place.

- Improves retention of key ideas.

- Uncovers and clarifies prospect issues not addressed in discovery.

Cons:

- May still be difficult to differentiate from competition.

- May still leave money on the table.

Grade: B+

Want a bit more? See “The Elegant Art of Managing Questions and Time”

https://greatdemo.com/the-elegant-art-of-managing-questions-and-time/

And see this for more on Informal Success Stories:

https://greatdemo.com/fabulous-fuel-for-sales-presales-and-customer-success-the-incredible-utility-of-informal-success-stories/

For the full methodologies, see:

Great Demo! Third Edition:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9SNKC2Y/

Doing Discovery:

https://www.amazon.com/Doing-Discovery-Important-Enablement-Processes/dp/B0B8RJK4C2/

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Demonstration Skills Level 5: Vision Generation!

Solving the “No Disco No Demo!” vs “Just Show Me a Demo!” Dilemma

How often are you asked to provide an overview demo to a sales qualified lead that goes nowhere? How frequently does it seem that prospects who ask for demos are just planning for the future, and have no intention of buying in the short term?

The ability to differentiate between prospects who are “Just Browsing” vs in an “Active Buying Process” is another major skills watershed. Those who are unable to make this determination are doomed to long sales processes that far too frequently end in No Decision outcomes (or their sales processes never end and are on the forecast forever!).

Prospects who are Just Browsing are doing exactly that: They just want a taste of your capabilities, not a seven-course banquet. These prospects are often in the early stages of exploration or planning for their next fiscal year. The don’t want to engage, yet, in a sales process. How do you satisfy them?

You deliver a Vision Generation Demo!

These use Informal Success Stories combined with a few key software screens, often dashboards or reports, to build a vision of what is possible in your prospects’ minds. A complete Vision Generation Demo can be executed in ten minutes or less, satisfying these prospects while avoiding the horrors of Lead Churn.

Prospects who are in an Active Buying Process, on the other hand, may want a Vision Generation Demo to kick off their investigation process, followed by substantive discovery and Technical Proof Demos. How do you determine your prospects’ level of interest? You ask!

(Chapters 4-9 in the Third Edition of Great Demo! provide the complete recipe for Technical Proof Demos and Chapter 11 details the formula for Vision Generation Demos.)

Measurement(s) for Achieving Level 5:

A) Differentiates Just Browsing from Active Buying Process prospects.

B) Presents Vision Generation Demos when appropriate.

C) Bonus: Applies the Menu Approach as a lead-in for Vision Generation Demos.

Pros:

- “Less is more” Vision Generation Demos satisfy many prospects’ desires.

- Productively recycles many leads that would otherwise have churned.

- Enables champions and other prospect stakeholders to sell internally.

Cons:

- May be difficult to differentiate from competition.

- May still be a unidirectional monologue.

- May leave money on the table.