A Sales Engineer's Guide: Perfecting Your Analyst Demo
I’ve written extensively that the right person to lead your analyst briefing or major evaluation demo is most likely a Sales Engineer. Whether you call yourself Pre-Sales, Solutions Consulting, Sales Engineer or something else - you’ve got a finger on the pulse of the market, grace under pressure, and an unmatched understanding of how your product helps solve real life business problems. You were built for this.
So if you’ve been tapped to lead one of these critical demos, and you’re not quite sure where to start…here's your playbook.
Step 1: Understand the Analyst’s Goals. An analyst's role revolves around writing about technologies and the best practices for tech buyers. While understanding your product is essential, gaining insights about the market, unique use cases, and evolving customer interests is also very valuable to them. Anecdotes about novel RFP queries, distinctive reasons why customers choose you, and fresh ROI metrics can help the analyst establish credibility with their clients and position you and your company as a go-to resource.
Step 2: Have a Clear Demo Objective. This may vary based on the stage of engagement with this analyst as well as your licensing agreement with the analyst firm. That said, a good starting point goal that works at almost all Analyst Relations maturity levels: Leave the analyst able to clearly articulate who your ideal customer is and why they choose you. Note that doing this well sometimes requires the uncomfortable but necessary step of being candid about who isn't an ideal customer as well (resist the sales instinct to fit yourself into any box with budget!)
Step 3: Know that Analyst Demos and Sales Demos are Different. A sales demo typically includes a discovery phase, allowing you to tailor the demo to their specific needs. But with an analyst, you likely won't have had a prior meeting, and they don't have business needs since they aren't buyers. This doesn’t mean you're stuck with a 'harbor tour' style demo though (and please don’t do that - analysts see dozens of these a week and have notoriously short attention spans!).
Instead, construct your demo narrative as though you’ve done discovery already with your ideal buyer. Use the demo to explain the problems they are experiencing, why their current approach isn't working, why your product is uniquely effective at solving their issues, and who else in your customer base is benefiting from your solutions in that way. Starting from this viewpoint, you can deliver an engaging demo that highlights your differentiation and helps the analyst connect your offering with the right potential customers.
Step 4: Use Your Sales Engineering Fundamentals Many of your tried-and-tested selling and demoing tactics will also apply to analyst demos:
Keep it simple, focusing on a few key takeaways you want the analyst to remember and repeat.
Encourage questions, and offer meaningful inquiries like, "I'm curious whether this is something you're hearing from your customers." (NOT: “Does that make sense?”)
Prepare thoroughly with the briefing team, including establishing timings (with backup plans) as well as internal communication channels. Know that the analyst will almost certainly cut you off at the scheduled time, so manage your time effectively.
Don't directly disparage competitors (like in a sales cycle, this can land as petty), but be very clear about things you uniquely do in the market: use the words “we are the only vendor who…”
Consider proactively debunking any market misconceptions about your company: “Sometimes our prospects tell us they’ve heard X about us from competitors - I want to address that head-on, it’s actually Y”
Keep customer and prospect stories at the ready - these moments make analysts lean forward.
Step 5: Navigating Analyst Interactions Know that not all analysts will engage in a two-way dialogue within a briefing - technically their only job in this venue is to receive information from vendors. That said - I’ve found many will give short answers to thoughtfully asked questions - particularly questions about what they are generally seeing in the market vs. specifically about you or your competitors. Don't take it personally if you encounter the brick-wall one-way style - it may not be a reaction to your presentation at all.
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Follow the steps above and I have no doubt you’ll be amazing at this!
Upward (and to the right!)
-Elena
