Return-Path: Delivered-To: andrew@sterlingcal.com Received: from reseller401.webserversystems.com by reseller401.webserversystems.com with LMTP id uB6+BpdvJ2hpSgQAchKAPA (envelope-from ) for ; Fri, 16 May 2025 12:02:15 -0500 Return-path: Envelope-to: andrew@sterlingcal.com Delivery-date: Fri, 16 May 2025 12:02:15 -0500 Received: from o169.ptr1700.mail.beehiiv.com ([159.183.140.201]:1464) by reseller401.webserversystems.com with esmtps (TLS1.2) tls TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256 (Exim 4.98.1) (envelope-from ) id 1uFyRq-00000001CKq-0buc for andrew@sterlingcal.com; Fri, 16 May 2025 12:02:15 -0500 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=mail.beehiiv.com; h=content-type:from:mime-version:subject:reply-to:list-unsubscribe: list-unsubscribe-post:to:cc:content-type:from:subject:to; s=s1; bh=TNEnXOoFThAuZivjyKrZ03G+0Y47XCnrPxzIJoTMCkY=; b=k63IRpsZUlfFVxEby3crgbOghJ195hoMuS7t4D4rBe1CBDcPEcZG5nb8Sq3JEyVRc6ka uVewofjd/+DVVQ+H0bOdhB8aAS/BAm3Oj/EnHovv7gIII9DLIss48/LoDElzwkIHmEchEF uNOo+zuAYc3AxA0dXrj61yVTAokGKz5Ji1hnPv/xxei9/0Dylr9ePT5V2SUC9pZxGw2JCh ThpU8Arhb5RYokW2tOjDkAW0FGk/Xr9vxz0j5rTwQziN/Vn1YaphrGmp1FhuazqZkIlTsa 6J9XlWa5NqeKQ+MhAR4zbAtvAmXIHmAbC2HRFs79m8WDwDfxZihhg6kfSPRliKrg== Received: by recvd-69cb857b8b-kr9bs with SMTP id recvd-69cb857b8b-kr9bs-1-68276F71-7 2025-05-16 17:01:36.997438977 +0000 UTC m=+3264590.136367681 Received: from NDAyMzQxODk (unknown) by geopod-ismtpd-19 (SG) with HTTP id 2uoI_I0LTeaTzENdk7364A Fri, 16 May 2025 17:01:36.957 +0000 (UTC) Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=a084930a939af603457820c0df35c69696bf03965abdfb6ab6e21d6ab1b9 Date: Fri, 16 May 2025 17:02:02 +0000 (UTC) From: Collin Stewart Mime-Version: 1.0 Message-ID: <2uoI_I0LTeaTzENdk7364A@geopod-ismtpd-19> Subject: The 90-Second Demo: Why Less Is More Reply-To: Collin Stewart Feedback-ID: =?us-ascii?Q?441e08c1-c0f8-498a-ab29-40b53bc5b417=3Anewsletter=3A3c5b97ff-00a9-?= =?us-ascii?Q?4acc-916d-c137bca24b1d=3A23270855726497d?= List-Unsubscribe: =?us-ascii?Q?=3Cmailto=3A3c5b97ff-00a9-4acc-916d-c137bca24b1d+1d17dc26-c1df-44e?= =?us-ascii?Q?0-812a-883b6ad5b6bc+441e08c1-c0f8-498a-?= =?us-ascii?Q?ab29-40b53bc5b417=40unsub=2Ebeehiiv=2Ecom=3E=2C?= =?us-ascii?Q?_=3Chttps=3A=2F=2Ffoundersedition=2Eco=2Funsubscribe=2FeyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbG?= =?us-ascii?Q?ciOiJIUzI1NiJ9=2EeyJzdWJzY3JpYmVyX2lkIjoi?= =?us-ascii?Q?MWQxN2RjMjYtYzFkZi00NGUwLTgxMmEtODgzYjZ?= =?us-ascii?Q?hZDViNmJjIiwicG9zdF9pZCI6IjQ0MWUwOGMxLW?= =?us-ascii?Q?MwZjgtNDk4YS1hYjI5LTQwYjUzYmM1YjQxNyIsI?= =?us-ascii?Q?mxhc3RfcmVzb3VyY2VfZ3VpZCI6IlBvc3Q6NDQx?= =?us-ascii?Q?ZTA4YzEtYzBmOC00OThhLWFiMjktNDBiNTNiYzV?= =?us-ascii?Q?iNDE3In0=2EXHouYMGxKTe=5Fk-f60GpfAy63yBsJ-Q?= =?us-ascii?Q?wQBUC3pC4idG0=3E?= List-Unsubscribe-Post: List-Unsubscribe=One-Click sId: 3c5b97ff-00a9-4acc-916d-c137bca24b1d x-beehiiv-ids: =?us-ascii?Q?{=22account=5Fname=22=3A=22https=3A=2F=2Ffoundersedition=2Eco=2F=22=2C=22campaign=5Fid=22=3A=224?= =?us-ascii?Q?41e08c1-c0f8-498a-ab29-40b53bc5b417=22=2C=22c?= =?us-ascii?Q?ategory=22=3A=22newsletter=22=2C=22email=5Fgenerated=5F?= =?us-ascii?Q?at=22=3A1747414896=2C=22user=5Fid=22=3A=223c5b97ff-00a9?= =?us-ascii?Q?-4acc-916d-c137bca24b1d=22}?= x-beehiiv-type: newsletter x-list-id: 3c5b97ff-00a9-4acc-916d-c137bca24b1d x-list-owner: x-newsletter: https://foundersedition.co/p/the-90-second-demo x-newsletter-id: https://foundersedition.co/ x-newsletter-signup: https://foundersedition.co/subscribe X-SG-EID: =?us-ascii?Q?u001=2E7ozyt+tmjDsHnEocxX8pymFA2v5OOh2V4Pdr6hGVjZo99sLHT4OeEg7as?= =?us-ascii?Q?oEFtQzIa0qAOkk1QezFA4qrCcff9558yNK8x6zQ?= =?us-ascii?Q?0aLhxDCyAuB9kgcSLas3IIKR+fvCUJBBKWG1Z+M?= =?us-ascii?Q?GxbeCWRhYOUSDu0ardmAhFbW+SeTZUtZesjTee=2F?= =?us-ascii?Q?yvmXJjvpAcn059RL7MIaSTSYVZk6m4JRuHoirXD?= =?us-ascii?Q?mSLiDfwJJKt7GR5vOh8IlHTIYBCRwhxpSPDlh2C?= =?us-ascii?Q?Yr9M=2FkSi6QFtrRn861aY=2FcuEUXG6190yOeL9opU?= =?us-ascii?Q?QUWYZLuE=3D?= X-SG-ID: =?us-ascii?Q?u001=2ESdBcvi+Evd=2FbQef8eZF3BpTL9BgbK5wfSJMJGMsmprD1ZcmFObA4po1bG?= =?us-ascii?Q?aUE6gycJ+LfRoc8X0Wm0MSorFVcoWHrIixZYD9z?= =?us-ascii?Q?w25Z143eglkAJWbQrLxndYtch6lhNuMZkD1TrPi?= =?us-ascii?Q?CzxVBhHQqtv8shffjeCXVHXfUhkl4mbGJobXfo1?= =?us-ascii?Q?R5iZ=2FTWDESvYcvUHiNN2N=2FJ+gQ4vgTWd+WsxfGl?= =?us-ascii?Q?OVh2Gi+1jQhWTtC4j2XrfTzwzGiL5HQUbDCoVw9?= =?us-ascii?Q?3JwwtJdZ25XWw5uSQbfd3JEWji=2FkoxoXW1d1Spj?= =?us-ascii?Q?sc7l2Oqw1DmtIiymrqmw6gGlwBmMm4pOu7NUdpc?= =?us-ascii?Q?FG7UGLV=2F6BN9YoIT4YueYQ1BOgLwT+Olg=3D?= To: "andrew@sterlingcal.com" X-Entity-ID: u001.RuZ2+X9IBGtjUb8qq3teHQ== X-Spam-Status: No, score=-2.3 X-Spam-Score: -22 X-Spam-Bar: -- X-Spam-Flag: NO --a084930a939af603457820c0df35c69696bf03965abdfb6ab6e21d6ab1b9 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Mime-Version: 1.0 Hello Andrew,=20 _**Book update**__: I=E2=80=99m placing the order for books at the end of t= he month. This has got to be one of the hardest things to forecast. While I= think it=E2=80=99s a great book that will help a lot of founders, most boo= ks sell fewer than 500 copies. Fortunately, we seem to have _[pre-orders](h= ttps://www.amazon.com/Terrifying-Art-Finding-Customers-Sleep-Deprived/dp/17= 74586134)_ (wholesale + individual) for a few thousand already.=C2=A0_ _If you know any VCs that would be interested in receiving a box of books t= o share with their portfolio companies, hit me back and I=E2=80=99ll add th= em to the list. _ How long are your demos? When you pull out your deck or share your screen, = do you find that you just end up giving everyone the same autopilot tour? I was on a call with a founder this week who had built an incredible produc= t but felt something was off about his demos. "I still feel a little awkward going through my demo," he confessed. "It fe= els like a feature march rather than what I'd like it to be." And the resul= ts were telling, his demo wasn=E2=80=99t adding momentum to the sales call,= it was slowing it down.=C2=A0 Sound familiar? As founders, we love our products. We've poured our souls i= nto building them, and we want prospects to see ALL the cool things we've c= reated. We assume that showing more features creates more value. But what I've observed over thousands of sales calls is the exact opposite.= The most effective demos aren't comprehensive - they're targeted. ## The Problem with Your Demo Let me ask you a simple question: Could a YouTube video replace your 'demo'= ? If the answer is yes, you need to do it differently. Having a 'standard demo' is mentally easier but is a waste of human time. I= f you're going to do the same walkthrough for everyone, just record a YouTu= be video and send it to prospects before the call. Then at least they can s= kip the stuff they don't care about and watch at 2x speed. What typically happens in a standard demo? 1. You enthusiastically share your screen 2. You launch into a 30-45 minute feature walkthrough 3. The prospect sits back passively, occasionally nodding 4. You might hear "That's interesting" a few times 5. You finish and ask, "Any questions?" 6. Crickets (or surface-level questions) What's really happening: It's as if the founder has stopped being intereste= d in the conversation and decides "now I'm going to talk AT you for 10-15 m= inutes." You've trained the prospect to be passive. They've disengaged ment= ally, probably checked email, and have retained maybe 10% of what you showe= d. The last time a sales rep did this to me, I asked them to stop, provided a = little coaching, and asked them kindly to just show me the relevant parts. = They tried once and got pulled back into automatic mode. 5 minutes of irrel= evant rambling later, I flipped off my video and went upstairs to make some= lunch. I could still hear them but I figured if they weren=E2=80=99t going= to engage in the conversation, neither was I. You=E2=80=99ll never believe= it but I didn=E2=80=99t end up buying from them.=C2=A0 ## Enter the 90-Second Demo Technique What you want to do instead is the 90-second demo. Instead of showing prosp= ects _all of the things_ your product does, you identify the top 3-5 things= they really care about and then show them one at a time. Here's the alternative approach: 1. **Discovery first** - Spend 80-90% of your time understanding their pain= points 2. **Identify 3-4 specific challenges** they've mentioned 3. **Preview what you'll show** - "Based on what you've shared, there are t= hree specific features that would help you. Let me show each one briefly." 4. For each feature: * Share your screen for just 90 seconds * Show ONLY the solution to their specific pain point * End screen share * Ask for feedback: "What did you think about that? Would that solve your p= roblem?" * Get permission before moving to the next feature This creates an entirely different dynamic. The prospect remains engaged be= cause they're constantly interacting. They don't have time to check out men= tally or open email. ## Why It Works: The Psychology Behind It 1. **It creates curiosity** - When you only show snippets, they want to see= more 2. **It forces engagement** - The prospect has to process what they've seen= in real-time 3. **It respects their time** - You're only showing what's relevant to them 4. **It builds trust** - You're demonstrating that you listened to their sp= ecific needs 5. **It creates a dialogue** - Instead of a monologue, you're using a scree= nshare to advance the conversation=C2=A0 Think of it this way: Imagine the total length of time you could talk about= your product without stopping or repeating yourself. For me, it's in the h= ours. That's your "product ramble playlist." It probably sounds like you've= recorded a short podcast about each feature you built and then stitched th= em together. Here's the thing: prospects don't want to listen to a playlist of podcasts = about your product. There are some absolute hits they're really interested = in, but they don't want to listen to the 3-hour playlist. They want to hear= about the 3 or 4 things they really care about. From experience, prospects are deaf to anything we tell them until we've di= rectly answered their questions. This is why your demos aren't landing - th= ey're seeing too many things they don't care about and are patiently waitin= g for you to show them something they actually care about. ## The Selling V: Building Context Before Features I bet you=E2=80=99re thinking =E2=80=9Cif I=E2=80=99m not going to screensh= are awkwardly for 20 minutes, what will I do on my demo calls!?=E2=80=9D Ok= , maybe I=E2=80=99m being a little facetious. Here=E2=80=99s how I recommen= d structuring your calls so that you learn first and share second. I call i= t the Selling V, here=E2=80=99s how it works:=C2=A0 * Left side of the V: You're trying to understand the prospect's situation * Understand the **context **relevant to solving their problem=C2=A0 * Help them define the specific **progress** they want to make=C2=A0 * Walk through the **impact** the progress will have on them and their busi= ness=C2=A0 * Bottom of the V: You demonstrate your understanding (diagnose and confirm= *) * Right side of the V: You help them understand how you could help them mak= e progress * Help them understand any relevant **context** about your solution=C2=A0 * Show them how your solution will help them make the **progress **(this is= where your demo lives) * Discuss the **impact** of implementing your solution=C2=A0 Here's a counterintuitive sales truth: good salespeople want to lose a deal= as early in the process as they possibly can. This allows us to weed out t= he tire kickers (and follow up with them at an appropriate time) and focus = our time with people that are actively trying to solve a problem. By walkin= g prospects through the Selling V, you get to understand whether or not the= y=E2=80=99re a fit before you invest any more time together.=C2=A0 ## *The "Diagnose and Confirm" Technique One technique that pairs perfectly with the 90-second demo is what I call "= diagnose and confirm." This is something I picked up from [Mark Kosoglow](h= ttps://predictablerevenue.com/blog/x-marks-spot-mark-kosoglows-sales-team-o= utreach-uncovers-pain-points-needs-customers/) years ago when he was Outrea= ch=E2=80=99s VP of Sales. Along the sales process, most salespeople are trained to pause and check if= prospects are following along. The trouble is, often that pause comes with= all-too-simple questions like: "Does that make sense?" Or, "Are you follow= ing?" Those questions invariably produce a simple answer: "yes." No one wants to = admit they don't understand. Instead, try this approach: repeat what the prospect has told you, and then= confirm if you've gotten it right. This is powerful because it elicits a r= esponse regardless of whether you're right or have misunderstood. "So what I'm hearing is that your engineering team spends about 3 hours per= week generating these reports manually, and it's pulling them away from co= re development work. Is that accurate?" This approach: 1. Corrects information if you've misunderstood 2. Often prompts prospects to share even more information 3. Ensures everyone is on the same page ## The Results When I coach founders through this transition to 90-second demos, they typi= cally see: * Higher engagement during demos * More revealing questions from prospects * Shorter sales cycles (because prospects are more engaged throughout) What's particularly interesting: prospects often ask to see MORE once you'v= e shown less. By creating curiosity and demonstrating value in small chunks= , prospects lean forward and ask for additional features rather than leanin= g back and tuning out. ## Try it Yourself The goal here isn't really to get you to ONLY talk for 90 seconds - some th= ings do take a little longer to explain. There are two goals: 1. Force you to think through your answers ahead of time (focus on being co= ncise) 2. Prevent you from reverting back to your automatic demo Knowing you're only allowed to screenshare for 90 seconds at a time is a gr= eat way to force yourself to focus. Remember, your demo isn't about showing= how much your product can do. It's about showing how your product can solv= e their specific problems. What's your experience with product demos? Have you tried a more focused ap= proach? Hit reply and let me know - I'd love to hear what's working for you= . Until next week, Collin PS - If you're struggling with your demo approach, I've put together a simp= le [Demo Planning Worksheet](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TyCEx-wGuh= abv2ihFdEZ-lhb1blFsj6iAPN5hU7jAa8/edit?usp=3Dsharing) that helps structure = discoveries and identify which features to prioritize. Feel free to downloa= d it and let me know if it helps!=20 PPS - here=E2=80=99s the [youtube link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DI= GsCz0wszFU) I promised last week but forgot to add, let me know if you want= to see more content like this.=20 PPPS - I=E2=80=99ve been using a tool called [mouseless](https://mouseless.= click/) this week and it=E2=80=99s wheel mode is a game changer for working= in spreadsheets and not having to touch your mouse. If you=E2=80=99re a ke= yboard shortcut junkie like me, you=E2=80=99ll love it. =E2=80=94=E2=80=94=E2=80=94 You are reading a plain text version of this post. For the best experience,= copy and paste this link in your browser to view the post online: https://foundersedition.co/p/the-90-second-demo --a084930a939af603457820c0df35c69696bf03965abdfb6ab6e21d6ab1b9 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 Mime-Version: 1.0 The 90-Second Demo: Why Less Is More
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May 16,= 2025   |   Read Online

The 90-Second Demo: Why Less Is More

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Until next week,

Hello Andrew,

Book update: I=E2=80=99m placing the order for books at the = end of the month. This has got to be one of the hardest things to forecast.= While I think it=E2=80=99s a great book that will help a lot of founders, = most books sell fewer than 500 copies. Fortunately, we seem to have pre-orders (wholesale + individual) for a few thousand already.=C2= =A0

If you know = any VCs that would be interested in receiving a box of books to share with = their portfolio companies, hit me back and I=E2=80=99ll add them to the lis= t.

How long are yo= ur demos? When you pull out your deck or share your screen, do you find tha= t you just end up giving everyone the same autopilot tour?

I was on a call with a founder this wee= k who had built an incredible product but felt something was off about his = demos.

"I still fe= el a little awkward going through my demo," he confessed. "It fee= ls like a feature march rather than what I'd like it to be." And t= he results were telling, his demo wasn=E2=80=99t adding momentum to the sal= es call, it was slowing it down.=C2=A0

Sound familiar? As founders, we love our products. We'v= e poured our souls into building them, and we want prospects to see ALL the= cool things we've created. We assume that showing more features create= s more value.

But what = I've observed over thousands of sales calls is the exact opposite. The = most effective demos aren't comprehensive - they're targeted.

The Probl= em with Your Demo

Let= me ask you a simple question: Could a YouTube video replace your 'demo= '? If the answer is yes, you need to do it differently.

Having a 'standard demo' is me= ntally easier but is a waste of human time. If you're going to do the s= ame walkthrough for everyone, just record a YouTube video and send it to pr= ospects before the call. Then at least they can skip the stuff they don'= ;t care about and watch at 2x speed.

What typically happens in a standard demo?

  1. You enthusiastically share your sc= reen

  2. You launch into a 30-45 minute feature walkth= rough

  3. The prospect sits back passively, occasional= ly nodding

  4. You might hear "That's interes= ting" a few times

  5. You finish and ask, "A= ny questions?"

  6. Crickets (or surface-level q= uestions)

What's really happening: It's as if the founder has stopped bein= g interested in the conversation and decides "now I'm going to tal= k AT you for 10-15 minutes." You've trained the prospect to be pas= sive. They've disengaged mentally, probably checked email, and have ret= ained maybe 10% of what you showed.


The last time a sales rep did this to me, I asked them to = stop, provided a little coaching, and asked them kindly to just show me the= relevant parts. They tried once and got pulled back into automatic mode. 5= minutes of irrelevant rambling later, I flipped off my video and went upst= airs to make some lunch. I could still hear them but I figured if they were= n=E2=80=99t going to engage in the conversation, neither was I. You=E2=80= =99ll never believe it but I didn=E2=80=99t end up buying from them.=C2=A0<= /span>

Enter the 90-Second Demo Technique

What you want to do instead is the 90-second demo. Inste= ad of showing prospects al= l of the things your prod= uct does, you identify the top 3-5 things they really care about and then s= how them one at a time.

Here's the alternative approach:

  • Discovery first - Spend 80-90% of your time understanding t= heir pain points

  • Identify 3-4 s= pecific challenges they&#= 39;ve mentioned

  • Preview what yo= u'll show - "Bas= ed on what you've shared, there are three specific features that would = help you. Let me show each one briefly."

  • For = each feature:

    • Share your screen for just 90 seconds

    • Show ONLY the solution to their specific pain point

    • End screen share

    • Ask for f= eedback: "What did you think about that? Would that solve your problem= ?"

    • Get permission before moving to the next f= eature

    • This creates an entirely different dynamic. The prospect remains = engaged because they're constantly interacting. They don't have tim= e to check out mentally or open email.

    Why It Works: The Psychology Be= hind It

    1. It creates curiosity - When you only show snippets, they want to see more

    2. It forces engagement - The prospect has to process what they've se= en in real-time

    3. It respects the= ir time - You're only= showing what's relevant to them

    4. It builds trust - Y= ou're demonstrating that you listened to their specific needs

    5. It creates a dialogue - Instead of a monologue, you're using = a screenshare to advance the conversation=C2=A0

    <= /td>

    Think of it this way: Imagine the = total length of time you could talk about your product without stopping or = repeating yourself. For me, it's in the hours. That's your "pr= oduct ramble playlist." It probably sounds like you've recorded a = short podcast about each feature you built and then stitched them together.=

    Here's the thing: = prospects don't want to listen to a playlist of podcasts about your pro= duct. There are some absolute hits they're really interested in, but th= ey don't want to listen to the 3-hour playlist. They want to hear about= the 3 or 4 things they really care about.

    From experience, prospects are deaf to anything we tell= them until we've directly answered their questions. This is why your d= emos aren't landing - they're seeing too many things they don't= care about and are patiently waiting for you to show them something they a= ctually care about.

    The Selling V: Building Context Before Features

    I bet you=E2=80=99re thi= nking =E2=80=9Cif I=E2=80=99m not going to screenshare awkwardly for 20 min= utes, what will I do on my demo calls!?=E2=80=9D Ok, maybe I=E2=80=99m bein= g a little facetious. Here=E2=80=99s how I recommend structuring your calls= so that you learn first and share second. I call it the Selling V, here=E2= =80=99s how it works:=C2=A0

    • L= eft side of the V: You're= trying to understand the prospect's situation

      • Unde= rstand the context relevant to solv= ing their problem=C2=A0

      • Help them define the speci= fic progre= ss they want to make=C2= =A0

      • Walk through the impact the progress will have on them and their business=C2=A0

    • Bottom of the V: You demonstrate your understanding (d= iagnose and confirm*)

    • Right side o= f the V: You help them unders= tand how you could help them make progress

      • Help them un= derstand any relevant context about= your solution=C2=A0

      • Show them how your solution = will help them make the progress (t= his is where your demo lives)

      • =

        Discuss the <= span style=3D"color:rgb(44, 62, 80);font-weight:700;">impact<= span style=3D"color:rgb(44, 62, 80);"> of implementing your solution=C2=A0<= /span>

    Here's a counterintuitive sales truth: good salespeople want to lose= a deal as early in the process as they possibly can. This allows us to wee= d out the tire kickers (and follow up with them at an appropriate time) and= focus our time with people that are actively trying to solve a problem. By= walking prospects through the Selling V, you get to understand whether or = not they=E2=80=99re a fit before you invest any more time together.=C2=A0

    *The "Diagnose and Confirm" Technique

    One technique that pairs perfectly with the 9= 0-second demo is what I call "diagnose and confirm." This is some= thing I picked up from Mark Kosoglow years ago when he was Outreach=E2=80=99s VP of Sales.

    =

    Along the sales process, most sal= espeople are trained to pause and check if prospects are following along. T= he trouble is, often that pause comes with all-too-simple questions like: &= quot;Does that make sense?" Or, "Are you following?"<= /p>

    Those questions invariably pro= duce a simple answer: "yes." No one wants to admit they don't= understand.

    Instead, = try this approach: repeat what the prospect has told you, and then confirm = if you've gotten it right. This is powerful because it elicits a respon= se regardless of whether you're right or have misunderstood.

    =

    "So what I'm hearing is = that your engineering team spends about 3 hours per week generating these r= eports manually, and it's pulling them away from core development work.= Is that accurate?"

    1. Corrects information if you've misunderstood

    2. Often prompts prospects to share even more information

    3. Ensures everyone is on the same page

    The Results

    When I coach founders through this transition= to 90-second demos, they typically see:

    • Hig= her engagement during demos

    • More revealing questio= ns from prospects

    • Shorter sales cycles (because pr= ospects are more engaged throughout)

    What's particularly interesting: prospect= s often ask to see MORE once you've shown less. By creating curiosity a= nd demonstrating value in small chunks, prospects lean forward and ask for = additional features rather than leaning back and tuning out.

    Try it Yourself

    The goal here isn't really to g= et you to ONLY talk for 90 seconds - some things do take a little longer to= explain. There are two goals:

    1. Force you to think through your answers ahead of time (focu= s on being concise)

    2. Prevent you from reverting b= ack to your automatic demo

    Knowing you're only allowed to screenshare for 90 s= econds at a time is a great way to force yourself to focus. Remember, your = demo isn't about showing how much your product can do. It's about s= howing how your product can solve their specific problems.

    What's your experience with product= demos? Have you tried a more focused approach? Hit reply and let me know -= I'd love to hear what's working for you.

    Collin

    PS - If you're struggling with your demo approach, I've put t= ogether a simple Demo Planning Worksheet that helps structure discov= eries and identify which features to prioritize. Feel free to download it a= nd let me know if it helps!

    PPS - here=E2=80=99s the youtube link I promised last week but forgot to add, = let me know if you want to see more content like this.

    PPPS - I=E2=80=99ve been using a tool call= ed mouseless this week and it=E2= =80=99s wheel mode is a game changer for working in spreadsheets and not ha= ving to touch your mouse. If you=E2=80=99re a keyboard shortcut junkie like= me, you=E2=80=99ll love it.

    =
    3D"yt"3D"in"
     
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