Lead with a customer story, not a tour, so buyers care sooner.
Last week we had a free coaching session, and a Solution Engineer came asking for feedback on a demo she'd built for Ketch. Honestly? She didn't need much. There was way more good than bad. But the thing that stood out most was her storytelling. Early in the demo, she introduces Doug. Not a feature or a workflow, either. Doug has a role, Doug has a problem, and the entire demo follows him as he navigates it using the product. It sounds simple. But most presales demos don't do this. They open with an onboarding guide — here's the dashboard, here's the nav, here's where you go to do the thing. It's logical. It's thorough. And it's about as compelling as a user manual. Leading with a person flips the whole frame. The buyer stops watching a product walkthrough and starts following a story. They see themselves — or someone on their team — in Doug's shoes. And by the time the demo gets to the features, they already care about the outcome. That's the difference between a good demo and one that closes deals.
