Title:  Sell the outcome, not the product (here's how)

Read time: 3. min

Today, I will discuss one of the most overlooked yet crucial parts of the sales process: the demo. The demo is one of those parts of the sales process that everyone does, but almost no one really thinks about. Most of us were just thrown into it and told, “Show them the product.” So we click around, talk through a bunch of features, and hope something lands. And then we wonder why the prospect disappears after what felt like a “good call.”

After listening and watching throusands of presentations: a demo isn’t about showing a product, it’s about showing themself in a better reality. It’s you saying, “You told me this is frustrating. Let me walk you through a different way of working.” When you tie what you’re showing directly to the problems they shared with you on the discovery call, you’re not just presenting software anymore, you’re helping them solve something that actually matters in their day to day.

But when we just dump features with no context, they have to do all the mental work: “How would this fit into my world? Who would use it? What would actually change?” Most people won’t do that work. They nod, they say “This looks great,” and then they quietly move on.

If you want to close deals more predictably, think of the demo less like a performance and more like a guided conversation. You already did the hard part in discovery, now you’re simply connecting the dots back to what they told you. “Here’s how we fix that. Here’s how this saves you time. Here’s how this makes your job easier.

Growing Robinhood from a startup to a major platform meant building around a “clear customer need, not just a technology solution,” solving for both functional needs and emotional trust.

~Vlad Tenev

Let’s dive right in. Here is the cadence (flow) of what a deck should look like.

Slide 1: Your Logo + Their Logo

• Start strong with a sense of partnership by featuring both your logo and the prospect's logo.

• Below, include a concise one-sentence value proposition that directly addresses their primary concern.

Slide 2: Current Situation

• This slide summarizes the pain points, challenges, and needs discussed during the discovery call.

• Avoid talking about yourself or your company’s history. The prospect only cares about one thing: how fast you can solve their problem. Personal background should only be shared if specifically asked.

Slide 3: Key Objectives

• Outline what the ideal situation looks like for them. This should highlight their goals and any improvements they hope to make in their process.

• Show that you’re aligned with their objectives and are ready to help them achieve their desired outcome.

Slide 4: Demo Layout

• Before diving into the demo, set clear expectations. Tell the prospect how you’re going to walk them through the product, prioritizing features based on the pain points they shared.

• Only show features that are relevant to their specific needs. Don’t waste time on the parts of your product they won’t use. The goal is to solve their most urgent problems first.
  

Example:

You: "(Name), you mentioned on our previous call that one of your biggest challenges is the time your team spends manually handling tasks, right?" (Pointing to the pain)

Prospect: "Yes, exactly."

You: "Great. I’m going to show you how our product automates this process entirely, saving your team a significant amount of time." (Directing to the solution)

Slide 5: Onboarding

• After demonstrating how the product addresses their pain points,
  explain what onboarding looks like if they decide to move forward.

• Outline the steps they’ll need to take on their side, and set clear expectations for how quickly they can be up and running.
  
  

Slide 6: Expected Results

• Present an itemized list of expected results, ideally mixing both qualitative and quantitative outcomes.

• Examples could include "20% increase in productivity" or "eliminated 90% of manual tasks." Make these results as specific as possible to build confidence.

Slide 7: Pricing

• Showcase pricing tiers and recommend the option that fits their needs based on the pain points and objectives they outlined in discovery.

• Be transparent, but tailor the conversation to focus on the value they will receive.

Slide 8: The Offer

• If you have an exclusive offer or discount, include it here. Make the offer time-sensitive to create urgency.
  
  

Slide 9: Next Steps

• Outline the clear next steps, such as scheduling a scoping call or sending over a proposal. There are usually two options:

  1. The prospect is ready to move forward with next steps, or:

  2. They need more time to discuss internally.

• Either way, set a follow-up meeting with a confirmed date and time. Never leave it open-ended.
  

Takeaway

Demos aren’t about showing how powerful or complex your product is. They’re about proving, in a focused and simple way, that you understand this prospect’s world and can fix their specific problems.

A strong demo does three things:

1. Follows a clear structure – You open by recapping what you heard in discovery, confirm the top 2–3 pains, and set an agenda: “I’ll show you exactly how we handle A, B, and C.” No wandering, no feature tours.
   

2. Prioritizes relevance over coverage – You don’t show everything your product can do. You show only the workflows, use cases, and outcomes that map directly to their pains, their KPIs, and their day to day reality.
   

3. Constantly ties back to impact – As you click, you narrate the “so what”: less manual work, fewer errors, faster turnaround, more revenue, fewer escalations, etc. Every feature you show has a business reason to be there.
   

When you keep the demo concise, stick to the essentials, and repeatedly connect what you’re showing back to the prospect’s pains and goals, the conversation naturally shifts from “interesting product” to “we need this.” That’s the real purpose of a demo: not to impress with features, but to make the cost of not buying painfully obvious.

That’s all for today.


See you all next week!


Darren





P.S. If you’re a venture-backed startup looking to level up your sales and distribution, book a call here.