Remote demos help both sales and technical teams get more done in less time, but only if the right approach is taken to use it effectively. This article provides you with an overview of remote demos and how they work. In Part 2, we delve into more details on the advantages of using remote demonstrations.
The remote demo provides a way to show your product from a distance using immersive technology. Conventionally, providing a product demonstration has two routes: either the customer comes to your product or, more expensively, you bring the product to your customer. In a remote demo, both you and the customer will interact digitally (e.g., over the internet) with the product. Compared to conventional product demonstrations, this new approach has four major advantages:
In a remote demo, both you and the customer will interact digitally
A remote demo works by hosting a virtual experience on a website or app. Your potential customers are guided through a series of settings you have outlined. They can interact with your product using a browser, in app, VR, AR or other immersive technologies.
A remote demo is different from a video demo. Video demos do not allow your customer to interact (e.g., the software interface) with or take control of the product. Video demos are strictly limited to what has been filmed. In a remote demo, customers can take over a virtual product and by interacting with it they better understand how your product fits their needs. This can significantly simplify and accelerate their buying decision.
Besides the benefit of engaging customers on your virtual product, there are internal advantages in making remote demos a staple in your sales, training, and customer support strategy. In many cases, organizations will fly salespeople or engineers to client offices for a face-to-face discussion or to better understand client requirements. An option using high-quality screen-sharing software to virtually bring a client into their own office for a demonstration—but even that suffers from not being an immersive experience and, in our experience, tend to be one-off events
That’s where remote demos can be useful internally: Instead of flying your salespeople or engineers to an office, you can use a remote demo to bring your product directly to them—allowing both parties to focus on what’s important during their discussion. Remote demos make client meetings more efficient.
Using remote demos saves both time and money
This brings us to another point—remote demos save your organization both time and money. Your sales reps won’t need to fly to give a demo, which means your organization won’t have to cover expensive travel costs. You also won’t need to worry about your employees spending time away from their main responsibilities while they travel. Team members will be able to get back to work right away, putting their efforts into pushing your business-critical missions forward.
The logistics of shipping your product for a customer demo can be particularly daunting if your product is fragile. In the cases of very large pieces of equipment, an onsite demo may be impractical. Additionally, a demo is used early in the sales cycle so if the customer is not well qualified, the efforts often result in no sales. The impact on your organization for a failed demo can be large as you absorb the cost of the demo logistics, the downtime travel of your staff, plus any damage to your product that occurs during shipping or the demo process.
Remote demonstrations provide a process whereby your sales and customer service staff interact digitally with your clients to help them better understand your products. Remote demos generate a number of advantages over conventional approaches, including faster sales cycles and lower costs. We will go into more detail of these advantages in Remote Demo’s: The Next Evolution in Sales and Customer Support, Part 2
Want to talk to experts in remote demos? From biotech instruments to large equipment, Envoke can help. Contact Us
