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Show Notes
Great Demo! How To Create And Execute Stunning Software Demonstrations (Peter E Cohan)
- Amazon USA Store: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9SNKC2Y?tag=9natree-20
- Amazon Worldwide Store: https://global.buys.trade/Great-Demo%21-How-To-Create-And-Execute-Stunning-Software-Demonstrations-Peter-E-Cohan.html
- eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Great+Demo+How+To+Create+And+Execute+Stunning+Software+Demonstrations+Peter+E+Cohan+&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5339060787&customid=9natree&toolid=10001&mkevt=1
- Read more: https://english.9natree.com/read/B0C9SNKC2Y/
#softwaredemos #salesengineering #B2BSaaSsales #demostorytelling #solutionsconsulting #productmarketing #remotedemonstrations #GreatDemoHowToCreateAndExecuteStunningSoftwareDemonstrations
These are takeaways from this book.
Firstly, Designing the demo around buyer outcomes, A central idea in Great Demo! is that a software demonstration succeeds when it is built around the audience’s desired outcomes, not around the presenter’s favorite features. The book encourages readers to start by clarifying the business problem, the decision criteria, and what success looks like for the buyer. From there, the demo becomes a structured story that shows how the product helps the customer achieve measurable results. This mindset changes preparation: instead of collecting every impressive screen, the presenter selects only the workflows that support the specific value claims relevant to the prospect. The approach also highlights the importance of audience segmentation. Executives typically need strategic impact and risk reduction, while practitioners want usability, speed, and fit with existing processes. By anchoring the demo in outcomes, the presenter can make each step feel inevitable and relevant. The book also emphasizes using plain language, mapping functionality to benefits, and keeping a tight narrative arc. The result is a demo that feels less like a tour and more like a decision enabling experience, helping prospects see themselves succeeding with the product and reducing the mental work required to connect features to value.
Secondly, Structuring a compelling demo storyline, The book treats a great demo as a carefully staged narrative with a beginning, middle, and end. Instead of jumping between modules, the presenter should guide the audience through a coherent scenario that mirrors real work and builds confidence step by step. This includes setting context early, defining the stakes, and establishing what will be shown and why it matters. A strong structure also includes transitions that explain how one step leads to the next, which keeps attention high and prevents the audience from getting lost in interface details. Great Demo! promotes the idea of choreography: the presenter plans not only what to click, but what to say, when to pause, and how to confirm understanding. It also highlights pacing as a strategic choice. Moving too quickly makes the product seem complex, while moving too slowly can suggest inefficiency. A well paced storyline balances clarity with momentum. The structure should also anticipate natural moments for questions and agreement, so the audience feels involved without derailing the flow. By treating the demo as storytelling, the presenter can make even sophisticated software feel intuitive and purposeful.
Thirdly, Preparation, rehearsal, and demo environment control, Great Demo! stresses that reliability and smooth execution are not luck, they are engineered through preparation. The book pushes readers to create repeatable demo assets and to control the environment so the presenter can focus on the conversation rather than the mechanics. That means using curated data sets, predictable user accounts, and preconfigured settings that show the product in its best light without misrepresenting reality. It also means planning for performance issues, permissions, integrations, and anything that could interrupt the narrative. Rehearsal is positioned as essential, not optional. Practicing the flow helps presenters eliminate filler language, refine explanations, and develop the muscle memory needed to recover quickly if something unexpected happens. The book also implies the value of contingency planning: having backup paths, screenshots, or alternative examples when a live system or connection fails. In modern selling, many demos happen over video calls, which adds variables like bandwidth, screen sharing, audio clarity, and multitasking audiences. Managing these factors becomes part of the craft. The takeaway is that a polished demo is built on invisible preparation that protects credibility, reduces stress, and makes the experience feel effortless to the buyer.
Fourthly, Handling questions and guiding the conversation, A demo is rarely a monologue. Stakeholders interrupt, request detours, and test assumptions. Great Demo! focuses on maintaining control without seeming controlling by using a facilitative style that welcomes engagement while preserving the storyline. This includes acknowledging questions, deciding whether to answer immediately or park them for a better moment, and then returning to them reliably. The book encourages presenters to listen for the intent behind a question, because many questions are really about risk, feasibility, or fit, not about the specific screen being discussed. By responding at the level of intent, a presenter can reassure the audience and keep momentum. Another key skill is guiding agreement. Instead of asking vague questions like does that make sense, effective presenters confirm relevance with targeted check ins tied to business outcomes. The book also supports collaborating with other team members such as account executives or product specialists so that roles are clear and the buyer receives crisp answers. When done well, question handling becomes a persuasive advantage. It signals expertise, reduces perceived risk, and makes the buyer feel heard, while still keeping the demo aligned with the decision criteria that matter most.
Lastly, Closing the demo and advancing the next step, Great Demo! treats the end of the demonstration as a strategic moment where many teams underperform. A strong close is not simply asking for questions and ending the meeting, it is summarizing value, confirming alignment, and defining a concrete next step. The book encourages presenters to reconnect what was shown to the buyer’s priorities, making the business case feel explicit rather than implied. This can include recapping the key outcomes demonstrated, the workflow improvements, and any risk mitigation elements such as security, governance, or implementation approach. A well designed close also addresses the multiple stakeholders involved in software purchases. The presenter may need to propose tailored follow ups, such as a technical deep dive, a trial with success criteria, a security review, or a pricing and packaging discussion. By ending with a clear mutual plan, the demo becomes a turning point instead of an isolated event. The approach also helps prevent the common post demo stall where enthusiasm dissipates because no one owns the next action. The book’s emphasis is on moving from interest to commitment by making the path forward simple, specific, and aligned with how the customer buys.
- Amazon USA Store: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9SNKC2Y?tag=9natree-20
- Amazon Worldwide Store: https://global.buys.trade/Great-Demo%21-How-To-Create-And-Execute-Stunning-Software-Demonstrations-Peter-E-Cohan.html
- eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Great+Demo+How+To+Create+And+Execute+Stunning+Software+Demonstrations+Peter+E+Cohan+&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5339060787&customid=9natree&toolid=10001&mkevt=1
- Read more: https://english.9natree.com/read/B0C9SNKC2Y/
#softwaredemos #salesengineering #B2BSaaSsales #demostorytelling #solutionsconsulting #productmarketing #remotedemonstrations #GreatDemoHowToCreateAndExecuteStunningSoftwareDemonstrations
These are takeaways from this book.
Firstly, Designing the demo around buyer outcomes, A central idea in Great Demo! is that a software demonstration succeeds when it is built around the audience’s desired outcomes, not around the presenter’s favorite features. The book encourages readers to start by clarifying the business problem, the decision criteria, and what success looks like for the buyer. From there, the demo becomes a structured story that shows how the product helps the customer achieve measurable results. This mindset changes preparation: instead of collecting every impressive screen, the presenter selects only the workflows that support the specific value claims relevant to the prospect. The approach also highlights the importance of audience segmentation. Executives typically need strategic impact and risk reduction, while practitioners want usability, speed, and fit with existing processes. By anchoring the demo in outcomes, the presenter can make each step feel inevitable and relevant. The book also emphasizes using plain language, mapping functionality to benefits, and keeping a tight narrative arc. The result is a demo that feels less like a tour and more like a decision enabling experience, helping prospects see themselves succeeding with the product and reducing the mental work required to connect features to value.
Secondly, Structuring a compelling demo storyline, The book treats a great demo as a carefully staged narrative with a beginning, middle, and end. Instead of jumping between modules, the presenter should guide the audience through a coherent scenario that mirrors real work and builds confidence step by step. This includes setting context early, defining the stakes, and establishing what will be shown and why it matters. A strong structure also includes transitions that explain how one step leads to the next, which keeps attention high and prevents the audience from getting lost in interface details. Great Demo! promotes the idea of choreography: the presenter plans not only what to click, but what to say, when to pause, and how to confirm understanding. It also highlights pacing as a strategic choice. Moving too quickly makes the product seem complex, while moving too slowly can suggest inefficiency. A well paced storyline balances clarity with momentum. The structure should also anticipate natural moments for questions and agreement, so the audience feels involved without derailing the flow. By treating the demo as storytelling, the presenter can make even sophisticated software feel intuitive and purposeful.
Thirdly, Preparation, rehearsal, and demo environment control, Great Demo! stresses that reliability and smooth execution are not luck, they are engineered through preparation. The book pushes readers to create repeatable demo assets and to control the environment so the presenter can focus on the conversation rather than the mechanics. That means using curated data sets, predictable user accounts, and preconfigured settings that show the product in its best light without misrepresenting reality. It also means planning for performance issues, permissions, integrations, and anything that could interrupt the narrative. Rehearsal is positioned as essential, not optional. Practicing the flow helps presenters eliminate filler language, refine explanations, and develop the muscle memory needed to recover quickly if something unexpected happens. The book also implies the value of contingency planning: having backup paths, screenshots, or alternative examples when a live system or connection fails. In modern selling, many demos happen over video calls, which adds variables like bandwidth, screen sharing, audio clarity, and multitasking audiences. Managing these factors becomes part of the craft. The takeaway is that a polished demo is built on invisible preparation that protects credibility, reduces stress, and makes the experience feel effortless to the buyer.
Fourthly, Handling questions and guiding the conversation, A demo is rarely a monologue. Stakeholders interrupt, request detours, and test assumptions. Great Demo! focuses on maintaining control without seeming controlling by using a facilitative style that welcomes engagement while preserving the storyline. This includes acknowledging questions, deciding whether to answer immediately or park them for a better moment, and then returning to them reliably. The book encourages presenters to listen for the intent behind a question, because many questions are really about risk, feasibility, or fit, not about the specific screen being discussed. By responding at the level of intent, a presenter can reassure the audience and keep momentum. Another key skill is guiding agreement. Instead of asking vague questions like does that make sense, effective presenters confirm relevance with targeted check ins tied to business outcomes. The book also supports collaborating with other team members such as account executives or product specialists so that roles are clear and the buyer receives crisp answers. When done well, question handling becomes a persuasive advantage. It signals expertise, reduces perceived risk, and makes the buyer feel heard, while still keeping the demo aligned with the decision criteria that matter most.
Lastly, Closing the demo and advancing the next step, Great Demo! treats the end of the demonstration as a strategic moment where many teams underperform. A strong close is not simply asking for questions and ending the meeting, it is summarizing value, confirming alignment, and defining a concrete next step. The book encourages presenters to reconnect what was shown to the buyer’s priorities, making the business case feel explicit rather than implied. This can include recapping the key outcomes demonstrated, the workflow improvements, and any risk mitigation elements such as security, governance, or implementation approach. A well designed close also addresses the multiple stakeholders involved in software purchases. The presenter may need to propose tailored follow ups, such as a technical deep dive, a trial with success criteria, a security review, or a pricing and packaging discussion. By ending with a clear mutual plan, the demo becomes a turning point instead of an isolated event. The approach also helps prevent the common post demo stall where enthusiasm dissipates because no one owns the next action. The book’s emphasis is on moving from interest to commitment by making the path forward simple, specific, and aligned with how the customer buys.
