The Demo Follow Up: A Conversation with Ed Jaffe

I sat down with Ed Jaffe, founder and coach at Demo Solutions. As a Demo2Win! master facilitator, Ed helps helps revenue organizations deliver more effective demos and presentations using nontraditional sales techniques and strategies, based on positive psychology, DEI principles, and behavioral economics.

In our discussion, Ed and I reviewed the demo follow up, a hugely important yet not widely discussed topic, and the role a strong follow up plays in closing deals. Deals are won in lost in the hours and days after the demo and a great follow up can prove huge returns. We spoke about the importance of using the follow up as an opportunity to strengthen a prospect relationship and send valuable information that can actually accelerate the deal cycle.

Staying top of mind amongst multiple conflicting priorities is a challenge that is only magnified in a virtual selling environment. Buyers have their own jobs to think about and are balancing numerous daily tasks meaning that your demo will quickly be forgotten. A strong demo follow up will not only recap the major takeaways and next steps to facilitate the deal forward, it will also provide a buyer champion with the right information they need to gain internal buy in and accelerate the deal timeline.

In addition, Ed and I discussed:

• Who actually owns the demo follow up and how does this vary by company type?
• How do you avoid multiple demos without a decision maker present?
• Is there a "sweet spot" timeline for sending the follow up after a demo?
• How is the role of the AE changing when it comes to the demo follow up and taking on demo responsibilities?

For more on the Demo Follow Up, check out a piece from Demo Solutions on the Essential Elements to A Demo Leave Behind Deck.