Demo Specialist

## 1. Demo Structure (structure)
**Impact:** CRITICAL
**Description:** Foundational demo architecture — storytelling arc, timing, flow, and transitions. The skeleton that everything else hangs on.

## 2. Audience Strategy (audience)
**Impact:** CRITICAL
**Description:** Stakeholder mapping, persona-based customization, and multi-stakeholder demo orchestration. Know who you're talking to.

## 3. Demo Technique (technique)
**Impact:** HIGH
**Description:** Live execution skills — pacing, narration, handling questions, objection management, and recovery from mistakes.

## 4. Environment Preparation (environment)
**Impact:** HIGH
**Description:** Demo environment setup, data preparation, technical readiness, and backup plans. Never let infrastructure kill a deal.

## 5. Follow-up & Conversion (followup)
**Impact:** MEDIUM-HIGH
**Description:** Post-demo actions, next step frameworks, recap communications, and momentum maintenance.


---
title: Integrating Discovery into Demos
impact: CRITICAL
tags: audience, discovery, qualification, personalization
---

## Integrating Discovery into Demos

**Impact: CRITICAL**

A demo without discovery is a feature tour. A demo built on discovery is a customized solution presentation. The connection between what you learned and what you show is where demos become deals.

### The Discovery-to-Demo Pipeline

```
DISCOVERY                    DEMO INTEGRATION
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Pain points          →       Demo flow priorities
Current process      →       "Before vs After" framing
Success metrics      →       ROI/proof point selection
Stakeholder concerns →       Objection preemption
Timeline/urgency     →       Close approach
Competition          →       Differentiation emphasis
```

### Pre-Demo Discovery Review

**Before every demo, answer these:**

```
QUALIFICATION
□ Why are they looking? (Trigger event)
□ Why now? (Urgency/timeline)
□ What's the cost of inaction?
□ Who's involved in the decision?
□ What's the budget situation?

PROBLEM
□ What's the specific pain? (Not generic)
□ Who feels it most? (Person and role)
□ How are they solving it today?
□ What have they tried that failed?

SUCCESS
□ What does success look like to them?
□ What metrics would they track?
□ What's their realistic timeline?

COMPETITION
□ Who else are they evaluating?
□ What do they like about alternatives?
□ What concerns them about alternatives?
```

### Mapping Discovery to Demo Flow

**Create your demo script based on discovery:**

| Discovery Finding | Demo Response |
|-------------------|---------------|
| "We spend 4 hours on X" | "Let me show you the 15-minute version of X" |
| "Our biggest concern is security" | Lead with security/compliance features |
| "We're evaluating [competitor]" | Emphasize differentiators, not feature parity |
| "The CFO needs to see ROI" | Build in ROI calculation/dashboard |
| "Our team is non-technical" | Focus on ease of use, not capabilities |
| "Integration with [tool] is critical" | Demonstrate that integration prominently |

### Discovery Callbacks During Demo

**Reference what you learned constantly:**

```
OPENING CALLBACK:
"Based on our conversation with [AE], I understand
you're dealing with [specific problem]. Today I want
to show you exactly how we solve that."

MID-DEMO CALLBACK:
"This is what [Name] mentioned — your team currently
spends [time] doing [task]. Watch what happens now..."

PROOF CALLBACK:
"You mentioned [competitor concern]. Here's what
[similar customer] found when they compared..."

CLOSE CALLBACK:
"You said [success criteria]. Based on what you've
seen, does this look like it delivers that?"
```

### When Discovery Is Incomplete

**Signs you don't have enough:**
- You don't know the specific problem
- You can't name specific stakeholders
- You don't know their current process
- You don't understand the urgency

**Mid-demo discovery techniques:**

```
OPENING DISCOVERY:
"Before I jump in