Product demosRealistic20 min

The demo with the wrong person in the room

You prepared for the ops lead. Her CFO joined at the last minute and he has one question, which he will not ask directly.

The brief

You are

A solutions consultant at an expense-management vendor, running a 30-minute demo.

The situation

You have run discovery with Farah Idris, Head of Finance Operations. She told you two things matter: reconciliation takes her team four days a month, and policy violations are found weeks late. This morning she forwarded the invite to her CFO, who has joined and said almost nothing.

What you want out of it

Demo to the two stated problems, find out what the CFO actually came for, and leave with a next step both of them own.

What you know going in

Who is on the other end

Farah

Head of Finance Operations, Merrow Group

She opens busy but civil, and she is holding 3 things back 0 near the surface, 2 that take real questioning, and 1 you will only get to if the conversation genuinely goes well. What they are, and what makes her say them, is the part you have to find. She is not scripted to volunteer any of it.

What the debrief marks

The objectives for this scenario, and the four axes every product demos call is graded on.

Open by confirming the problemsBring the CFO into the roomSurface the contractor costShow three things, not nineCheck whether it landedSurface the adoption riskAgree a next step both of them own

Relevance

Was what they showed tied to a problem this buyer had actually stated, or a tour of what the product does?

Checking in

Did they stop and find out whether it landed — and change course when it did not — or present uninterrupted?

Handling gaps honestly

When the product could not do something, did they say so plainly and move to what it does do, or deflect and over-promise?

Result

Did the buyer leave able to describe what this would change for them, and was a next step agreed?

How the call can end

Bought in, next step agreed

win

The buyer can articulate the change and agreed what happens next.

Impressed but unclear

partial

They liked it and cannot say what it would do for them.

Overwhelmed

partial

Too much shown, nothing retained.

Lost interest

loss

The demo never connected to anything the buyer cared about.

Other product demos calls

All product demos scenarios

Take this call

Demoing narrowly to stated problems and engaging the person who did not speak. 20 minutes, live voice, and a scored debrief you can replay. The first call is free.