Sales Demo Environments 

Sales demo environments are the virtual surroundings in which the software demonstration takes place. It is essentially a test drive for whatever product your business sells and can convince customers to complete a purchase after they go through the demo software. The better performing your sales demo environment, the happier your customers will be afterwards. Happier customers naturally lead to higher conversion rates and revenue, which is why it is critical to invest in a good sales demo environment. 

Since sales demonstrations are an essential part of the sales process, it is wise to use a high-quality and versatile product demo platform. That way, you can have a higher likelihood of closing a deal.  

Different sales experience platform options can significantly alter the demo experience. Companies usually want an immersive and flexible sales demo platform that fits your product. On the other hand, some companies would benefit more from a real-time, in-person demo. It all depends on the kind of product that you are selling. 

Regardless of your product or industry, a demo’s purpose is to demonstrate your value. The demo can be educational, dynamic, practical, and simple. Many factors go into whether your sales demo is good and effective at converting customers. First, you want the demo to feel as personalized as possible. It has to be informative, yet at the same time not overload the customer with overwhelming information. Too much can scare your customer off. 

Next, customers prefer when the demo can be accessed more than once. Perhaps they want to share it with another team member or their boss. The more freedom and accessibility they have, the more likely they are to feel confident in choosing your product. If you can provide a Q&A section within your demo environment, that is also ideal. Demos that helpfully answer customers’ questions typically perform better because customers feel like their additional concerns have been addressed. 

Lastly, you probably want your sales demo environment to be easily accessible and adaptable. If your product evolves (as products often do), you want to be able to adjust your demo without overhauling the entire environment. If your product demo satisfies all of these basic principles of a good sales demo, you are on the right track to creating a high-converting, quality product demo. 

Sales Demo Examples

For many companies, a demo sample, meaning an example product that demonstrates the value of your product (but may be incomplete or time-limited), is a great way to convert customers. This is the first impression of your product. You want your demo to be strong and memorable.  

Many sales demo examples available online can help you understand the benefits of sales demo software and the importance of having a good product demo script. A good product demo presentation can improve your sales by increasing conversion rates. You may also want to examine competitor product demonstration examples to see what others in your industry are doing well, and what may be improved upon. 

The best demo presentation examples should showcase your product interactively and engagingly. The customer has a problem, and your product should be the solution. The demo should be fairly simple and straightforward, so the customer instantly understands the pros of your product and does not have to research extensively before they find clarity. With the help of sales demo training and a sales demo environment software upgrade, your sellers can more effectively demonstrate your product’s advantages. 

There are several types of demos that exist. You can choose the kind that works best for your product. One-on-one demos are popular, but they usually take a lot more time, effort, and resources. As the name suggests, a one-on-one demo is a real-time demo where your representative (sales, product, or otherwise) converses with the customer face to face (or through an online meeting). This kind of demo may work better for products that are used in person, as opposed to software services. Realistically, one-on-one demos are more costly than most companies would be willing to pay. Video demos are recordings, which means that there is much less time and effort necessary to produce the demo. Most users on the internet do prefer self-service video demos since they can be quite convenient. Virtual IT labs also support hands-on demos as they allow customers and prospects to experience your product first hand in a controlled environment. These interactive demos are convenient and engaging, and can often give customers a better experience. 

Sales Environment Examples

Your company’s selling environment is essentially the atmosphere you have crafted for your sales team. Although it might not be obvious, the strategic role of sales management is quite important. Good management means happy and productive team members. Every worker often feels the mood in the office, so even the smallest improvement can go a long way. 

Typically, you want a positive sales environment bustling with positivity, camaraderie, trust, and responsibility. Even for online selling where team members may not ever meet in person, cultivating a healthy sales environment can bolster your company and lead to more success. 

To better understand what a sales environment is, it is a good idea to look at sales environment examples. Is your environment an intense one? Maybe the rules are strict, the training is difficult, and expectations must be met (or else!). This kind of environment can create high peaks of success, but it may also correlate with high turnover rates and lower employee satisfaction. It can be tricky to navigate intense environments, but they also have their benefits. 

In general, you want your employees to feel encouraged and motivated to work hard and achieve their goals. A team environment that is inclusive and positive tends to do better in the long term. Cultivating a positive sales culture is important. Perhaps you want to implement post-sales activities. 

Now, the question is, what kinds of sales environments exist? The first and most traditional kind is the in-office sales environment. Think cubicles or open offices, picture potted plants on desks. For in-person offices, an open environment tends to encourage collaboration, which may be good for improving interpersonal relationships between your leaders and sales representatives. If this is your kind of sales environment, it is important to also have private spaces (such as conference rooms), so it is not always chaos or collaboration. 

Nowadays, remote sales environments are very popular. The thing is, cultivating a remote environment for your sales representatives requires a whole new set of knowledge. Remote sales teams may benefit from routine meetings. Microsoft Teams and Slack are good ways to connect the employees within your organization. 

If you are running a remote sales environment, sales enablement tools and other helpful software can greatly improve your productivity, connectivity, and chances of success. Some things are harder to do or lost when you go remote, but software can help bridge that gap, if not make the environment even better. 

One thing many companies struggle with is feedback. It is critical to ask your employees about what they like about your company, and whether they have constructive feedback you can take note of to make the necessary improvements. Good questions to ask are, what are their thoughts on how the sales training process is? Are they comfortable with their working environment?  

Next up, we have B2B sales environments. In this case, your business specializes in selling to other businesses, which means that the sales environment is usually quite different from a B2C sales environment. B2B sales often have longer sales cycles, resulting in sales representatives often using consultative selling techniques. If you are a B2B company, investing in B2B sales training is a good idea. 

Finally, the incentive-based sales environment is the last main type. Incentives can come in the form of rewards, contests, and more. The idea is to encourage your sellers to meet and exceed quotas. Incentives help sellers who might not otherwise want to over-perform. This kind of sales environment tends to go hand in hand with goal-driven sales environments, where you set clear team-wide goals. You can incentivize your employees by reading off top sales numbers in routine meetings or posting content winners on your Slack channel.

Every sales environment has its pros and cons, only you can know which one is optimal for your business. At the end of the day, the more motivated your employees are, the more likely they are to have higher productivity and success. Even though it may sound unnecessary to invest in a healthy team environment, it is important to do so. That is because a toxic team environment can seriously hurt your sales effectiveness, even if it may not be apparent at the start.

Positivity can also reduce turnover rates, which means that you get to keep your employees’ expertise and knowledge within the company. Most companies want to enjoy high profitability and longevity, and improving your sales environment is definitely worth the time and investment.

Learn more about how Skytap Virtual IT Labs can help support your sales demo environments.