People won’t buy your products or services if they can’t figure out how to use them. Therefore, it is imperative that you find ways to help your customers understand how to get the most of your products or services. Depending on your product or service, two valuable tools for promotions and sales are product demonstrations and training sessions.
Think of how many Ginsu knives, cookware sets, and mops have been sold, just because the audience members saw how to use the products. The reason why home shopping networks are so successful is because the hosts demonstrate the products and show their enthusiasm for them. People don’t like to admit what they don’t know, but if you show them without insulting them, they will buy and use your product or service.
The first thing to determine is, “Do you need actual training or a demonstration?” A demonstration shows the audience how to use a product, while a hands-on-training session, gives the consumer an opportunity to tryout the product or service. Training sessions are more appropriate for big ticket complicated items while simpler products only need demonstrations.
Next, decide the most important features of your product or service that you want to demonstrate. How does it improve lives and solve problems? Often your sales people will know what features sell the best. Or you may find the features that when shown, change customers’ objections to the product or service. For example, a broadband Internet service provider discovered that when their customers saw the value in high speed services, such as music downloading, photo sharing and chat, they were more likely to upgrade to high speed services.
Then you need to determine what style the demonstration will take. Will it be light or serious? How can you bring creative elements into the demonstration? What will best illustrate the emotional “wow” sensation of the product or service? What style best works for your demographic?
You also have to establish a framework of analogies to work from for your demographic. For years, I taught senior citizens how to use computers. No one wanted to teach them. The training was based on framework they understood. I had to explain how the typewriter evolved into word-processing. Then, explain how word-processing transformed into desktop publishing. I also gave a history of the personal computer and the Internet because this demographic was not following the development of computers at the time. When I wrote a script about HDTV, I needed to show the aspect ratio difference between HDTV and a standard TV, the HDTV wide screen was related to the wide screen in movie theatres and panoramic views.
Another helpful device to use within in your product demonstration or training is “Good Cop/Bad Cop,” one demonstrator is the “nay-sayer” who gets won over by the good guy. Remember that in all good teaching uses the “rule of three.” A student or viewer needs to see and hear a concept three times before it is learned and mastered. The teacher/demonstrator has to find ways to repeat the concept without being condescending or boring.
The demonstration/training will be more effective if it is entertaining. This is where you can have fun with the product or service. Techniques such as parody, dramatization, music, and viewing from the inside out will add depth to the presentation. I once had an editor tell me, “After you do all your research, the story writes itself.” This axiom is often true for demonstrations. After I figure out the objective, interview the sales and product manages, use the product or service, research the demographic and understand the true meaning of the service/product, I can hear the script come to life. The more questions I ask, the better the script becomes.
Product and service demonstrations/training are valuable tools to get and retain customers. They are very cost effective and bring your product or service to life enriching the lives of your customers. Human beings have for centuries learned by telling each other stories around the fire. Bring that fire to your customers and you’ll experience blazing sales.
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