The Demo Secret Nobody Talks About

Our team had the pleasure of speaking on Monday Morning Manager, and here are a few thoughts we felt were important to reshare.

A great demo is not about following the same formula every time. The store changes, the traffic changes, and every person who walks up to the table is different. The real skill is knowing how to adapt.

📍 Where Should the Table Go?

There are two ways to think about placement. High traffic puts the product in front of more people and creates more opportunities for discovery. Being closer to the shelf connects the experience directly to where the purchase happens.

Research supports both ideas. Visibility can influence discovery and unplanned purchases, while proximity to the product can make a display more effective.

The better question is not simply where is the busiest spot?

But what location gives this product the best opportunity today?

Both have value, and every store is different. Above all, listen to the manager. They see how customers move through that store every day and understand the space better than anyone.

💬 Read the Person

A great sales pitch should sound different from one customer to the next. Some people respond to energy and enthusiasm. Others are quieter and appreciate more space. One person may want the full story while another wants the important part in ten seconds.

Pay attention to their tone, pace, body language and level of interest. Match their energy naturally. Use your hands when the conversation has energy. Slow down when they do. Give them room to speak. Know when a little silence works better than another selling point.

The message stays consistent. The way you deliver it changes with the person in front of you.

🛒 Discover What Matters to Them

Making a product relevant goes much deeper than noticing what is already in someone’s cart. Ask questions. What do they normally buy? Who are they shopping for? What matters to them when choosing a product? Have they tried something similar before?

Their answers tell you which part of the product is actually worth talking about. A parent may care about convenience while someone else may care about ingredients, flavour, price, where it is made, or how they can use it.

Once you understand the person, you can introduce the product in a way that actually means something to them.

⭐ The Real Skill

Demos give you the opportunity to introduce your product to someone new. What happens next depends on how well you read the situation, understand the person, and make the product relevant to them.

The product stays the same. What makes someone connect with it can be different every time.