I hate demo scripts

What I hate even more is how often SEs lean on them.

Too often, scripts enforce feature coverage or cover for a lack of confidence in live discovery. Sometimes the script is what leadership wants.

Scripts feel safe. But a great demo isn't about being safe. It's about helping a customer understand why your solution matters.

While a script can help a new SE get started. It shouldn't be the plan for every call.

When an SE relies too heavily on a script, they aren't selling. They're giving a tour. If they don't understand the customer's needs and priorities, they will spend an hour showing features nobody asked to see.

If you want to stop being a product tour guide, you have to trade the security blanket of a script for a framework that creates a real conversation:

Know your product features.
Know them well enough that you don't need a script to remind you of them.

Understand the customer's business.
Spend ten minutes researching the company before you join the call. Know what they do, who they serve, and how they make money.

Form a hypothesis.
Don't show up neutral. Based on previous conversations or similar companies, what are their likely goals and priorities? Where might they be struggling? Build an informed point of view before you start.

Test your assumptions first.
Before you demo, validate your hypothesis and align on what the customer wants to learn. Ask:
What brought you to the table today?
How do you do this today?
What problem are you trying to solve?
What question does this call need to answer?

Keep doing discovery while you demonstrate.
Discovery isn't a 10-minute phase you check off at the beginning. When a buyer leans in, pause and find out why. When they ask if you can do X, understand what's driving the question. Let their answers dictate where the demo goes next.

The gap between an average SE and an exceptional one isn't feature knowledge alone.

It's the willingness to drop the script, do the preparation, embrace the discomfort of a live conversation, and understand why your solution matters to that customer.

Stop reaching for scripts. Start learning how to lead conversations.
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If you'd like to learn how to transform your team from demoing products to demoing solutions, drop me a line.