Olark Accessible AI Chatbots’ Post

Every Friday, without fail, our team comes together for quick demos of what they’re shipping. It’s one of my favorite meetings of the week. There’s real value in being able to both build and communicate—fast. This skill spans across HR, Ops, Success, and Sales. It’s a moment to showcase what you’ve delivered for customers and keep the entire team aligned. Plus, these internal demos help us speed up delivery. I wanted to shout out Alicia for making it possible for folks using our new operator experience to easily resize the conversation window, even if you rely entirely on keyboard navigation. (If you’re still on the old version, ping me, and I’ll get you set up with the new experience!) Do your teams have similar weekly meetings/practices?

🎯 Who should attend your sprint demos? Recently, I had an insightful discussion about the desired audience for our sprint demos. We realized there were two distinct groups with very different needs: 1️⃣ External customers 2️⃣ Internal customer representatives (like customer success managers or account managers) Each group requires a different communication style and level of preparation but brings different insides: 🔹 External customers provide first-hand feedback, inviting them would bring real users closer to the engineering team. However, the demos must be polished and well-prepared. 🔹 Internal reps enable a more casual presentation style without the pressure of over-polishing and allow for more open discussions. However the usefulness of their input heavily depends on how well they know the customers. 💡 In our context, we focused our team demos on internal reps. Why? • It encourages authentic conversations; those who do the work can present it naturally without overthinking. • While still allowing us to gain feedback from people close to our customers. To balance this, we also host dedicated (but less frequent) demos for external customers. Thanks for the inspiring insights Stijn De Pestel. 👉 How have you tackled this situation? I’d love to hear your thoughts; drop a comment below or DM me.

Q: When live presenting, should you do a live or recorded demo? To be clear - we are NOT discussing live sales demos. An example of what we are talking about is a Founder or Exec launching new features to a live audience. There is a TON of great insights from our episode with Dia Bondi on The Transaction but since it's Friday, I thought we would lead with this highlight reel. In my analyst days, I can't tell you how many times I would be at a customer conference and the interactive portion of the presentation breaks. Cringy. Also, Compton hat...

☀ Happy July 1st and welcome to the #summersalesseason (patent pending). While some say "no one buys in the summer," prove them wrong. Reminder that the person who is consistent in their behaviors wins in the end versus the person who comes out the gate hot 🕵♂️ Audit your June and find where you were consistent and where you lacked consistency and create better strategy. AE's, consistency can be these few behaviors this month, keep it simple: 1. Getting X amount of DM connects per day 2. Prepping for your demos with intention. Ideally, do this with teammates or a manager 3. Listen to 3 calls of yours (yes, everyone hates their voice, get over it) per week and write down what you DID do that worked, and what you DIDN'T do that you need to create trigger recognition patterns to do next time. Get one call done on Monday's 4. Grab coffee 1 time per week with someone you don't chat to regularly, ideally in post sale or product to learn something about your customer you didn't know 🤝

🔍 My Top 3 Focus Tips: 1. Structured Schedule: Blocking specific times for tasks (like customer demos) enhances focus. 2. Prioritization: Urgent tasks first! 3. Minimal Distractions: A clean workspace and noise-blocking headphones. How do you stay focused? #ProductivityTips #WorkFocus

"Does that make sense?" "Any questions?" These questions during sales demos may be killing your interactivity The buyer checks out as you go from feature to feature Use your product demos to propel your discovery Prepare questions in advance you can ask at different stages of your demo Questions that invite a meaningful response "John, how does that compare with the functionality you saw from competitor X?" "Mary, you mentioned challenge X was stifling your work flow, how would having this feature impact your day to day?" "Adam, how would you use this report ahead of your weekly forecast meetings?"

🚨 Don't Miss DEMOFEST 2025! 🚨 Join me at DEMOFEST Virtual 2025, happening April 22-24! This is the event redefining how presales powers the go-to-market engine. Over three action-packed days, you'll learn from leading GTM experts and discover bold strategies to: ✔️ Break down silos across teams ✔️ Unite marketing, sales, and customer success ✔️ Create buyer experiences that win deals 📅 Save your spot now using my registration link: [INSERT UNIQUE LINK] #DEMOFEST

End of year demos hit different. After 20+ years in solutions, I've learned December brings a unique energy to customer conversations. They're juggling competing priorities: - Budget use-or-lose: "Should we purchase before year-end?" - Next year's roadmap: "How does this fit into our 2025 strategy?" - Quick wins vs. long-term value: "What can you show us now vs. what's possible?" Smart SEs adapt their discovery to match the season: - Ask about fiscal year timing upfront - Understand budget cycles and constraints - Focus demos on immediate impact AND future scale Because timing is about meeting your customer where they are, when they need you. Sometimes that means showing the full vision, other times about what they can achieve in 30 days. The best solution matches not just the problem, but the moment. What's your approach to end-of-year customer convos? #Presalesevolution #CustomerSuccess #EndOfYear

Want to speed up your deals without the guesswork? Join Matt Lauer, Senior Revenue Operations Manager at Consensus, for a free webinar that breaks down: 🔍 How to track buyer velocity 📊 Metrics that actually move the needle 🚀 Actionable steps to accelerate your pipeline The best part? You control the experience. Just like our clients' demos, select what matters most and the webinar customizes to you. Don't miss it—start closing faster: https://lnkd.in/gKwWtmZN

STOP PROVING ROI… During sales demos. It’ll drop your chances of closing the deal by 27%. (Thanks, Gong Labs.) Why? When you show a buyer how you calculated the ROI, they’ll challenge your assumptions. They’ll see your calculations as a weak argument unworthy of presenting to their CFO. INSTEAD, tell customer stories that focus on ‘before’ and ‘after’. Building your business case with customer stories makes your points bulletproof. There are no ROI model assumptions for your buyer to argue with. You’re simply telling a story of what one of your customers achieved. Focus on the problem the client faced, and be sure it resonates with your buyer. Tailored customer stories are how you win.