The first thing buyers 'do' is have a NEED. Suppose they don't, then there's a task to help them uncover that need, which is often helped by marketing. Perhaps, for example, you see a movie poster on the side of a bus and realize, “I didn't realize that movie was being released - and now I want to change: I can go and see that movie.”

Then comes the discontent that you’re not currently seeing that movie (and perhaps you're not willing to wait for it to come out on Netflix!).

Well, just with software, no one wakes up and decides, “I want to buy software.” Usually, they feel the need to change for some reason. While Marketing can help there, demo automation is being used more these days to help buyers get to know your company and your solutions faster - it's a bit like watching the trailer for the movie: It's high level, shows the main characters and provides just enough information for you to want to watch it.

Change

In this stage, Buyers become aware of a potential issue and receptive to alternatives & remedies.

Buyers are either in 1 of 2 states when they're uncovering need. Either they already know they want to change, but they're unsure of what, where, and how, or they're unaware of the possibilities that change could bring and haven't started thinking about what to do about it.

For each, you need to understand how much they're pushing the project forward vs. your ability to pull them towards what could be a more positive future.

Buyers who aren't aware.

We see this often, as in the example above of a movie we didn't know was being released.

1. Content-led demand generation. Think of this like blog posts, white papers, and videos, and the trick here is to provide knowledge early on to be a trusted advisor for inspirational thought leadership on subjects aligned to your buyers' needs.
2. Advertising with Pay Per Click (PPC). This is a form of online advertising where you pay each time someone clicks on your ad. But watch out! While PPC advertising can be a great way to reach a targeted audience and generate leads, it's often expensive, so keeping a close track of the performance of this lead source is key.
3. Sponsoring and influencing media. Whilst this can be difficult to track, associating your brand with the industry you're selling into is worthwhile. This can increase your brand awareness and influence and can be targeted to specific buyers.

Buyers who are aware.

Software vendors use various go-to-market (GTM) strategies to capture your attention, especially if you're already looking. In the movie example, theatres know you'll be searching for your nearest location to watch the movie, so they tune their spending to capture your attention. It's a 'hot' space as many vendors will compete for your business.

1. Content-led demand generation can also help people already looking for change. In this case, the content can be very specific to their problems as they're starting to understand what's possible in the short and long term.
2. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, means when buyers search for related topics, your website will appear higher in the results list.
3.  Events and webinars are great thought-leadership opportunities and by growing trust and evidence for effective change.
   We're proud to bring Demofest to the world, helping the leading minds share their experience with your industry: https://goconsensus.com/demofest 

Attention spans in today's digital landscape are dwindling fast, and buyers are bombarded with overwhelming information. So, you must find effective ways to capture leads and nurture them through the sales cycle. Demo Automation is a game-changer for this, offering a powerful tool to get buyers what they want when they need it.

Demo Automation helps this early stage by providing:

1. Tailored Experiences for all stakeholders: Each buyer stakeholder can tailor their demos to their needs and interests, making them more relevant and contextual.

2. Scalability: Automating these early-stage demos means you can handle a high volume of leads without compromising quality, allowing you to reach a wider audience and maximize sales opportunities.

3. Consistency: You work hard on your Marketing campaigns, so don't let that narrative end when it's passed to sales. Ensure a seamless and consistent experience for your buyers, eliminate the risk of human error, and maintain a unified brand message.

4. Data-Driven Insights: Understanding the top of your funnel is almost impossible without data. So, by gathering valuable data from demo interactions, you can gain deeper customer understanding, identify areas for improvement, and refine your GTM strategies. Welcome to the world of instant A/B testing!

5. Cost-Effectiveness: Streamline the demo process, reducing time and resources spent on manual preparations and presentations, freeing your team to focus on higher-value activities.

6. Improved Customer Experience: Deliver personalized and engaging demos that leave a lasting impression, fostering trust and accelerating the sales process.

7. Increased Conversion Rates: By providing prospects with a clear understanding of your product's value proposition, you'll increase the likelihood of converting them into paying customers.

When buyers call you or enter their details on your website, they’ve already done loads of research online. YouTube, friends, colleagues, and review websites (check us on G2). It’s because they want to do pre-learning, and don’t want to be ‘sold to’. This fact means they really want to speak to a presales person and watch a demo, so why are you holding out on them? So now you can provide demos to those people trying to learn at just the right time.

The Video Play Button is the Highest Converting Call-To-Action

"Being at a company that lives and breathes in video, this was exciting to hear. In a session from Act-On about leveraging video with their marketing, they shared that 75% of executives watch video at least weekly. EVERYONE is watching video weekly – think Netflix, Facebook – even TikTok! So, how do we cater to people already spending the rest of their day watching videos?

It was also reported that the average web surfer has an attention span of eight seconds. So how do we get in front of and leave an impression on people spending a mere eight seconds on us? It’s about creating memorable content – and memorable means telling stories that touch on emotions. Video is the best form of content at mimicking humans – its audio and visual aspects make it easiest to connect with. At Consensus, we rely heavily on video for demand gen (our homepage micro-demo is our highest converting piece of content) and content creation. But hearing about other ways to use video sparked me – i.e., in display ads and retargeting or as a way for account managers to introduce themselves to their contacts. I can’t wait to try these out," said Ms Marketing Pro at Consensus.

Discontent

In this stage, buyers conduct problem and economic analyses, then develop a solution 'vision.'

Buyers often discover their need for change when dissatisfied with the status quo. You can play a crucial role in helping them understand their discontent and providing solutions. 

So you've led your buyer through the journey of change, and they're now sitting there wondering why they've not thought of 'insert those great things you do' before.

Your buyer, and perhaps their colleagues, are now poised on the edge of doing something or doing nothing. It's your job to help them see that doing nothing is a terrible idea, but doing the wrong thing is also pretty bad too. You can help them be the hero of the day by guiding them through what NOT to do and showing them a bright future of what MUST be done to succeed. After all, you've done this before for many companies, right?

The only problem is, they're not engaged with you yet. Sure, they might have downloaded a document or attended a webinar, but they're not ready to start a whole project of change in their organization based on that. You need to help them understand the range of change they could realistically achieve. 

Using automation as a demo strategy is a great first step to scaling Presales and shortening sales cycles. Still, you can take it further by including interactive product demos as part of your Marketing strategy. 

A demo creation platform has these benefits:

• Reduce demo lag time
• Increase lead quality
• Convert website traffic at a high rate
• Maintain momentum by sending automated demos via email

Instead of bogging down your live sales conversations with repetitive and generic product information, enabling your customers with interactive demo application software gives each decision-maker a personalized demo experience that is custom-made for what interests them, helping you spend less time doing repetitive demos and more time having closing conversations.

Buyers often discover their need for change when dissatisfied with the current status quo. Software vendors can play a crucial role in helping buyers understand their discontent and providing solutions. 

Here are the key points:

1. Recognizing dissatisfaction: Buyers may experience frustration, inefficiency, or limited capabilities with their current systems. They may encounter slow performance, lack of integration, or outdated features. These pain points allow software vendors to step in and address their needs.
2. Identifying gaps and limitations: Software vendors can help buyers identify the gaps and limitations in their current systems. By conducting a thorough analysis, vendors can highlight areas where their software solutions can provide significant improvements. For example, they can showcase how their software streamlines processes, enhances productivity or offers advanced features that address specific pain points.
3. Educating buyers: Vendors should actively educate buyers about their software's potential benefits and advantages. This can be achieved through various means, such as informative blog posts, case studies, webinars, or personalized demonstrations. By providing valuable content and demonstrating how their software can solve specific problems, vendors can help buyers understand why a change is necessary.
4. Offering proof of concept: One effective way for vendors to help buyers understand their discontent with the status quo is by offering a proof of concept. This allows buyers to experience the software firsthand and see how it addresses their pain. Vendors can build trust and confidence in their solution by providing a tangible demonstration of the software's capabilities. 
5. Leveraging customer testimonials: Testimonials from existing customers who have successfully addressed similar challenges can be powerful tools in helping buyers understand their need for change. By sharing real-life experiences and success stories, vendors can showcase the positive outcomes that their software can deliver.

In summary, buyers discover their need for change when they encounter dissatisfaction with their current systems. Software vendors can assist by recognizing this discontent, identifying gaps and limitations, educating buyers about the benefits of their solutions, offering proof of concept, and leveraging customer testimonials. By effectively communicating the value and advantages of their software, vendors can help buyers understand why a change is necessary and how their solution can address their pain points.

Click through the rest of this series to learn more!

1. Intro