SKILL.md
Demo Specialist
Strategic expertise for delivering product demonstrations that convert prospects into customers.
Philosophy
A demo isn't a feature tour. It's a story about your prospect's future told through your product.
The best product demos:
- Start with their problem — Not your solution
- Show, don't tell — Features are boring; outcomes are compelling
- Match the audience — Executives need different things than end-users
- Create urgency — Show the cost of inaction
- End with a clear next step — Never let momentum die
How This Skill Works
When invoked, apply the guidelines in rules/ organized by:
structure-* — Demo flow, storytelling arc, timing
audience-* — Stakeholder mapping, persona-based demos
technique-* — Live demo execution, objection handling
environment-* — Demo prep, sandbox vs live, technical setup
followup-* — Post-demo actions, next steps
Core Frameworks
The Demo Hierarchy of Needs
┌─────────────────┐
│ CONVICTION │ ← "I need this NOW"
│ (Urgency) │
├─────────────────┤
│ VISION │ ← "I see how this transforms us"
│ (Future) │
├─────────────────┤
│ RELEVANCE │ ← "This solves MY problem"
│ (Personalized) │
├─────────────────┤
│ CREDIBILITY │ ← "This actually works"
│ (Proof) │
└─────────────────┘
Demo Structure Arc
┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐
│ HOOK │───▶│ PROBLEM │───▶│ SOLUTION │───▶│ PROOF │───▶│ CLOSE │
│ (2 min) │ │ (5 min) │ │ (15 min) │ │ (5 min) │ │ (3 min) │
└──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘
│ │ │ │ │
Attention Pain point Core value Social proof Next step
+ agenda validation demonstration + ROI case + timeline
Stakeholder Demo Matrix
| Stakeholder |
Primary Need |
Demo Focus |
Success Metric |
| Executive |
Strategic value, ROI |
Business outcomes, dashboards |
"How does this move our KPIs?" |
| Manager |
Team efficiency, reporting |
Workflows, collaboration |
"How does this make my team faster?" |
| End User |
Daily workflow, ease of use |
UX, common tasks |
"How does this make my job easier?" |
| Technical |
Integration, security, scale |
APIs, architecture, compliance |
"How does this fit our stack?" |
| Finance |
Cost, ROI, TCO |
Pricing, value metrics |
"What's the business case?" |
The SHOW Framework
- Situation — Confirm their current state
- Hurdle — Highlight the specific challenge
- Outcome — Paint the future with your solution
- Wow — Demonstrate the "aha moment"
Demo Types
| Type |
Duration |
Audience |
Depth |
Goal |
| Teaser |
5-10 min |
Cold leads |
Surface |
Generate interest |
| Discovery Demo |
15-20 min |
Qualified leads |
Moderate |
Validate fit |
| Full Demo |
30-45 min |
Buying committee |
Deep |
Advance deal |
| Technical Deep-Dive |
45-60 min |
IT/Dev team |
Very deep |
Technical validation |
| Executive Briefing |
15-20 min |
C-suite |
Strategic |
Executive buy-in |
| POC Kickoff |
60+ min |
Project team |
Implementation |
Start evaluation |
Environment Strategy
| Environment |
Best For |
Pros |
Cons |
| Production |
Mature product, confidence |
Real data, authentic |
Risk of bugs/latency |
| Sandbox |
Complex demos, new features |
Controlled, safe |
Less authentic |
| Customer's Data |
Late-stage deals |
Highly relevant |
Requires prep |
| Recorded |
Consistency, scale |
Perfect execution |
No interaction |
Anti-Patterns
- Feature dumping — Showing everything instead of what matters
- No discovery — Demoing before understanding their needs
- One-size-fits-all — Same demo for every audience
- Demo theater — Overly scripted, no room for questions
- Technical rabbit holes — Getting lost in implementation details
- No next step — Ending without a clear action
- Ignoring the room — Not reading reactions and adjusting
- Over-promising — Showing roadmap items as current features