The Power of “You” In Demos

It’s You Not We

Who can solve your customers’ problems? Is it you, your customers, or both?

It may seem like it should be both of you, but only your customers can take the actions necessary to address their challenges.

Will you, as the vendor, be running the software you sell them? Of course not.

Will you be making the decisions that your software enables on behalf of your customers? Not a chance.

The problems are your prospect’s problems, not yours. The Critical Business Issues are your prospects’ Critical Business Issues, not yours. The value they receive from using your software is theirs, not yours (they already paid you!).

And will you be taking responsibility for your customers’ outcomes? Only indirectly. While you may provide guidance on best practices, you won’t be clicking their mice or making their decisions for them. (Note that services may be a different situation; this only applies to software purchases and use.)

So, when you are presenting demos, stay in “You Mode.” Avoid using “we.” But is this just an opinion or is there research that validates this idea?

Studies Have Shown…

A simple Google search for “we vs you in sales” turns up multiple references and summaries. Here’s Google’s AI overview:

“In sales, using ‘you’ instead of ‘we’ is generally more effective because it focuses on the customer’s needs and benefits, leading to a more personal and persuasive connection. Research indicates that ‘you’ phrasing can increase conversion rates and convincing cases to purchase compared to ‘we’.

Elaboration:

Customer-Centric Approach:

‘You’ language positions the customer as the primary focus, highlighting how the product or service can directly benefit them. This fosters a sense of personalization and connection, making the customer more likely to engage with the sales message.

Reduced Ego-Focus:

‘We’ language can sometimes sound impersonal and corporate, focusing on the company rather than the individual customer’s needs. ‘You’ language, on the other hand, shifts the emphasis to the customer’s experience and empowers them to take action.

Increased Persuasion:

Studies have shown that ‘you’ phrasing can be more effective in persuading customers to take action, whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for a service, or completing a call to action.

Example:

Instead of saying ‘We offer a wide range of products,’ try ‘You can choose from a wide range of products that suit your needs’.”

So, simply changing the dominant pronoun from “we” to “you” will increase your success rates substantially. It is a recurring theme across all the Google search results!

OK, I Get It: How Do I Make the Change from We to You?

If you’ve been saying “we” for the past many years in your demos it may be challenging to make an abrupt change to “you.” Here are a few practices to help with the transition.

If you record your demos, play them back, and count how many times you say “we” vs “you.” Simply paying attention to your delivery can begin the process; tracking your progress over time will help reduce the “we-we-we-ing” and move to “you-you-you.”

Great Demo! practitioners enjoy an advantage in making the change. Situation Slides are designed to be presented in “You Mode.” They are all about your prospect, making it easier to remember to use “you.” Here are a few phrases to help:

“If I recall correctly, you said you needed to ____.”

“You said these are the problems that are getting in your way…”

“I believe you said you are looking for the following Specific Capabilities…”

“You noted you would like to enjoy the following value…”

“And I believe you said you need a solution in place by ____, because of ____.”

Similarly, applying the highly differentiating practice of “Do the Last Thing First” also helps you to stay in “You Mode.” Great Demo! practitioners know that when you present Illustrations, you need to communicate three sets of ideas:

1. What your prospect is seeing on the screen: “What you are looking at here is …” This is a terrific way to stay in “You Mode.”
   And don’t assume that your prospects “get it,” you need to communicate this information. After all, while you’ve seen that screen hundreds of times, this is the first time your prospects have seen it. 
2. Next, communicate how the screen (or what the screen represents) solves their problem(s): “This dashboard enables you to address your challenges with ____.”
3. Finally, remember to articulate how much, the value of making the change: “And you should be able to enjoy gains of ____ and reduction of ____ by 20% using this capability.”

Starting demos in “You Mode” with a crisp summary of your prospects’ situations and the key deliverables sets you up to stay in “You Mode” as you progress further in your demo.

Going Deeper

Applying the Inverted Pyramid structure also gently forces you to move from “we” to “you.” In fact, Inverted Pyramid requires you to constantly test how deep your prospect wants to go in the demo. As a result, you’ll find yourself saying phrases such as:

“Is that sufficient or would you like to explore further?”

“Are you interested in seeing how you can ____?”

Summarizing after each segment also helps you stay in “You Mode” as well:

“So, what you just saw is how easily you’ll be able to ___.”

And while summarizing tends to precipitate questions and comments, you can also encourage interaction with other “You Mode” prompts:

“What do you think of what you’ve seen so far?”

“Do you have any questions, comments, or observations about this segment?”

A Structured Conversation

The best demos are perceived by prospects as two-way, bidirectional conversations. There is give and take, statements, questions and answers, comments, and discussion.

A conversation, by definition, must have at least two participants. If one person dominates and removes the opportunity for the second person to contribute or ask questions, it ceases to be a conversation. That’s what happens in traditional demos, and, interestingly, that’s what using “we” also causes!

While using “we” may seem inclusive, it actually removes the other party from the conversation. And going another step backwards to using “I” is even worse!

“Now I’ll click here to ____.”

“Next, I’ll bring up the ____ to see the ____.”

That’s a monologue!

The best demos are structured conversations, that follow a clear plan. That’s Great Demo! methodology!

Bonus Insight

The process of building a Transition Vision with your prospect involves substantial use of “you” (see “Transition Vision” on page 106 of Doing Discovery). For example:

“Do you plan to deploy broadly or in waves?”

“Have you identified your initial use cases?”

“What would you consider to be a small win after you go live?”

Transition Vision conversations demonstrate to your prospects that you are not just interested in getting the order, but that you have a genuine and tangible interest in your their successes. It is a terrific way to differentiate from your competition.

Implementation and Customer Success

Once the order has been placed and you move into implementation, the need to separate “you” from “we” may become less critical. However, keeping a bias towards “You Mode” will help with achieving the desired timelines and Value Realization Events. After all, it is only your customer who can trigger the renewal or purchase an expansion!

Some Final Fun

If you find yourself still struggling to move from “we” to “you,” here is a homework assignment: Watch the last scenes of “The Blues Brothers” where they are performing, “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love” and sing along as they and the audience chant, “You, you, you…!”

 

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To learn the methods introduced above, consider enrolling in a Great Demo! Doing Discovery or Demonstration Skills Workshop. For more demo and discovery tips, best practices, tools and techniques, explore our blog and articles on the Resources pages of our website at https://GreatDemo.com and join the Great Demo! & Doing Discovery LinkedIn Group to learn from others and share your experiences.