R
R

RedLightning

Mid-Market AE

Politicker
Catalyst
Valued Contributor
+6

How to save face?

I think I may have just run the single worst software demo in the history of software demo's.


It felt like my brain turned off for the entire duration.


What do you do in those situations to bounce back mentally or to save face with the prospect?



Update: Thanks for all the encouragement, everyone! I'm out of the sadness hole and back on the S.A.D.N.E.S.S train!





🙏 Mental Wellness
29

44 comments

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CoorsKing
WR Officer
15
Retired King of the Coors Knights
Drink a beer, pour a shot of espresso in your eye, and punch an intern. Works for me! 

Or just take a quick walk and blast some pump up music. Shit happens, I can demos all the time.
RedLightning
Politicker
9
Mid-Market AE
I think the prospect walked away scared that I'm allowed to vote or drive a car
CoorsKing
WR Officer
5
Retired King of the Coors Knights
Pretty sure that’s how my manager thinks of me this morning but hey, we keep on truckin’
RedLightning
Politicker
2
Mid-Market AE
Haha. I'm really just embarrassed with how bad it was. I swear I'm good at this!
Flippinghubs
Opinionated
0
Account Executive
Happens to the best of us 
InQ5WeTrust
Arsonist
7
No marketing, mayo isn't an MQL
Firstly, these things happen. 
Secondly, never as bad as you think it is. 
Thirdly, the prospect is human they know people have off days. 

You got  this 
Incognito
WR Officer
6
Master of Disaster
Laugh about it, we all fuck up sometimes. I'd venture that you can even say that to the prospect - "looks like I buggered this, want to try again?"
RedLightning
Politicker
8
Mid-Market AE
I sent an email essentially apologizing for them having to watch me have a stroke and sent a quick video overview of what I should have presented.
StrictlyBusiness
Praised Answer
0
Director of Enterprise Sales
This is the way. Everyone has bad days. A little humility and self reflection can go a long way in building rapport by being human with your customer.
jefe
Arsonist
0
🍁
Great idea for follow up, @RedLightning 
Diablo
Politicker
0
Sr. AE
Glad you found the solution and hopefully it worked out 😁
CaneWolf
Politicker
5
Call me what you want, just sign the damn contract
I heard a story from one of my old bosses where people on his team called and said “hey, we screwed that up. Can we go again?” They won the deal and it was a multi-million contract.
SaaSsy
Politicker
4
AE
Oftentimes, it's not really AS bad as you think. If the prospect has never seen your product, they don't know what they don't know and how you messed up. No chance to meet again? Follow BigMeech's advice. If you have the opportunity to talk again, ask them for feedback and re-visit so you can show some gold the way it should be!
TheOverTaker
Politicker
3
Senior Account Executive
Tell them that your evil twin tied you up and took the meeting. The only possible explanation for being off your game.
BmajoR
Arsonist
3
Account Executive
This happened to me yesterday. I cried in the corner for a while and then sacrificed an intern and bounced right back. 

But also just know that it happens, it's not the end of the world, take a breather and redeem yourself. I think your email to them after was a good save. 
RedLightning
Politicker
2
Mid-Market AE
We don't have interns... what can I sacrifice? 
BmajoR
Arsonist
2
Account Executive
@paddy ships anywhere in the lower 48, he's got a great variety to choose from. 
CuriousFox
WR Officer
3
🦊
Everyone has off days. Handle it with humor in your recap and regain control by listing actionable next steps.
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
3
☕️
Are you from Seamless? Because I got the WORST demo I've ever seen yesterday.
RedLightning
Politicker
2
Mid-Market AE
no
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
3
☕️
Thank god, I can continue to like you.
RedLightning
Politicker
0
Mid-Market AE
How could you ever not like someone who's named after the greatest ball boy college football has ever seen!
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
1
☕️
We must relive it:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAUCFw_LxFU
RedLightning
Politicker
0
Mid-Market AE
Every day, I log onto bravado and try to make him my profile picture and every day I get error code 422
ColdCallHotCoffee
Politicker
2
TSR
Just keep following up and kill it the rest of the way. It happens and is ok! You definitely noticed 10x more than the customer.
1nbatopshotfan
Politicker
2
Sales
As everyone said, it happens. 

Follow up with any videos that you may have. A canned video with a note that says “this feature may not have been clear on the demo but here’s a short video to elaborate” is a good path back in. 
Mobi85
Politicker
1
Regional Sales Manager
Everyone has brain farts and I am not in the software sales world but for me when I have that occur in a meeting, I make sure to bring something of value to the prospect for my follow up. I try to hit on a few benefits that I know myself and my company are good at that our competition may struggle with (without actually badmouthing my competition) that the prospect has probably dealt with previously.
hh456
Celebrated Contributor
1
sales
you just got some sperience. it's valuable. it hurts. but you'll be better for it on the next one. follow up like nothing went wrong and keep moving forward.
Ligy12
Opinionated
1
Inside sales
Laugh about ir and relax 
RedLightning
Politicker
2
Mid-Market AE
Weird way to spell "drink heavily and cry"
Ligy12
Opinionated
2
Inside sales
Haha
sellingsellssold
Politicker
0
SDR
Just learn from this one and come more prepared and ready to kill the next one! Just take this as a learning experience and move forward, everything always works out. 
jefe
Arsonist
0
🍁
Happens to all of us, many great suggestions here.

In the end, know that your performance is much more memorable to you than any attendee, and they won't be thinking about how awful you may or may not have been.

It's like a taking a big hit - shake it off and get back in the game.
Kirby
Politicker
0
Sales Representative
As a general rule, it's hard to turn a good prospect bad, or a bad prospect good. If your software can truly help them, then there's no reason to think you ruined the deal.
happyhunter
Politicker
0
spittin' sunshine
Brush it off and keep moving forward. It's not a big deal...this shit happens, even to the most experienced person. Also we are our own toughest critic so maybe it wasn't as bad as you think. And if it was, fuck it. Many more chances ahead my friend
cw95
Politicker
0
Sales Development Lead
Oh my, many a time. I just email the prospect afterwards giving some rubbish excuse of 'internet was bad etc etc' nothing like that is ever as bad a sit seems. 

Glad it worked out. 
drippyAE
Executive
0
Strategic Account Executive
I always (try to) tell myself my best cold call/demo (ever) is my NEXT cold call/demo. I tell myself this especially when I shit the bed. You can get sacked on the first play of a drive only to come back to drop a dime the very next down. You got this homie. 
techsales
Politicker
0
Enterprise Account Executive
I've literally taken a demo 9am the morning after our company party where I, literally, self destructed and started speaking in noises rather than words, let alone full sentences.

Keep trudging onward, savage.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
0
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
If it was on Teams/WebEx/Zoom... clearly you were hacked and not responsible for the content of the demo.

Seriously, though, we've all had those days.  It sucks.  Based on your post about your follow up, sounds like you covered it well.  Sorry it happened to you.
RedLightning
Politicker
1
Mid-Market AE
I ran a much much better one today! 
Sunbunny31
Politicker
0
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
Of course you did.   That last one was an aberration.   And we've all had them.   Congrats, and Happy Friday!
WomenWantMeFishFearMe
Politicker
0
AM
Slam a six pack of Miller Lite and listen to Rock You Like a Hurricane while ripping darts. If you can finish the six pack and at least 8 cigs by the end of the song you won't be sad anymore. I promise.
RedLightning
Politicker
0
Mid-Market AE
That's called "tuesday lunch break" here. I appreciate the suggestion but I need new things to do
WomenWantMeFishFearMe
Politicker
1
AM
Eric Clapton's Cocaine with his lyrical suggestion. REAL pick me up kind of power lunch.

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