Understand Your Buyer > How to connect with your buyer > Reverse Demo
What is it?
A Reverse Demo is a sales technique where, instead of jumping straight into showing your product, you ask the buyer to show you how they currently solve the problem you help them with. It flips the traditional demo format on its head. By watching their existing process, you get real insight into what they’re doing, what’s working, and-most importantly-what’s not.
Why does it work?
It works because it makes the conversation about them, not you. Buyers feel heard, not pitched to. When you see their current system or workflow in action, it gives you concrete opportunities to highlight gaps, bottlenecks, or inefficiencies. Instead of making vague claims, you can position your solution as the clear answer to real problems they’ve just shown you. It also makes your product feel simpler and more valuable because you’re comparing it to what they already do, not just what you say it can do.
How can you use it?
You can use a Reverse Demo at the start of any discovery or sales call. Ask something like, “Can you walk me through how you currently handle this?” or “Can you show me what you’re doing now to solve that problem?” Take notes on where they hesitate, where it feels clunky or manual, and where time is being wasted. Then tailor your demo or pitch to those exact issues, showing how your product makes those pain points disappear. It’s a subtle shift, but it makes your offer feel like a perfect fit instead of a generic solution.
Hat tip tip Tracey at ScopeBetter for the inspiration.
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