To sell better, you need to talk less and show more. Using this platform to create demo versions of cloud services increases the number of deals closed by 74% and reduces the sales cycle by 50%. At the same time, the time to create a demo tailored for a specific client is reduced by 50–2,000%! And they use this interesting technology.
THE ESSENCE OF THE PROJECT
To sell cloud services to business clients, it’s essential to demonstrate the products in action. Ideally, this should be done using real data, similar to the data of a specific client, as this approach enhances the overall impact.
However, preparing such customized demo versions, filled with different data for every client, is both time-consuming and tedious 🙁.
Saleo is a tool that allows cloud service employees to create demo versions of their products more easily and quickly.
The main advantage of Saleo is that there’s no need to set up individual product installations, create new client profiles, or load them with different datasets for each demo. Everything is technically sophisticated, but the outcome is much simpler for those preparing the demos.
The thing is, any cloud service first processes data on its server and then displays it in the browser. The conventional method of preparing demos involves uploading the required data sets to the server.
Saleo takes a different approach. It allows the desired data for demonstration to be injected directly into the browser, regardless of the data originally fetched from the server.
To make this work, one needs to install the Saleo browser extension, which intercepts all browser requests to the cloud service being demonstrated. The AI mechanism of Saleo analyzes all these requests, understanding which of them and how exactly fetch data from the server and display it in the browser.
Subsequently, the individual preparing the presentation can instruct the extension to display not the data fetched from the server but the data that should be shown to a specific client.
This way, one can modify:
The salesperson can make all these modifications directly in the browser. They don’t need to contact the developers, who typically have to create demonstration client profiles on the service and load these profiles with the required data sets. Developers are already in short supply – they should focus on product development and enhancement, rather than assisting salespeople in preparing presentations for clients.
The collective changes made can be saved as a separate demo version in the Saleo catalog. Now, when visiting a client, you just have to press one button, and while the salesperson or the client clicks on different parts of the service, they will see texts, images, data, and graphics specially prepared for them.
Saved demo versions can be edited and saved as new demo versions, replacing, for example, the client’s name and logo. Access to prepared demo versions can be opened to other salespeople, regulating their access rights. Over time, the company will have a catalog of demo versions for all tastes and occasions.
The simplicity of the demo preparation process and the lack of the need to queue up to programmers significantly reduces the time for their preparation — from 50% to 2,000%. This allows salespeople to prepare customized demo versions for almost every client, not just in special cases.
This helps Saleo clients increase the number of concluded deals by 74%, while reducing the sales cycle duration by 50%!
Saleo was founded in 2021. In 2022, it attracted its first $1.5 million in investment. Now, it’s at $11.93 million.
What’s Interesting:
What I really liked about today’s Saleo is their approach to solving the problem “from the other side.”
If we want to show the client some special data, the first instinct is to go the traditional way by uploading this data to the service, and then ponder how to simplify, facilitate, and accelerate this process. But it turns out you can eliminate the task of uploading data altogether by inserting a “crutch” somewhere else, where these data are shown to the client.
This is a good general conclusion. If we’re racking our brains over solving a problem, it’s worth considering: can we approach the solution from a completely different angle? From the one where this problem doesn’t arise at all. Though inevitably, another problem will arise, but solving it might be significantly easier 😉
Returning to the topic of the startup itself, its example is the application of the known principle “Show, Don’t Tell,” which usually leads to much better results.
Now, this principle is becoming even more popular because modern people have almost forgotten how to read 😉 That’s why they prefer to consume videos and images on the internet more than reading articles. Hence, it’s better to sell to them using visual demonstrations rather than trying to explain something with words or, God forbid, making them read something.
As a result, platforms that help cloud service developers create demo versions of their products for use in the sales process are gaining clients and raising investments. Apart from today’s Saleo, we can recall:
Cosensus – raised $138.9 million in investments.
Walnut — raised $56 million. It raised two investment rounds — $15 million in 2021 and $35 million in 2022.
Demostack — raised $51.5 million.
Instruqt— raised 15 million euros.
Coast — raised $2.1 million.
The products listed above allow for quick and easy creation of cloud service demos. If we talk about the “Show, Don’t Tell” trend in general, then we can also recall startups with platforms for creating online store landings in video format. They significantly increase conversion to purchases compared to regular text sites. Among them are Viddy, Kahani, Fibr.
Where to go next?
The main takeaway from today’s review is that if you want to sell better, talk less and show more. This approach has always been convincing, and now it will be even more so, as people have come to prefer consuming information in this manner.
When it comes to physical products, it’s clear how to showcase them. But cloud service developers still have some learning to do when it comes to showcasing their products. On one hand, it shouldn’t just be a talking head against a product presentation backdrop – because that’s still telling, not showing. On the other hand, a video where someone slowly and boringly clicks through various interface elements, listing the product’s features, will neither excite nor engage anyone.
So, having technical capabilities to create product demos is good and right. But now, salespeople should also be sent to screenwriting courses, so they can learn how to craft engaging video scenarios where their products take center stage. Or, as it’s trendy nowadays, perhaps we need a specially trained AI for this 😉
Thus, the general direction is the creation of platforms that allow cloud service developers to “show” their products, meaning creating demos, videos, and landing pages that better convert into registrations and sales.
Examples of more or less traditional platforms for this purpose were listed in today’s review. However, it’s worth considering how AI can be integrated into these platforms to not only streamline the technical process of creating demos and videos but also to make them more sales-driven.
About the Company:
Saleo Website: saleo.io
Latest Funding Round: $11.93M, 05.10.2023
Total Investment: $13.4M, Rounds: 2.