# Demo rehearsal packet Prepare one upcoming buyer demo. Use the brief and run sheet with your own approved facts, or try the exercise in Three fictional buyer interruptions. One person presents, one plays the buyer and one observes; the buyer can also take notes if only two people join. This packet rehearses the conversation. Separately test your actual demo environment, permissions and product behavior. A successful practice exchange does not verify a technical claim or certify a rep. ### People and decision Seller [Name] Buyer roles [Roles] Observer [Name] Demo date [Date] Decision this demo should help [Write here] ### Buyer success criteria What must the buyer see or learn? How will they judge it? [Criterion and confirming question] ### Approved evidence For each claim, record the approved document or test, its date and scope, and what it does not prove. [Claim → source → scope → limit] ### Known unknowns and answer owner [Open question → subject matter expert → agreed response time] ### Demo path and backup [Selected product moments linked to the buyer criteria] [Backup material if the environment fails; say what it can and cannot show] ### Set up the practice Choose one interruption. Keep the buyer-only notes hidden from the seller. Agree on the behavior to observe before starting. [Interruption and observable behavior] --- # Run the demo rehearsal Use the path you would show a buyer. Pause after a difficult exchange, capture what was said, then retry that moment. Do not reward a smooth answer that goes beyond the evidence. | Moment | Buyer criterion and proof | Question or decision to check | |---|---|---| | Opening | [Criterion to confirm] | [Ask what the buyer needs from the demo] | | Product moment 1 | [Action and approved evidence] | [What does this help the buyer decide?] | | Product moment 2 | [Action and approved evidence] | [What remains uncertain?] | | Interruption | [Detour, unknown or changed criterion] | [Clarify, answer within scope, or escalate] | | Close | [What was shown and what remains open] | [Action, owner, date and buyer agreement] | ## When the answer is unknown - Restate the exact question and check whether it is a requirement or a preference. - State what the available evidence supports and what remains unverified. - Name the right owner and agree on the evidence needed and a response time. - Ask whether to continue with the current agenda or pause until the requirement is resolved. Example wording: “I can show what we tested in this setup. I have not checked that requirement in yours. Let me confirm the question with our technical owner and agree with you on the evidence and timing.” ### Open question record Question [Exact wording] Required evidence [Write here] Owner [Name] Response time [Agreed date] Buyer decision pending [Write here] --- # Three fictional buyer interruptions Optional practice exercise. The company, product and facts below are invented. They describe no real customer, competitor or Quotain capability. Give the seller the shared facts; keep the buyer notes private. Run one interruption at a time from the same starting brief. ## Shared facts for the seller You are showing an invented work-order app to a regional operations manager. The agreed criterion is finding open jobs by location. A reviewed sandbox test shows that a user with the location-manager role can filter open jobs for one location. It does not show exports, cross-location permissions or performance at another scale. Export behavior has not been checked. A product specialist owns unanswered technical questions; no response date has been agreed. ## 1 The feature detour Buyer opening: “Before anything else, can you show me every dashboard?” Buyer-only notes: You want to find overdue jobs, but you have not said that yet. Reveal it if the seller asks what you need to learn. If they start a feature tour, ask which view tells you what needs attention. Observe: The seller clarifies the decision, separates overdue jobs from the approved open-jobs test, and either shows relevant evidence or records the missing check. They return to an agreed path. ## 2 The unknown technical answer Buyer opening: “Can we export every location’s data using the same manager login?” Buyer-only notes: Cross-location export is mandatory for your monthly report. Reveal that when asked why it matters. If the seller guesses, ask what they have tested. Do not invent a result for them. Observe: The seller states that export and permissions are unverified, captures the exact requirement, identifies the product specialist and agrees on proof and timing. They do not promise the feature or a roadmap date. ## 3 The changed success criterion Buyer opening: “Our director joined late. She needs a cross-location report, not a single-location view.” Buyer-only notes: The director will approve the next step only after the report requirement is checked. If asked, explain that the original manager still needs the location view, but it is no longer enough for this decision. Observe: The seller confirms the new decision and both roles’ needs, explains the current proof limit, resets the agenda and agrees on the missing evidence. They do not treat the original sandbox test as proof of the report. --- # Debrief and retry Record observable words and actions. Use Observed, Missed or Not tested for each check, with a quote or timestamp. Not tested means the chosen exercise gave no opportunity to show the behavior; it is not a pass. These checks are coaching prompts, not a validated certification threshold. | Check | Result | Evidence | |---|---|---| | Confirmed the buyer criterion before choosing the path | [Observed / Missed / Not tested] | [Words or timestamp] | | Kept claims within approved facts and test scope | [Observed / Missed / Not tested] | [Words or timestamp] | | Clarified and assigned an unknown question accurately | [Observed / Missed / Not tested] | [Words or timestamp] | | Agreed on a next action, owner and timing | [Observed / Missed / Not tested] | [Words or timestamp] | ### What changed the conversation [Buyer question, seller response and effect on the next decision] ### One behavior for the retry [Specific action to change; keep the buyer context and proof limits the same] ### Retry evidence [What the seller said differently; whether the agreed behavior appeared] ### Check the next live call Call [Reference] Reviewer [Name] Review date [Date] Evidence to look for [Write here] Result and next action [Write here] For a wider rubric, use the [sales call scorecard](https://www.quotain.com/blog/sales-call-scorecard). For a deeper technical-requirement exercise, use the [objection-handling roleplay guide](https://www.quotain.com/blog/objection-handling-roleplay).