Demo Execution Playbook

Demo Execution Playbook

Returns:

1. Pre-demo checklist (5 min)
2. Vertical-specific demo flow (10 min prep)
3. Live demo coaching card (1-screen reference)
4. Post-demo scorecard template

Time to ready: 15 minutes from trigger

Workflow (Staged)

Stage 1: Pre-Demo Intel Gathering (Parallel MCP Calls)

Collect deal context, attendees, prior discovery, and competitive intelligence.

Call Set:

1. hubspot_get_deal(dealId) → Stage, amount, notes, close date
2. hubspot_search_contacts(q=company_name) → Contact list, titles, roles
3. clari_search_calls(attendeeEmail=prospect_email) → Discovery calls recorded
4. ask_agent(question="What pain points and competitive context?") → CRM memory
5. apollo_organizations_enrich(domain=company_domain) → Company size, tech stack, industry

Output Map:

• Deal stage → Demo urgency (Proposal = polish; Negotiation = competitive)
• Contact titles → MEDDIC role assignment (CEO/CTO = EB; Manager = User Champion; ITOps = Blocker)
• Call summaries → Pain recap (what Clari flagged as key objections/needs)
• Tech stack → Integration readiness (CMS, streaming protocol, architecture fit)
• Vertical → Demo path selection (see Stage 2)

Stage 2: Vertical-Specific Demo Flow Selection

Match prospect vertical to pre-built demo sequence. Each path prioritizes Epiphan's fit.

Full demo arcs (RECAP / AGENDA / SHOW VALUE / SUMMARIZE / NEXT STEPS), key questions to ask during each demo, and per-vertical competitive displacement lines: see reference/vertical-demo-flows.md.

Stage 3: RECAP-AGENDA-SHOW VALUE-SUMMARIZE-NEXT STEPS Framework

This is your demo skeleton. Follow it for every vertical. It ensures you validate pain, stay on track, and never do a feature dump.

RECAP (2 min):

• "Based on our calls with [BDR name] and [previous call with attendee], you told us you need [pain point 1], [pain point 2], and [pain point 3]. Is that still accurate?"
• Wait for confirmation. This is not rhetorical—if they disagree, adjust your demo path.
• Why: MEDDIC-heavy. You're validating Pain and Identifying Buyer (are they nodding? Do they care?).

AGENDA (1 min):

• "Today I want to show you three things: [Feature A related to pain 1], [Feature B related to pain 2], [Feature C related to pain 3]. Then we'll talk about next steps. Sound good?"
• Sets boundary. No derails. Manages expectations.
• Why: Challenger Sale. You're teaching and taking control.

SHOW VALUE (8-10 min):

• Alternate between showing and asking (40/60 rule).
• Feature → "Here's how we solve [pain]: [show feature]" → "How does that compare to your current setup?" → Listen.
• Don't say "features." Say outcomes: "Instead of 3 technicians managing 10 rooms, one IT person manages all of Epiphan Connect."
• Traffic Light System (see Stage 4 below).

SUMMARIZE (2 min):

• "So we've shown you: [Feature A recap + benefit], [Feature B recap + benefit], [Feature C recap + benefit]. Does that address your top three needs?"
• Confirm. Get head nods.
• Why: Close the loop. MEDDIC Decision Criteria validation.

NEXT STEPS (1 min):

• "Based on what we showed, I think the best path forward is a [2-week pilot] in [department/location], starting [date]. You'll [specific outcome]. Agree?"
• Don't ask "Do you have questions?" (vague). Ask "Should we pilot Tuesday or Wednesday?" (binary close).
• MEDDIC Decision Process lock-in.

Total Demo Time: 15-20 minutes. Then discussion/Q&A.

Stage 4: Live Demo Coaching—The Traffic Light System

Use this during the demo to sense engagement and adapt in real-time.

GREEN (Engaged, asking questions, leaning forward):

• Keep going. Don't pause to explain every detail—they're following.
• Invite more: "Should I show you how [related feature] works, or move to [next pain point]?"
• Let them drive the pace.

YELLOW (Quiet, checking phone, polite but not engaged):

• Pause demo. Don't keep talking.
• Ask a question: "Does this solve the [specific pain] we mentioned, or should I show you something different?"
• Get them back in the conversation. If they say "not quite," pivot to a different demo path.

RED (Objections, skepticism, "That won't work because..." or visible frustration):

• Stop demo immediately.
• Use LAER (Listen-Acknowledge-Explore-Respond):
  • Listen: Let them finish. Don't interrupt.
  • Acknowledge: "I hear you. That's a fair concern."
  • Explore: "Tell me more about [concern]. What does your current setup do?" (Dig into the real issue.)
  • Respond: Address the root concern. Go back to demo if needed.
• Example:
  • Prospect says: "Our IT won't allow any cloud stuff."
  • You: "I hear you. IT security is critical. Let me ask—is it cloud per se, or data residency that's the concern?"
  • Prospect: "We have HIPAA requirements. Data can't leave our servers."
  • You: "Perfect. Pearl actually has on-prem recording + optional on-prem Epiphan Connect. Let me show you that setup instead." (Pivot to on-prem flow.)

Questions to Ask DURING Demo (to maintain 40/60 ratio):

1. "How does that compare to what you're doing today?"
2. "Would [feature] work with your [system/LMS]?"
3. "If we could solve [pain], what's your next step?"
4. "Who on your team needs to validate this?" (→ Uncover MEDDIC blockers.)
5. "Does this address [pain point from discovery]?"
6. "What's your timeline to make a decision?"

How to Handle "Can You Show Me X?" Derails:

• Prospect: "Can you show me how it integrates with [system you didn't plan]?"
• You: "Great question. Let's table that for our technical deep-dive next week. For today, I want to make sure we cover the core three things we talked about. [Continue demo.] We'll demo the [system] integration with your IT team. Sound good?"
• Why: Stay in control. Don't let them set the agenda. Challenger Sale principle.

Stage 5: Objection Handling Matrix

Top 5 objections by vertical + LAER response templates. Adapt to your prospect.

Full objection matrix with LAER response templates for all five verticals (Higher Ed LMS integration, Courts/Legal Matrox, Corporate AV Zoom Rooms, Government no-cloud, Healthcare/K-12 pricing): see reference/objection-handling-matrix.md.

Stage 6: Post-Demo Scorecard

Complete this same day after every demo. It informs your next step and measures demo effectiveness.

Template:

DEAL: [Company Name]
DATE: [Demo Date]
ATTENDEES: [Name/Title] (Y/N EB), [Name/Title] (Y/N User Champion)

MEDDIC VALIDATION:
[ ] Pain verified? (Prospect said "Yes, that's our issue" or similar)
[ ] Economic Buyer attended? (Y/N) [Name if Y]
[ ] Decision Criteria clear? (What are they evaluating us on?)
[ ] Decision Process mapped? (Who votes? Timeline?)
[ ] Identify pain—recap the 3 pains you addressed:
    1. ________
    2. ________
    3. ________

DEMO EXECUTION:
[ ] Talk/listen ratio: Estimate % (Target: 40% AE / 60% Prospect)
[ ] Traffic light status: GREEN / YELLOW / RED (Last 5 min: How engaged were they?)
[ ] Features shown: [Feature A, Feature B, Feature C]
[ ] Derails handled? (Y/N) If Y, how?
[ ] Next step agreed? (Y/N) What: ________ When: ________ Owner: ________

COMPETITIVE POSITION:
Before demo, your confidence: __/10
After demo, your confidence: __/10
Delta: +/- __
Why? (vs. Extron, Blackmagic, Teradek, vMix, etc.)

POST-DEMO ACTIONS:
[ ] Send follow-up email (include ROI, integration diagram, references)
[ ] Schedule technical deep-dive (if needed)
[ ] Send legal/compliance brief (if Courts/Gov/Healthcare)
[ ] Introduce to sales engineer / customer success
[ ] Enter next step in HubSpot deal
[ ] Share recording with internal team (if prospect allowed)

NOTES:
[Any surprises, objections, or context for your manager/BDR]

Minimum Completion: 5 minutes post-demo. Upload to HubSpot deal record.

Stage 7: Competitive Displacement Scripts

Use these word-for-word when prospect mentions competitors. Delivered calmly, never defensive.

Word-for-word scripts for all six competitors (Extron SMP, Blackmagic ATEM, Crestron, vMix, Teradek, Matrox): see reference/competitive-displacement-scripts.md.

Stage 8: Live Demo Coaching Card (1-Screen Reference)

Print this or keep it on your second monitor during the demo.

╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║               LIVE DEMO COACHING CARD                      ║
╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ STRUCTURE (15-20 min):                                     ║
║ [✓] RECAP pain (2 min)                                     ║
║ [✓] AGENDA what you'll show (1 min)                        ║
║ [✓] SHOW feature + benefit (8-10 min)                      ║
║ [✓] SUMMARIZE what you showed (2 min)                      ║
║ [✓] NEXT STEPS get commitment (1 min)                      ║
╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ TRAFFIC LIGHT:                                             ║
║ GREEN = Keep going, invite more questions                  ║
║ YELLOW = Pause, ask re-engagement question                 ║
║ RED = Stop demo, LAER (Listen-Acknowledge-Explore-Respond) ║
╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ TALK/LISTEN TARGET: 40/60 (You: 40%, Them: 60%)            ║
║ QUESTIONS TO ASK:                                          ║
║   • How does that compare to today?                        ║
║   • Would this work with your [system]?                    ║
║   • If we solved [pain], what's next?                      ║
║   • Who needs to validate this?                            ║
║   • What's your timeline?                                  ║
╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ FEATURE = BENEFIT RULE:                                    ║
║ Never show a feature without connecting to their pain.     ║
║ "This Pearl-2 records multiple cameras simultaneously      ║
║  [FEATURE]—so instead of hiring 2 operators, you have      ║
║  1 box doing the work [BENEFIT]."                          ║
╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ DERAIL HANDLER:                                            ║
║ Prospect: "Can you show me [off-agenda thing]?"            ║
║ You: "Great question. Let's table that for a technical     ║
║      deep-dive next week. For today, I want to nail the    ║
║      three core things. [Continue demo.]"                  ║
╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ RED LIGHT SCRIPT (LAER):                                   ║
║ Listen: "Tell me more."                                    ║
║ Acknowledge: "I hear you. That's a fair point."            ║
║ Explore: "What does your current setup do?"                ║
║ Respond: "Here's how Pearl solves that: [pivot]."          ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Stage 9: Dependencies & Integration Points

Tools you'll use:

1. Epiphan CRM MCP:

   • hubspot_get_deal() — Fetch deal stage, MEDDIC notes
   • hubspot_search_contacts() — Attendee titles, roles
   • clari_search_calls() / clari_get_call_summary() — Prior discovery, pain/objections
   • ask_agent() — Memory of prior engagements
   • apollo_organizations_enrich() — Company tech stack, size, vertical

2. Clari Call Intelligence:

   • Auto-populated MEDDIC from recorded discovery calls
   • Objection transcripts (what they said in prior calls)
   • Action items and next steps from last call

3. MEDDIC Call Prep (skill dependency):

   • Use before your demo to validate you understand all MEDDIC elements
   • Use after to score MEDDIC coverage

4. Challenger Sale (skill dependency):

   • Teach (RECAP + AGENDA = teaching framework)
   • Tailor (vertical-specific flows)
   • Take Control (NEXT STEPS binary close)

5. AE Handoff Brief (sister skill):

   • Created by BDR Tim Kipper before handing to you
   • Contains discovery summary, MEDDIC, competitive context
   • Your demo builds on this foundation

How to Invoke This Skill

Trigger phrases:

• "demo playbook for [company name]"
• "how should I demo to [vertical]?"
• "demo execution for [deal name]"
• "live demo coaching"
• "demo checklist"
• "post-demo scorecard"

Invoke steps:

1. Say: demo playbook for [company] or how should I demo to Higher Ed?
2. Skill returns: Pre-demo checklist → Vertical-specific flow → Live coaching card → Post-demo template
3. You prep (15 min) → Run demo (15-20 min) → Score (5 min)

Additional Resources

• Epiphan Product Guide: See epiphan-ai-mcp-guide skill for full product specs
• MEDDIC Framework: See meddic-call-prep-auto skill for full MEDDIC scoring
• Challenger Sale: See challenger-sale skill for Teach-Tailor-Take Control deep dives
• AE Handoff Brief: See ae-handoff-brief skill for BDR handoff structure
• Call Recording Analyzer: See call-recording-analyzer skill for post-call transcript analysis

Version & Maintenance

v1.0 — Initial Release (2026-04)

• 7 vertical-specific demo flows
• RECAP-AGENDA-SHOW VALUE-SUMMARIZE-NEXT STEPS framework
• Traffic Light live coaching system
• Objection handling matrix (5 per vertical)
• Competitive displacement scripts (6 competitors)
• Post-demo scorecard template
• LAER objection handling framework

Author: Epiphan Sales Engineering
Updated: 2026-04-10
Next Review: 2026-07-10