“A product demo is like a stock-car race. Never take a brand new, unadjusted, un-used piece to the field. The last thing a customer wants to see is guys constantly adjusting and fine tuning the machine during the demo.

“I start by finding a customer that really has no chance of purchase. Take the machine to his field, run it for a day or two, and do all the adjusting and fine-tuning to work the bugs out. Then, you can hit the field and rock-and-roll when you’re with a good candidate for a sale. I hate screwing around with machinery in front of potential customers. Coming to the field and getting to work right away shows confidence and product rapport, and is more satisfying to the customer.

“Also, interview the customer ahead of time. See what modifications, features and configurations of your machine work best for them. Customize as much as possible to personalize the demo.

“Be prepared — and also have the trade-in price for your prospect’s unit in your hand at the demo.”

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