Seeking Input on Demo Entry and Exit Criteria Guide

Max L. · 2026-01-09T10:57:46.875Z

Hey all! I’m currently working on a guide around entry and exit criteria for the #demo stage and would love some input. What information do you actually need before jumping on a demo to avoid the classic “let me show you everything” demo and burning SE time? Has anyone here worked with clear demo entry gates before? Happy to exchange notes and share my perspective.

Seeking Input on Demo Entry and Exit Criteria Guide | RevGenius

4 comments

· Sorted by Oldest

Marylou Tyler
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I've only worked on POC-type demos, but here are the entrance criteria for those:
Qualification Foundation:
Identified Pain/Problem: Clear business problem articulated by the prospect, in their own words.
Use Case Fit: Prospect use case aligns with our ideal client profile segment(s) and product capabilities.
Authority Identified: Stakeholder influencers and decision makers completely mapped, contacted and confirmed attendance
Timeline Understanding: Buying timeframe or compelling event intent solidified
Demo Readiness:
Demo Purpose Confirmed: Internal team supporting demo understands what the prospect wants to see and why.
Success Criteria Agreed: Stakeholders confirmed what a “successful demo” will demonstrate.
Stakeholders Committed to Attend: Functional buyer, key influencers and LOB support are confirmed for the demo meeting.
Data Gathering Complete: POC demo tailored to use-case [as needed] (environment, industry context, workflows, etc.).
Exit criteria is extremely stringent and probably too long to list here, but the main categories are:
Confirmed interest and fit (qualification criteria for use case, ICP tier, segment and vertical)
A minimum of 3 out of 5 buyer intent signals confirmed
Stakeholder map strategy in place (account pursuit plans)
Next actions and DATE ON CALENDAR set for continued discussion and conversion from unsecure to secure forecast.
👀1
🙌1
Chris D.
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Winning by Design has a great blueprint for How to Demo. I think of the entry criteria and like this: What pain do you have? you can list this out P`, P2, P3 etc. What feature solves that pain? F1, F2, F3 What value does the feature bring to the company (emotion/rational value)? Impact - I1, I2, I3 So the rep should be able to say: P1 -> F1 -> I1 after the discovery call prior to the demo. e.g.: My prospect has a problem spending time on repetitive tasks, this is waisting 2 hours day (P1), so I’m going to show her our AI Agent automation flow (F1), this will save her 2 hours a day, relieve her frustrations, and allow her to focus on more value added task (i3 - technically, that could be I1,I2,I3). If the rep doesn’t know if the feature will solve a problem, don’t show it (save it for Onboarding)… and confirm solution fit prior to quantifying Impact the rest of exiting good stuff 🙂
Max L.
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Thanks Marylou Tyler! Makes perfect sense. One thing that I like a lot, but would want to learn a little more is "A minimum of 3 out of 5 buyer intent signals confirmed". Would you mind sharing what those are? I love having this feedback loop of actually checking for customer behaviour, and not just ticking action items on my list. Like "proposal sent" in terms of assessing deal health, and rather look at the customer reaction.
Marylou Tyler
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·
Max L. exactly - we're not tracking tasks like "proposal sent" for these 3-5 buyer intent signals. More like these behavioral characteristics:
Active Engagement with Content/Solution: Asking detailed questions, exploring features in-depth, or requesting additional materials?
Internal socialization: Bringing in additional stakeholders, circulating materials internally, or mentioning they've discussed this with their team/leadership?
Time & Resource Investment: Dedicating calendar time, assigning internal resources to participate, or doing homework between meetings?
Process Advancement Behaviors: Proactively discussing budget, timeline, procurement process, or technical requirements?
Business Case Development: Quantifying impact, connecting solution to specific KPIs/outcomes, or discussing how success will be measured?

Marylou Tyler
·
·
I've only worked on POC-type demos, but here are the entrance criteria for those:
Qualification Foundation:
Identified Pain/Problem: Clear business problem articulated by the prospect, in their own words.
Use Case Fit: Prospect use case aligns with our ideal client profile segment(s) and product capabilities.
Authority Identified: Stakeholder influencers and decision makers completely mapped, contacted and confirmed attendance
Timeline Understanding: Buying timeframe or compelling event intent solidified
Demo Readiness:
Demo Purpose Confirmed: Internal team supporting demo understands what the prospect wants to see and why.
Success Criteria Agreed: Stakeholders confirmed what a “successful demo” will demonstrate.
Stakeholders Committed to Attend: Functional buyer, key influencers and LOB support are confirmed for the demo meeting.
Data Gathering Complete: POC demo tailored to use-case [as needed] (environment, industry context, workflows, etc.).
Exit criteria is extremely stringent and probably too long to list here, but the main categories are:
Confirmed interest and fit (qualification criteria for use case, ICP tier, segment and vertical)
A minimum of 3 out of 5 buyer intent signals confirmed
Stakeholder map strategy in place (account pursuit plans)
Next actions and DATE ON CALENDAR set for continued discussion and conversion from unsecure to secure forecast.
👀1
🙌1
Chris D.
·
·
Winning by Design has a great blueprint for How to Demo. I think of the entry criteria and like this: What pain do you have? you can list this out P`, P2, P3 etc. What feature solves that pain? F1, F2, F3 What value does the feature bring to the company (emotion/rational value)? Impact - I1, I2, I3 So the rep should be able to say: P1 -> F1 -> I1 after the discovery call prior to the demo. e.g.: My prospect has a problem spending time on repetitive tasks, this is waisting 2 hours day (P1), so I’m going to show her our AI Agent automation flow (F1), this will save her 2 hours a day, relieve her frustrations, and allow her to focus on more value added task (i3 - technically, that could be I1,I2,I3). If the rep doesn’t know if the feature will solve a problem, don’t show it (save it for Onboarding)… and confirm solution fit prior to quantifying Impact the rest of exiting good stuff 🙂
Max L.
·
·
Thanks Marylou Tyler! Makes perfect sense. One thing that I like a lot, but would want to learn a little more is "A minimum of 3 out of 5 buyer intent signals confirmed". Would you mind sharing what those are? I love having this feedback loop of actually checking for customer behaviour, and not just ticking action items on my list. Like "proposal sent" in terms of assessing deal health, and rather look at the customer reaction.
Marylou Tyler
·
·
Max L. exactly - we're not tracking tasks like "proposal sent" for these 3-5 buyer intent signals. More like these behavioral characteristics:
Active Engagement with Content/Solution: Asking detailed questions, exploring features in-depth, or requesting additional materials?
Internal socialization: Bringing in additional stakeholders, circulating materials internally, or mentioning they've discussed this with their team/leadership?
Time & Resource Investment: Dedicating calendar time, assigning internal resources to participate, or doing homework between meetings?
Process Advancement Behaviors: Proactively discussing budget, timeline, procurement process, or technical requirements?
Business Case Development: Quantifying impact, connecting solution to specific KPIs/outcomes, or discussing how success will be measured?