I agree that Request a Demo will certainly begin to diminish as PLG becomes more prevalent. I think the one thing missing here is Request a Demo as a crutch for really poorly designed SaaS websites that provide almost no information on what the product actually is or if a product exists.
This CTA is a good filter to generally know if someone is qualified but I think there are a substantial portion of potential qualified leads that simply don't want to invest an hour with a BDR/AE without a high-level understanding of the value the company provides.
If that company's competitor has a better website that hits on the pain point and value prop more directly, the buyer will invest that hour with them instead.
Mike - this is a very sharp and enlightening post not just for sellers but for buyers of B2B software. Made me reflect on a sales call the other day. I’m currently a prospect for Influencer/social media relationship management software. I found myself feeling frustrated I had to request and then wait for a demo. But the sales rep was incredible and helped me get to a conclusion faster than on my own or with a click-through demo. Maybe what we need to productize is not the “request demo” experience, as you argue, but the moment where you realize as a customer, you’re going to get exactly what you need to make the best decision in the most efficient way (even if not real time/automated) through a call. *sorta* useful parallel —> when I book a dentist appointment or gym class, I don’t feel irritated that I have to wait x days for it or that it’s not productized online. I know it’s going to be useful, I understand it’s fundamentally an in person/human experience, and I know what to expect. I inherently value it. Most people don’t have the same expectations for a sales call. They don’t do it often enough to know what to expect or that it can feel helpful/good (unless an IT admin...but so many non-IT business leaders buy software nowadays). And so the result is barely anyone inherently values a sales call or finds satisfaction in “requesting a demo”. Somehow that needs to be either better marketed or productized...no idea how 😂.
I agree that Request a Demo will certainly begin to diminish as PLG becomes more prevalent. I think the one thing missing here is Request a Demo as a crutch for really poorly designed SaaS websites that provide almost no information on what the product actually is or if a product exists.
This CTA is a good filter to generally know if someone is qualified but I think there are a substantial portion of potential qualified leads that simply don't want to invest an hour with a BDR/AE without a high-level understanding of the value the company provides.
If that company's competitor has a better website that hits on the pain point and value prop more directly, the buyer will invest that hour with them instead.
Mike - this is a very sharp and enlightening post not just for sellers but for buyers of B2B software. Made me reflect on a sales call the other day. I’m currently a prospect for Influencer/social media relationship management software. I found myself feeling frustrated I had to request and then wait for a demo. But the sales rep was incredible and helped me get to a conclusion faster than on my own or with a click-through demo. Maybe what we need to productize is not the “request demo” experience, as you argue, but the moment where you realize as a customer, you’re going to get exactly what you need to make the best decision in the most efficient way (even if not real time/automated) through a call. *sorta* useful parallel —> when I book a dentist appointment or gym class, I don’t feel irritated that I have to wait x days for it or that it’s not productized online. I know it’s going to be useful, I understand it’s fundamentally an in person/human experience, and I know what to expect. I inherently value it. Most people don’t have the same expectations for a sales call. They don’t do it often enough to know what to expect or that it can feel helpful/good (unless an IT admin...but so many non-IT business leaders buy software nowadays). And so the result is barely anyone inherently values a sales call or finds satisfaction in “requesting a demo”. Somehow that needs to be either better marketed or productized...no idea how 😂.