The B2B sales market is fiercely competitive, with businesses around the globe needing to stand out from their competitors. Yet, despite billions of dollars flowing into this industry each year, there is still a sizeable gap between buyers’ expectations and the lived reality of interacting with the sales pipeline.
A recent report from Walnut, a pioneering platform in the interactive demo space, investigated this gap, publishing its findings. According to Walnut, buyers view demos three times more without sales reps being present. Instead of focusing on a 1-1 experience between a buyer and a sales rep, most customers prefer to explore sales demos by themselves. On average, a prospect will spend around 6.5 minutes on a product demo.
For companies that still maintain discovery calls as their primary method of contacting and onboarding new clients, the recent findings from Walnut will represent a shock. More than ever before, customers are seeking concise sales demos and self-service interactions with a new software or product platform.
For many years, Walnut has been actively pursuing a method of making interactive, high-quality, and personalized sales demos as accessible as possible.
Commenting on the changing landscape of the B2B customer journey, Yoav Vilner, CEO of Walnut, states, “To optimize B2B sales strategies, sales teams need to empower prospects to grasp the value of a product, streamline the buying journey, and foster self-education. This can only be done by showcasing a product throughout the entire sales funnel.”
Yet, creating a product demo is only the first step toward enticing a customer. Vilner continues, suggesting that “Sales pros need access to unique demo engagement data to pinpoint any gaps, zero in on any leaks, and understand which areas of the funnel need improvement in order to perform better.”
To continue its success in the sales demo space, Walnut has announced a beta release, Deal Intel. Deal Intel offers a more comprehensive analysis of sales demo interactions across the entire sales funnel. This new approach will help sales reps identify new opportunities, accentuate winning sales points, and revive dead sales pipelines.
Taking an approach that is synergized with a comprehensive selection of data points, Deal Intel will help to create a more accurate and enjoyable sales experience for customers and reps. Vilner comments on the launch, highlighting, “What’s unique about Deal Intel is that it enables sales pros to view demo interactions within the context of broader sales metrics.”
He continues, “This holistic approach ensures a comprehensive understanding of how demos contribute to the overall success of their sales strategy.”
Presently, Walnut has offered its entire existing customer base the ability to use the beta product and created an application process form for other potential customers. The announcement of Deal Intel comes after several years of success for Walnut. In total, Walnut has raised over $56 million from investors, extending its services to Adobe, Equifax, Sail Point, Navan, and more.
Amongst other accolades, Walnut has also been named the #1 Top Startup by LinkedIn and a Top 100 Startup by WIRED magazine.
