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Kick the tires before a free trial

We know buyers don't want to talk to sales in order to see your product.

But many aren't even willing to invest time in your free plan or trial.

That's where interactive demos can help. Like this example from Baremetrics.

For context, Baremetrics is a subscription analytics software.

In order to experience the aha moment with this type of platform, a user typically needs some type of up-front time investment. They’d need to integrate their payments provider and likely pull in data over a period of time before they can see first-hand what the platform can really do.

And what if this market is crowded, with lots of options?

Imagine, as a buyer, needing to evaluate 5 similar solutions.

Would you be willing to wait that long? invest that much time?

For companies that operate in industries with more up-front lift to their products — think cyber security, payments, analytics, etc. — interactive demos like this are a great way to let customers get behind the wheel.

So, check out the example from Baremetrics that I dropped in the comments.

Their live preview lets you get behind the wheel and experience the entire platform, rich with life-like data and examples.

And their primary CTA?

“Get these metrics for your company in a single click! — Start Free Trial”

Instead of using the free trial as a way for customers to kick the tires, Baremetrics can show exactly what a best-in-class implementation of their software would look like.

In the early days, they actually populated this demo with their own subscription data. An entirely separate strategy that takes “build in public” to a whole new level.

Disclaimer: Baremetrics built this example in-house, which can require months of custom engineering work and upkeep. Their UI is also relatively intuitive so users can find their way around without a lot of guidance. Not the case for every company.

That’s why I love interactive demo platforms, like Navattic, that make it possible to create guided product experiences without the need for devs.

What do you think of this approach?

#productmarketing #interactivedemo