How we train and prep staff for a super demo
When it comes to training for a super demo, there are a wealth of options available; which one is best comes down to what you need. Our objective is to make sure that the demo team can represent the brand as well as they can, on the brand owner’s behalf. Deciding on the right type of training to do that depends on the timescale available and the complexity of the product. Our approaches break down into three basic categories: face-to-face, in-house, or online training.
Three ways to train and prep your demo team
Face-to-face training
With this option, our brand ambassadors get their education directly from the brand owner; they can ask questions, try products, and receive first-hand instruction and direction. It’s undeniably the best quality option, but it’s also the most expensive.
Lanson took the face-to-face option when preparing our demo teams for their Wimbledon super demo. Members of our team visited Lanson’s office and had a day’s training on the brand, what made it unique, and the right style for running the demo itself — everything down to the right way to open a bottle of champagne.
In-house training
The in-house training option is delivered through our Fizz Academy programme. Here, brand owners join us for a regional meeting with our Demo Service Managers — the people who actually recruit and manage our teams who demonstrate in Costco warehouses. Brand owners can talk to the DSMs directly about the goals, strategies and tactics for the campaign, briefing them on what the brand is trying to achieve and what the key points and performance indicators are. The DSMs then deliver that insight to the brand ambassador teams at the front line, or through on-site training which we design. This is one of the most flexible and cost effective options, allowing us to tailor the training package using our existing resources and skills base.
Online training video
An online training video can provide the basics to a large team of brand ambassadors all at once, with an entire team being filled in on what they need to do and how to present around different talking points in the campaign. Coupled with the hard copy briefing that’s part of all our super demo programmes, these videos can provide example scripts and scenarios for brand ambassadors to quickly assimilate what they need to know as well as advice on how to set up the demo and other practical information that needs to be shared.
Product complexity – the hidden factor
The online training option is ideal for relatively simple products, like chocolate, where the main thing brand ambassadors need to know is the current vocabulary for the brand. If you’re using a particular phrase or term in the TV ads, we want brand ambassadors to use it too, reinforcing that work you’ve already put in.
For more complex products (like the laser hair remover we demoed for Philips and Sony’s Wena watch range) it can help to give brand ambassadors access to information and the product itself for a few weeks before the demo, allowing them to use and see the benefits for themselves. That first-hand experience with the more complex products can make all the difference in delivering a confident, detailed pitch at the demo table.
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At the end of the day, the key to building the best team for your super demo is engagement. All our best demos have been driven by vendor representatives actively communicating with us to help our DSMs and brand ambassadors do the best job they can. We work closely with our vendors to understand how their product works, and to find the best way to train our people in demonstrating and promoting their brand.
Let our highly trained staff help build brand awareness for your product! Learn more about how we can work with you here: https://www.fizz.co.uk/wds/
