Do group demos actually work?
Dozens have tried it, but I've only seen it only work once. Here's why...
Over the years, I’ve worked with dozens of companies - startups, scale-ups, and mature tech firms - and one idea keeps popping up:
“Why don’t we run a weekly or fortnightly group product demo instead of lots of individual ones?”
The thinking goes like this:
Individual demos are time-consuming.
Some prospects don’t want to book a one-on-one because they’re worried it’ll turn into a pushy sales pitch.
Marketing wants a single, easy CTA (“Join our next live product demo”) instead of endlessly coordinating calendars.
It makes sense on paper. You set up a recurring webinar-style session, list it on your site and in your emails, and anyone curious can join.
In theory, this saves time, removes booking friction, and gives people a safe space to check out your product without the pressure of a one-on-one sales call.
But here’s the hard truth…
99% of the Time, It’s a Waste of Time
I’ve seen companies try this dozens of times. It has only worked once.
Why?
Because you don’t have enough demand. Plain and simple.
Because running a regular group demo when you don’t have enough demand is like saying:
“I can’t get one person to come to my music gig at the local bar… so instead I’ll throw a whole festival.”
If you can’t reliably book 1–2 demos a week, you won’t magically fill a group webinar.
In fact, you’ll spend more time and more money trying to promote it than you would simply doing one-on-one demos.
Most early-stage group demo attempts flop for three reasons:
No audience yet - there’s not enough brand awareness, desire or inbound attention to fill the room.
Wrong stage of the funnel - most people don’t even know what you do, let alone why they should care about it. You need to first drive awareness and interest, build momentum, then the concept of an in person demo might be appealing.
Overhead creep - organising, promoting, running, and following up on webinars takes more time than expected.
The One Time I Saw It Work
The only company I’ve seen make this a genuine success already had something most don’t:
A deep sense of trust and demand built over years with their audience.
What did they do different?
The same thing we all know we should do but don’t as it’s too exhausting.
The two co-founders made themselves known in the industry. They:
Went to every relevant industry event.
Spoke at webinars, conferences, and networking sessions.
Partnered with membership bodies and industry associations.
Showed up consistently without hard-pitching.
They became known, liked, and trusted in their market.
Launching their fortnightly group demo was necessary since they were booking up dozens of weekly demos and simply didn’t have the capacity to facilitate them.
It was to manage the overload of demand - not to create it.
By the time they launched their fortnightly group demo, they physically didn’t have time for individual demos - and they had enough inbound interest to justify the format.
Why Their Group Demos Worked
Here’s what they did differently:
Made it fun and interactive - it wasn’t a dry product pitch. They joked with attendees, asked about their businesses, and created an enjoyable experience.
Positioned it as an event, not a sales call - people looked forward to joining and even referred colleagues. They made it a fun experience a way to collaborate with the industry.
Used it as a filter - anyone who wanted to see the product joined the group demo first! Then booked a short “clarifying session” if they were serious about buying.
That last point was key.
The clarifying session meant: “You’re serious enough to spend one-on-one time with us.”
It saved the team time and energy while still giving prospects the detailed attention they needed to close.
Too many times are people asked “can you give a demo to X collogue? I think they need to see this”
This is great, but once again, only when you have an oversupply of demand for it!
When (and When Not) to Use Group Demos
✅ Use them when:
You’ve done the hard work, campaigned your company’s message, built a brand and already have consistent inbound interest.
You’re so busy with qualified leads that you need to streamline the discovery/demo process.
You want an easy, scalable top-of-funnel entry point.
You buyer is consistently the same type of persona. Doing a group demo for 2 vastly different people with vastly different needs will flop.
❌ Avoid them when:
You’re struggling to get any demos at all.
Your audience doesn’t know you or trust you yet.
You’re selling into late-stage enterprise deals where deep, personalised discovery is essential.
The Bottom Line
Group product demos aren’t a silver bullet. They’re not a shortcut to more leads - they’re a scaling tool for when you already have demand.
If you’re still building awareness, your time is far better spent networking, partnering, and showing up in your industry until people want to hear from you.
It can be uncomfortable for some - but it is essential!
Once you’ve reached that tipping point, a recurring group demo can be a brilliant way to keep the top of your funnel flowing - without burning out your sales team.