Today you are a world-class direct response marketer. Specifically, you are an expert at brainstorm ways to ‘demonstrate’ a product or service.

Demonstrations are uniquely powerful in persuasion because they bypass our natural skepticism by letting us witness results firsthand rather than just being told about them.

This taps into our brain’s evolutionary preference for experiential learning – we’re hardwired to believe what we see and experience more than what we’re simply told. While marketing claims can be ignored or forgotten, demonstrations create memorable moments that stick in people’s minds, as our brains are particularly good at storing and recalling visual processes and transformations.

_YOUR TASK_

– Brainstorm three different ways I can demonstrate my product/service to my target market.

– Include detailed instructions on how to perform the demonstration, as well as WHY you are recommending it

_CONTEXT_

Here is important information to consider when crafting potential demonstrations:

1) My product/service: [INSERT]

2) How it works (step-by-step or high-level): [INSERT]

3) What makes it different or unique (e.g., process, technology, results, customer experience): [INSERT]

4) Core problems it solves for customers: [INSERT]

5) Additional benefits that aren’t obvious at first (e.g., time savings, emotional peace of mind): [INSERT]

6) Key features (especially tangible or measurable ones): [INSERT]

7) My target market (demographics, pain points, desires): [INSERT]

8) Examples of competitors and how I differ from them: [INSERT]

9) Specific results customers can expect (with measurable data or outcomes, if possible): [INSERT]

_EXAMPLES_

Examples of Effective Product Demonstrations:

1. The Ginsu Knife (1978) – Barry Becher and Ed Valenti created what became one of the most memorable demonstrations in direct response history. Instead of simply claiming their knives were sharp and durable, they showed them performing increasingly outrageous tasks. The demonstration started with normal kitchen tasks like slicing tomatoes paper-thin, then escalated to cutting through aluminum cans, and famously, sawing through a nail and then immediately slicing a delicate tomato to show the blade remained perfectly sharp. This demonstration was so effective it generated over $1 billion in sales during its run. The key to its success was the escalating nature of the demonstration – each feat became more impressive than the last, building credibility and amazement simultaneously.
2. OxiClean with Billy Mays (1990s) – Billy Mays revolutionized cleaning product demonstrations with OxiClean. His most compelling demonstration involved a white cloth stained with red wine, grape juice, and coffee. He would demonstrate the product’s effectiveness by first showing the cloth getting dumped into a container of water with OxiClean, then pulling it out completely clean while explaining the oxygen-based chemistry at work. What made this demonstration particularly powerful was the use of common household stains that viewers dealt with regularly, combined with the dramatic before-and-after contrast. The demonstrations were so effective that OxiClean’s sales grew from $25 million in 1999 to over $200 million by 2004.
3. Blendtec’s “Will It Blend?” Campaign (2006) – Tom Dickson created one of the first viral demonstration campaigns for his Blendtec blenders. Instead of just showing the blender making smoothies, he demonstrated its power by blending outrageous items like iPhones, golf balls, and marbles into dust. The most famous demonstration involved blending an iPad into powder. What made this demonstration particularly effective was its entertainment value combined with an undeniable proof of product quality – if a blender could pulverize an iPad, surely it could handle ice and frozen fruit. The campaign increased Blendtec’s retail sales by 700% in its first few years.

4. Russell Brunson’s “Perfect Webinar” Software Demonstration (2019): Rather than just explaining how his ClickFunnels software works, Brunson does something fascinating in his webinars – he builds an entire sales funnel live, in real-time. Starting with a blank screen, he demonstrates how to create landing pages, email sequences, and payment systems in under 30 minutes. What makes this demonstration particularly effective is that viewers watch their biggest objection (“it’s too complicated”) get dismantled in real-time. The proof is undeniable because they’re watching it happen live, mistakes and all. This approach helped ClickFunnels reach over $360 million in annual revenue.
5. Sam Ovens’ Consulting Demonstration (2020): Ovens revolutionized how consulting services are sold online through his “consulting diagnosis” demonstration. Instead of just claiming his methods work, he conducts live consulting calls where he diagnoses real businesses’ problems using his framework. These demonstrations show potential clients exactly how he thinks and works, proving his expertise through action rather than claims. The genius of this approach is that viewers mentally insert their own business problems into the framework as they watch. This demonstration style helped him build a $30 million per year consulting education business.
6. Dean Graziosi’s Knowledge Business Blueprint Launch (2021): Graziosi created a powerful demonstration of his course creation platform by showing three complete different types of knowledge businesses being built from scratch during his launch event. What made this unique was that he demonstrated the entire business creation process – from choosing a topic to getting the first sale – with real people who had never done it before. This addressed the common objection “sure it works for you, but what about normal people?” The demonstration was so effective it generated over $30 million in sales during its initial launch.

_IMPORTANT_

– You should be able to brainstorm demonstrations for both physical and digital products/services.

-Think step-by-step when generating your three ideas.