I spoke to Yoav Vilner, CEO of sales startup Walnut, to discuss the launch of a new beta product suite, which aims to ‘turn sales demo engagement to business growth, as the next phase of our vision.’
The company has raised $56M from investors and has been working with customers such as Adobe, Sail Point, Navan, and more. It was also named #1 Top Startup by LinkedIn last year, as well as a ‘Top 100 startup’ by WIRED magazine.
Navigating today’s B2B sales market isn’t just about overcoming inflation and tighter budgets – there is also a gap between buyers’ needs and the reality of the current buying experience.
According to a recent report from Walnut, a company known for pioneering the ‘interactive demo’ world of products, alongside a viral social movement that helped make it a buzzy topic – buyers view demos 3 times more without the sales rep being present than with the rep, and on average, prospects spend about 6.5 minutes on demos.
Vilner notes that this preference for concise demos and self-service is a stark contrast to industry norms in which buyers can’t always see the product when they want to, or they have to sit through long discovery calls before they see a clunky and generic demo.
“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,” Vilner said. “This can only be done by showcasing a product throughout the entire sales funnel.”
However, Vilner points out that just using interactive demos throughout the funnel has only been ‘step one’ for his vision.
“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 to perform better,” Vilner noted.
That’s what Walnut’s new beta release, Deal Intel, aims to do. According to Vilner, Deal Intel doesn’t just give sales teams access to products’ demo data.
With Deal Intel, sales teams can use demo interaction data throughout the funnel to identify their best deals and opportunities, revive “dead” pipeline opportunities, and accelerate existing deals, being the first platform to use demos as strategic data points, not just a “try before you buy” experience.
“What’s unique about Deal Intel is that it enables sales pros to view demo interactions within the context of broader sales metrics,” Vilner said. “This holistic approach ensures a comprehensive understanding of how demos contribute to the overall success of their sales strategy.”
Some key features also include identifying one’s buying committee behavior and identifying secret stakeholders within the organization.
Currently, Walnut only lets its existing customer base use the new beta product – but has also extended a beta application form for potential customers.
