If you want your sales demos to actually mean something to your prospects, you can’t just toss everyone into the same generic product tour. People have different jobs, care about different problems, and tune out if you show them stuff that doesn’t matter to them. If you’re using Walnut, you’ve probably noticed it’s built to let you slice and dice demos for different audiences. But let’s be real: it’s easy to overcomplicate things, get stuck in endless demo versions, or waste time on features no one cares about.
This guide is for sales, enablement, and product folks who want to set up practical, personalized demo flows in Walnut for different buyer personas—without getting lost in the weeds.
Why bother personalizing demo flows?
- People tune out when they see features they don’t care about.
- Busy buyers want to see “what’s in it for me” as soon as possible.
- Your competitors are doing this (or at least saying they are).
Personalizing demos isn’t just a shiny trend—it’s about respecting your prospect’s time and actually moving deals forward. But don’t get sucked into making a new demo for every possible persona/sub-persona/edge case. Start with the personas that matter.
Step 1: Get clear on your real buyer personas
Before you touch Walnut, figure out who your actual buyers are and what they care about. This isn’t about making fancy persona slides—it’s about understanding which groups see your demos and what they need to see.
Do this: - List the top 2–4 buyer personas that keep showing up in your deals. Ignore the edge cases for now. - For each persona, jot down: - Their job title/function - Their main priorities (what do they care about fixing or improving?) - The ONE or TWO things in your product that matter most to them - Stuff they don’t care about (so you can skip it)
Pro tip: If you’re not sure, ask your sales team—or better yet, review call recordings and listen for what people actually ask about.
Step 2: Map out demo flows for each persona (on paper first)
Don’t jump straight into the Walnut editor. Sketch out what each persona’s ideal flow should look like. This keeps you from overbuilding and helps you spot overlap.
Keep it simple: - Start with a basic outline: Intro → Main use case(s) → Key feature(s) → Value proof → Next steps - For each persona: - Which screens do they have to see? - What can you safely skip? - Where should you personalize text or data (company name, logo, sample contacts, etc.)?
Avoid these traps: - Showing every feature just because you can - Making flows super long (nobody wants a 20-step demo) - Over-personalizing (“Welcome, Susan from Acme Widgets!” on every screen—one or two touches is plenty)
Step 3: Build your first base demo in Walnut
Now open up Walnut and create a base demo. This is your starting point—the “master copy” with all the core features and flows you’ll need for most buyers.
Tips for building a solid base demo: - Use a real account or sandbox that looks believable. Fake data is fine, but don’t use “Test Account 123.” - Keep branding neutral, so it’s easy to swap in logos or names later. - Stick to the shortest path that shows off value; you can always add optional branches for specific personas.
What to ignore (for now): - Fancy overlays, tooltips, or videos—get the basics working first. - Deep dives into obscure settings. - Edge case features no one asks about.
Step 4: Duplicate and personalize for each persona
Once your base demo is solid, use Walnut’s duplication tools to spin off versions for each persona. Personalize the flow based on the mapping you did earlier.
Personalization to focus on: - Swap out logos, company names, and sample data to match the persona’s industry or use case. - Hide or skip irrelevant features/screens (use Walnut’s branching or conditional logic if needed). - Update copy and tooltips to speak their language (but don’t go overboard—plain English beats buzzwords).
Don’t waste time on: - Hyper-specific customizations unless you’re doing a high-stakes, one-off deal. - Rewriting every single tooltip or field label. Focus on the 10% that actually matters to the buyer.
Pro tip: Keep a “changelog” or quick notes on what you’ve changed for each persona version. This makes updates way easier later.
Step 5: Test your flows—ideally with real humans
You’ll catch a lot of issues just by clicking through your demos, but the real test is putting them in front of someone who fits the persona.
How to test: - Send the demo to a friendly sales rep, CSM, or even a recent customer who matches the persona. - Ask them: “What parts bored you? What was confusing? What felt just right?” - Watch for where they click away, get stuck, or ask, “Why are you showing me this?”
What to watch out for: - Dead ends or broken links (easy to miss in more complex flows) - Screens that don’t make sense for the persona (“Why would I care about admin settings?”) - Personalization gone wrong (wrong logo, awkward fake names, etc.)
Don’t sweat: - Minor typos or slightly outdated screenshots—fix them as you go. - Making it perfect on the first try. Good enough and live beats “in progress and stuck.”
Step 6: Roll out and get feedback from the field
Once your flows are working, get them into the hands of your sales team. Watch how they use them and what feedback bubbles up.
Best practices: - Keep a simple shareable doc or Slack thread with demo links and quick notes (“Use Demo A for Finance, Demo B for Ops”). - Ask for real feedback—what’s landing, what’s being skipped, what are prospects asking for? - Set a reminder to revisit and update demos every month or quarter (things change, and out-of-date demos make you look sloppy).
What usually doesn’t work: - Training everyone in a two-hour meeting—people tune out. - Forcing everyone to use a rigid script. Give reps room to adapt.
Step 7: Avoid demo sprawl—keep things tidy
This is the step everyone skips, and then a year later, you’ve got 37 demo versions and nobody knows which is current.
How to stay sane: - Use Walnut’s folders or naming conventions to keep persona demos organized. - Archive or delete old flows you’re not using. - Keep a running list of which demo flows are “official” and who owns updating them.
Warning signs you’ve got demo bloat: - Reps aren’t sure which demo to use - You’re getting “can you update this flow?” Slack messages every week - You can’t remember which demo matches which persona
What’s worth the hype—and what’s not
Works well: - Simple, clear demo flows targeted to 2–4 key personas - Personalizing logos, company names, and sample data (makes a big difference) - Keeping flows short and focused
Overrated: - Hyper-personalizing every detail (nobody cares if the sample phone number is 555-ACME) - Building 10+ flows for every possible buyer type - Relying on fancy animations or overlays (clarity beats flash)
Ignore: - Chasing every new Walnut feature just because it’s there - Trying to “wow” with clever Easter eggs or jokes in your demos (unless you really know your audience)
Keep it simple, tweak as you go
Personalized demo flows in Walnut don’t have to be complicated. Start with your most common personas, keep each demo focused, and get feedback fast. The best demos are the ones that actually get used—and updated—so don’t let perfection slow you down. Build what works, skip what doesn’t, and adjust as you learn. That’s how you win buyers over and keep your sanity.