Company Size21,000 |
Presales Team25 Solutions Consultants |
SMB Sales Team40 Account Executives |
Presales Workload8 Demos per week, per SC |
THE RESULTS AT A GLANCE
Up to $3.5MPipeline Influenced |
Up to $100KQuarterly Time Savings for Presales |
150Stakeholders Discovered in One Quarter |
Up to 1 weekDemo Lag Time Eliminated |
Up to 25%Reduction in Repetitive Demos |
Up to 33%Reduction in SMB Sales Cycle |
THE CHALLENGE
Maintaining momentum at the bottom of the funnel
The last thing you want is for deals to stall when you’re this close to the finish line. Bazaarvoice knew they could close faster by cutting down the wait time for implementation demos—the demos that buyers need right before they sign. Bhavik Gandecha, Manager of Solutions Consulting, Bazaarvoice, saw a clear opportunity: their team was juggling multiple acquisitions, new products were rolling out, and the demand for these demos was through the roof—especially at the end of the quarter. The solution? Streamline the process and eliminate the downtime buyers were facing.
“We wanted to set our customers up for success from the start. We felt strongly that if buyers were more familiar with implementation, they would use our products, see the ROI, and expand. The trouble was keeping up with the demand for the demos, especially at the end of the quarter.”
Bhavik Gandecha
Manager, Solutions Consulting
THE SOLUTION
Automating Implementation and Repetitive Demos
Bazaarvoice chose Consensus to automate their implementation and overview demos, allowing their team to meet sales demands without the need to increase presales headcount. They evaluated multiple demo automation solutions and found Consensus to be the perfect combination of video-based selling and personalization that would accelerate the buyer’s journey at scale.
They kicked off implementation in EMEA, where the need for multi-language demos was highest. Bhavik and the Bazaarvoice team built a demo library packed with their most critical, repeatable demos. Once EMEA was up and running, they expanded to the U.S., training teams on how to use demo automation as a secret weapon for discovery and qualification.
“The goal was to replace any repeatable demo. We knew that there would still be follow-up meetings and other needs to address, but if we could give buyers an automated overview of our solutions, we would have more productive live calls.”
Bhavik Gandecha
Manager, Solutions Consulting
THE RESULTS
A Shorter Sales Cycle
Bazaarvoice instantly shortened their sales cycle by eliminating lag times of up to a week that buyers previously endured to see an implementation demo.
Getting a week back in the sales cycle was a game-changer. With more time on their hands, SCs could cover more deals and have a bigger impact on the pipeline. Using Consensus Demolytics, they uncovered over 150 new buyer contacts in just the first quarter. This gave both SCs and buyers the ability to show up to live calls ready—armed with specific questions and tailored recommendations for a smoother implementation. The real win? Automated demos on demand, combined with Consensus’ powerful analytics, helped Bazaarvoice slash some of their SMB deal’s sales cycles by up to 33%
“Some reps save a month on deals! When we see a customer has watched a demo, we know what they are most interested in and, more importantly, how we can guide them to one of our solutions. And when we see who else is involved in their buying process, we can answer each buyer’s questions faster and close the deal in a fraction of the time.”
Bhavik Gandecha
Manager, Solutions Consulting
A Better Buying Experience at Scale
In addition to shortening sales cycles, Consensus helped Bazaarvoice scale their presales team by adding hours back to their day.
Bhavik’s teams reported up to a 25% reduction in repetitive or overview demos. This helped SCs dedicate more time to becoming experts in newer solutions added through acquisitions without taxing them with an unbearable workload. The ability to train on new solutions and shift focus to other parts of the pipeline has strengthened the partnership between presales and sales. This collaboration has even allowed the presales team to extend its influence into other areas of the company, including marketing and customer success.
Visible Revenue Impact and ROI
After one quarter of using Consensus, Bazaarvoice reported that demo automation influenced up to $3.5M in the pipeline. They also reported an impact on the budget in the time saved by presales resources by not having to be on calls or by having shorter calls. These savings totalled up to $100,000 quarterly, demonstrating that their solutions consulting team is most effective when they use a digital companion to qualify deals, engage buyers asynchronously, and enhance live calls with more involved participants.
“Some reps save a month on deals! When we see a customer has watched a demo, we know what they are most interested in and, more importantly, how we can guide them to one of our solutions. And when we see who else is involved in their buying process, we can answer each buyer’s questions faster and close the deal in a fraction of the time.”
Bhavik Gandecha
Manager, Solutions Consulting
