# Executive Demo Readiness Checklist

> The pre-flight checklist for demoing to a VP or C-suite audience with 12 minutes and zero patience for a feature tour: covering research, message discipline, the opening/closing two minutes, and technical fail-safes.

Free checklist for sales reps. Topic: [Demos & Product Storytelling](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/topic/demos-product-storytelling/). Published by PeerLab in the [Sales Enablement Resource Library](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/). Source: https://www.peerlab.ai/library/executive-demo-readiness-checklist/

## How to use it

Work through each section in order in the 48 hours before the meeting, run the morning-of and technical fail-safe items right before you go live, and use the during/closing checklists as your on-the-spot discipline during the 12-minute window itself.

## What's inside

- 48-hours-before checklist (research, headline number, agenda sent)
- Morning-of checklist (tech check, one-pager, briefing your internal team)
- First 2 minutes opening checklist (no small talk drift, lead with the outcome)
- During-the-demo 12-minute discipline checklist (no feature tour, time-boxing rules)
- Last 2 minutes closing checklist (specific next step, no vague follow-up)
- Technical fail-safe checklist (backup slides, recording, connectivity)

Use this before any demo where a VP, C-suite, or other senior executive is in the room and your allotted time is 15 minutes or less. Executives don't want a tour, they want to know it works and what it's worth in the time it takes to read this checklist twice.

## 48 hours before

- [ ] Confirmed the executive's specific role and what they're accountable for (revenue, cost, risk, headcount: know which)
- [ ] Identified the ONE headline number you'll lead with (cost of status quo or ROI: pick one, not both)
- [ ] Confirmed with your internal champion what this executive cares about *specifically*, not generically
- [ ] Sent a 3-line agenda in advance: no surprises about what will and won't be covered
- [ ] Cut every planned feature that doesn't map directly to this executive's accountability
- [ ] Prepared a 1-page leave-behind (not a 20-slide deck) with the headline number and 3 proof points
- [ ] Rehearsed the full demo against a strict timer, not an estimate

## Morning of

- [ ] Tested screen-share, audio, and camera on the actual device you'll present from
- [ ] Closed every notification source (email, Slack, calendar pop-ups) on the demo device
- [ ] Loaded backup static slides in case of a live product outage or connectivity failure
- [ ] Briefed any internal teammates joining: their one job is to stay silent unless asked a direct question
- [ ] Confirmed the executive is still attending and hasn't been replaced by a delegate (if so, adjust the headline number's framing)
- [ ] Printed or had ready the 1-page leave-behind

## First 2 minutes: the opening

- [ ] Skipped small talk beyond 30 seconds: executives read extended rapport-building as a signal you have nothing sharper to lead with
- [ ] Opened with the headline number or outcome, not an agenda recap ("Today I'll show you how to recover $X" beats "Today we'll cover three things")
- [ ] Confirmed time available out loud ("I know you've got 12 minutes: I'll make sure we land on time")
- [ ] Named the specific business outcome this executive is accountable for, explicitly

## During the demo: 12-minute discipline

- [ ] Showed no more than 2-3 screens total: if you're clicking through more than that, you've reverted to a feature tour
- [ ] Every screen shown is tied out loud to the headline number or outcome before you click
- [ ] Skipped any "and here's another cool thing" tangent, no matter how good the feature is
- [ ] Checked the time at the halfway mark and cut content if running long: never cut the close
- [ ] Answered technical or detail questions in one sentence, then offered to go deeper *after* the meeting rather than derailing the executive's time
- [ ] Kept language in business outcomes (revenue, cost, risk, time) not product terminology

## Last 2 minutes: the close

- [ ] Restated the headline number once more, using their own words if they reacted to it earlier
- [ ] Proposed one specific, concrete next step with a name and a date attached, not "I'll follow up"
- [ ] Asked directly: "Is there anything that would stop this from moving forward?" and handled what came back on the spot
- [ ] Ended on time or early: never late
- [ ] Sent the 1-page leave-behind and the agreed next step in writing within 2 hours

## Technical fail-safes

- [ ] Backup slides ready and tested in case live software fails
- [ ] Recording of a clean, prior run of this exact demo available to share if live product breaks entirely
- [ ] Second internet connection (mobile hotspot) ready as a fallback
- [ ] Confirmed the executive's calendar invite has a dial-in as backup to video
- [ ] Demo environment pre-loaded with realistic (not placeholder) data before the call starts