# Virtual Demo Tech-Check Checklist

> The pre-call checklist that eliminates the #1 demo killer: a tech failure in the first 90 seconds: organized by T-24h, T-2h, T-15min, and T-2min.

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/virtual-demo-tech-check-checklist/

## How to use it

Work through it top to bottom starting 24 hours before every virtual demo, and keep the T-15-minute and T-2-minute sections visible on a second screen during the call itself.

## What's inside

- T-24 hour checklist (environment data, links, custom slides)
- T-2 hour checklist (restart, notifications, connection, power, backups)
- T-15 minute checklist (self-test video/audio/screen share, framing)
- T-2 minute checklist (mute, water, recording)
- First-90-seconds-of-call protocol
- Mid-demo tech failure recovery steps and script

The #1 demo killer isn't a bad narrative, it's 90 seconds of dead air fixing audio while the prospect's attention evaporates. Run this every time, no exceptions, even on your 500th demo.

## T-24 Hours

- [ ] Confirm meeting link, dial-in, and calendar invite sent to all attendees (including any added late)
- [ ] Confirm demo environment/account is loaded with realistic data relevant to this prospect's industry (not blank or generic seed data)
- [ ] Confirm any custom slides, ROI numbers, or logos in the deck are prospect-specific and spelled correctly
- [ ] Test screen-share of the exact browser tab/app you'll use: not a different device than the one you'll actually present from

## T-2 Hours

- [ ] Restart your laptop (clears memory leaks, notification backlogs, forces updates to finish now instead of mid-demo)
- [ ] Close every application and browser tab except what you need: no email, Slack, or chat clients running
- [ ] Turn off ALL notifications: OS-level, browser, Slack, email, calendar pop-ups, phone (put phone in another room or on airplane mode)
- [ ] Confirm wired ethernet connection if available; if Wi-Fi only, run a speed test (need reliably 10+ Mbps upload)
- [ ] Charge laptop to 100% and plug in: do not run on battery
- [ ] Confirm backup device (second laptop or tablet) is charged and has the meeting link ready
- [ ] Confirm mobile hotspot is set up and tested as an internet backup

## T-15 Minutes

- [ ] Join the meeting room alone to test video, audio in, audio out, and screen share end-to-end
- [ ] Check camera framing, lighting (face lit from front, not backlit by a window), and background
- [ ] Log into the demo environment and navigate to the exact starting screen: don't start cold from a login page
- [ ] Open only the tabs/windows you'll actually show, in the order you'll show them
- [ ] Silence/mute any desktop widgets, dock badges, or messaging previews that could pop up on shared screen
- [ ] Have the Demo Storyboard printed or on a second monitor: never scroll through it on the shared screen

## T-2 Minutes

- [ ] Re-join or confirm you're still connected with stable audio/video
- [ ] Mute yourself until the prospect joins to avoid open-mic noise
- [ ] Have water within reach, phone silenced and out of view
- [ ] Confirm recording tool (if used) is armed and consent language ready if required

## First 90 Seconds of the Call (the danger zone)

- [ ] Confirm everyone can hear and see you before you start sharing your screen, ask directly: "Can you all see my screen clearly?"
- [ ] Do not start screen-share until audio/video is confirmed two-way
- [ ] If anything fails in these 90 seconds: acknowledge it once, calmly, execute your backup plan (switch device, switch to phone hotspot, or send the backup recorded walkthrough link): do not apologize repeatedly or narrate the troubleshooting

## If Something Still Breaks Mid-Demo

- [ ] Have a backup device already logged in and standing by, not to be set up from scratch after failure
- [ ] Have a pre-recorded 3-minute version of the core scene ready to share as a fallback if live environment goes down entirely
- [ ] Know your one-line recovery script in advance: *"That's actually a good moment to show you what this looks like from a recorded walkthrough, one second."* (Never: "Sorry, this never happens, let me just…")