Most sales pitches aren't pitches. They're product tours.

You click through every dropdown. You show every feature. The prospect nods. Then they go quiet. "Sounds like a shared inbox… but also like help desk software. Is it different?" They can't put you in a bucket. They can't answer "why pick you?"—so they don't. Research shows 40–60% of B2B purchase processes end in no decision. Not because the old solution won. Because the buyer couldn't figure out how to choose confidently. They punt. "Let's do it next year." Safe for them. Dead for your pipeline.

Today we're breaking down the shift that fixes it:

• Why product tours fail (and what the customer is really thinking)

• The two-part structure that replaces them: Setup → Follow-through

• How to teach customers how to buy—before you show a single feature

If you're running demos, leading sales, or trying to turn positioning into wins, this is the framework that separates tours from pitches.

3 Shifts to Turn a Product Tour Into a Positioning Pitch (Even If You've Always Demo'd First)

You don't need a new product. You need a new structure: setup, then follow-through.

Here's what to change.

1. Stop Leading With the Product

Product tours start with the product. "Let me show you how to log in. Here's the shared inbox. Here's prioritization. Here's assignments." Feature, feature, feature. The prospect has done some homework—G2, Gartner, Google—but they're overwhelmed. They don't have a clear map of the market. What are the real options? Where do you fit? What should "good" even look like? You know. You live in this every day. They don't.

A positioning pitch inverts that. You spend a few minutes before the demo on what Dunford calls the setup: your point of view on the market, the pros and cons of the main alternatives, and a "perfect world" check—"Can we agree that an ideal solution would do X, Y, Z?" If they say yes, you've aligned. If they say no, you've just disqualified a bad fit before burning time on a demo. Either way, you're not dumping features into a void.

Do this: Before your next demo, add 3–5 minutes of setup. State one insight about the market. Name 2–3 alternatives and their tradeoffs. Ask: "Do we agree that in a perfect world we'd want [X]?" Only then show the product.

Start there.

2. Talk Value, Not Features

Product tours describe what the product does. Positioning pitches describe what the customer gets.

Help Scout could tour the inbox, assignments, and help-desk-style tools. The prospect would still wonder: "Is this like a shared inbox or like Zendesk?" Instead, they frame value. "As easy to use as a shared inbox—but you won't outgrow it. Built for growth, not cost-cutting. Your customers stay Dave, not ticket #1479." Same capabilities. Different story. The prospect now knows why it's different and why it might be for them.

When you're building your follow-through, map each feature to a value. Don't say "we have assignments." Say "you can scale without your team drowning in chaos—here's how." The demo proves the value you already agreed matters in the setup.

Do this: List your top 5 demo features. Next to each, write the value it delivers. Rewrite your talk track so you lead with value, then show the feature as proof.

That's the shift.

3. Teach Customers How to Buy

Buyers don't want more features. They want a way to think about the market so they can choose with confidence. "What are the approaches? Where do vendors fit? What should I optimize for?" If you don't help with that, they'll default to "let's not decide."

The setup is where you teach. You share your insight. You lay out alternatives and tradeoffs. You get agreement on what "good" looks like. You're not bashing competitors—you're giving perspective. Research backs this: B2B buyers want perspective on the market and help weighing options. Product tours skip both. Positioning pitches put them front and center.

Shift your mindset from "here's our product" to "here's how we see the market, and here's where we fit." You become the guide. They feel smarter. They're more likely to buy.

Do this: In your next call, ask: "Before we look at the product—what have you looked at so far, and what's felt right or wrong?" Use their answers to tailor your setup (insight → alternatives → perfect world) instead of running the same tour for everyone.

Do that next.

Here's what you learned:

• Most sales pitches are product tours: features first, no market context. Prospects can't answer "why you?"—so 40–60% of B2B processes end in no decision.

• A positioning pitch has two parts: Setup (insight, alternatives, perfect world) before the demo, and follow-through (value, proof, objections, ask) during and after. Setup creates alignment; follow-through proves you deliver it.

• Lead with value, not features. Map each demo moment to a benefit. Teach customers how to buy by sharing your view of the market and helping them weigh options—then show how you fit.

Product tours overwhelm. Positioning pitches clarify.

Before your next demo, add 3–5 minutes of setup. State your insight, compare alternatives, and get "perfect world" agreement. Then show the product as proof of the value you've already aligned on.

Want to see how successful companies actually position themselves? Explore 100+ real positioning canvases from companies that are winning—startups, scale-ups, companies that raised rounds, companies that hit revenue milestones.

See how they answer all five positioning questions. Learn from real examples, not templates.

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Best,

Adi