First Product Demo: The Cue Cards to Run It From
Updated 2026-11-01 · 3 min read
This rail is for the first time you show your product to a buyer, with your screen shared and their team on the call. You're clicking and talking at once, and that's exactly when the next point slips. The cards hold the order of the demo and the proof behind it, so you stay on their problem.
The rail
Set the agenda
- You told us [their problem] costs you [time or money]
- Plan: the main workflow, proof, then questions
- We'll be done by [time]. Anything missing from that?
What changed since we spoke
- Has anything changed since our last call?
- Who's new today, and what do they care about?
Show the main workflow
- Start where it hurts: [screen or feature]
- Say the outcome first, then click
- Pause and ask: is this how you'd do it?
Proof it works
- [customer type] went from [before] to [after]
- How long that took: [weeks]
- Offer a reference call
Can it do this?
- If it can, show it now and keep it short
- If it can't, say so, and ask why it matters to them
- Write it down and promise an answer by [day]
Integrations and security
- Works with: [tools they use]
- Security answers live at: [docs or contact]
- Offer a call with [technical contact] if it goes deep
What does it cost?
- Usual range: [low] to [high], based on [seats or usage]
- Ask what budget they had in mind
- Exact pricing once you know what they'd use
Check the room
- How close is this to what you need, 1 to 10?
- What would make it a 10?
- Who else needs to see this before you decide?
Book the next step
- Pick one now: trial, proposal or a second demo
- Date and owner on their side: [date], [person]
- Recap email within [24] hours
How to use this rail
- Copy the rail. Press Copy this rail. It copies every card as text, with a heading on each one.
- Paste it into a new note in GlideRail. GlideRail spots the headings and offers to split the text. Press Split into sections: the rail's name at the top becomes the note's name, and each card heading becomes its own card.
- Fill in the brackets. Put in your real proof and your price range before the call, so you never guess out loud.
- Open Cue Mode. Put the window beside or over the product window, then move between cards with ⌘[ and ⌘] (they work from any app while Cue Mode is open, so the product can stay in front) or a two-finger swipe.
- Turn on Live Rail, if you like. On an Apple Silicon Mac it listens to the call and offers the card whose heading matches what was just said, so a buyer asking what it costs can bring up that card. One click opens it, and it never changes cards on its own.
If you share your whole screen, turn on Invisible first (Pro), and the share leaves the cards out. On Zoom, first set Settings, Share Screen, Advanced, Screen capture mode to "Advanced capture with window filtering" (the Zoom guide shows it). Cue Mode and Live Rail are Pro too, and every download comes with 7 days of Pro, free, with no card needed.
Make it yours
Rename "Show the main workflow" after the first screen you open, and add a card for each feature buyers ask about most. With click-through on (Pro, ⇧⌘E), the cards can sit right over the product while your clicks go through to it. Move between cards with ⌘[ and ⌘] while it's on. After each demo, turn any question you fumbled into a new card.