How to use it
- Enter the number of demos you plan to run.
- Provide hours per demo, hourly rate, travel days, travel cost per day, and overhead per demo.
- Click Calculate to instantly see total demo cost and cost per demo.
What it does – The Demo Cost Estimator takes the key variables of any sales demonstration (how many demos, time per demo, labor rate, travel expenses, and per‑demo overhead) and instantly returns two numbers: the overall cost to run all demos and the average cost of a single demo.
Why it matters – Knowing these figures lets you price your offering accurately, decide whether a prospect is worth the travel, and benchmark against past campaigns. It also highlights hidden spend that can be trimmed.
How to read the results – Total Demo Cost is the sum of labor, travel and overhead. Cost Per Demo simply divides that total by the number of demos, giving a clear unit cost for budgeting.
Example: 5 demos × 2 hrs × $100 + 1 day × $200 + 5 × $50 = $1,450 total, $290 per demo.
Pro tips
- Add a 5‑10% buffer for unexpected expenses.
- Round travel days up to whole days; partial days still cost a full day.
- Enter overhead as the full cost per demo (materials, venue, etc.).
- Double‑check that hourly rate reflects total labor cost, including benefits.
Real-life examples
- A SaaS sales manager budgets quarterly demo tours across multiple cities.
- A field engineer estimates travel and labor cost before pitching a custom solution.
- A startup founder calculates demo pricing to include in a client proposal.
Case study
Jane, a regional sales lead, was guessing travel and labor costs. After entering her numbers into the estimator, she saw a total cost of $8,200 and a per‑demo cost of $410, allowing her to set a profitable price and cut unnecessary trips.