Sales glossary

Proof of concept

A limited test where the buyer validates your solution works for their specific use case before committing to a full deal.

Published 5 August 2026

A proof of concept (POC) is a small-scale implementation or trial that lets the buyer see whether your product actually solves their problem in their environment. It's different from a demo — a demo shows what your product can do; a POC shows what it will do for them.

When it matters

You'll run into POC expectations when selling into technical buyers or enterprises moving through longer sales cycles. The buyer needs to reduce risk before they sign a contract. A POC gives them that. It's also a deal mechanic — if a buyer asks for one unprompted, it's a signal they're moving forward seriously; if you suggest it and they refuse, that's a sign they're not actually committed.

A concrete example

You're selling data integration software to a mid-market finance team. They've agreed the product fits their process, but they need to run it against their actual data, their actual schema, in their actual environment for two weeks. You negotiate: they'll provide test data and a dedicated person to run the test; you'll deliver a working instance and daily support. If it works, you have a contract in 30 days. If it doesn't work — or if they ghost you during the POC — you know the deal is dead.

The mistake people make

AEs often treat a POC as a done deal and stop selling. The opposite is true. A POC is the highest-risk moment in your deal. The buyer is now unsupervised with your product, finding real problems you didn't anticipate. Stay in touch. Set clear success criteria before the POC starts — the buyer should agree on what "success" looks like, not decide afterward. Otherwise you'll finish a flawless POC and hear "Great, but we're going in a different direction."