"Showroom" to me means having a variety of current product on display that allows comparison. In the current retail environment this is fairly expensive because the models turn over rapidly. One needs to ask "how many of model XYZ must I sell in order to pay for the demo?" Certainly, one does not need to trash the demo, but you'll need to sell it at a discount if you want to dispose of it rapidly. This must be factored into the cost. And, it is possible that with models ABC and XYZ side by side, you'll never sell ABC, but this comparison generates a nice number of quick XYZ sales.

For a large, high traffic operation, the cost of demos is a cell on a spreadsheet that one must track, but it is not a major cost center. For a small mom and pop operation the demo inventory can be a significant capital outlay and selling the demo at the end of the run might not be so easy.

With a conference room style of facility, possibly with a display and a few remotes, one can be quite productive. Lately, we have simply been going into homes to make a presentation that closes the sale. I may take a remote or two along.