Scott’s Blog

1) Lead with benefits, not with features: Whether you are developing software or selling it on your Web site, your focus should be “What problem does my product solve?”

Most people don’t come to you looking for specific features. They come to you with a problem. If you lead with features, you are forcing your audience to think in your framework — i.e., software vs. their framework, and i.e., um, fix my stupid problem.

It’s like telling someone a car has Fortera TripleTred tires instead of saying, “These tires are safer in the rain.” Most people aren’t familiar with that tire so it means nothing to them, and you are probably making them feel stupid if you assume they should.

2) Know your audience: Your app is going to make you rich and famous. You are going to be playing craps in Vegas and drive a fancy car, right? That’s why EVERYONE must buy it.

Guess what? Software is really competitive. If you don’t pick a niche and really dominate that niche, your online message AND your app will be a muddled pieces of crap.

3) Don’t get too dumbed down: What is your app, and what makes it exceptional? The hardest part to a Web site is the one-liner, but if you can answer it effectively, you’ll convert a lot more.

4) Have a brand your employees and customers can be proud to recommend: Yes, this means spending money on an actual designer and forgoing ridiculous stock images of people around a computer.

Seriously. Stop it. Even though your app should speak for itself, one rarely does. It’s amazing how many crappy apps have customers because of good branding, and how many good apps have no customers because of crappy branding.

5) Um, listen: People ask you questions about your software. Guess what? Put the answers on your Web site. The more frequently a question is asked, the more prominent the answer should be on the site. The better your site is, the less time you can spend on the phone explaining your software to them.