Selling an abstract product: stop describing it, run it

A brand selling a physical product puts up a photo of it and the job is largely done. A software or technology product has no such luck: the product can't be seen. So most sites try to describe the product — and it almost never works.

Why screenshots and feature lists don't work

Looking at your feature list, the visitor can't answer “will this work for me”. Your competitor's list is almost the same; side by side they can't tell them apart, and they leave without deciding.

The most convincing page is one where a piece of the product is running. It doesn't need to be the whole thing — a small but real piece is enough.

On the site you are reading right now I do this myself: the demos in the effects catalogue aren't described, they run in your browser. An AI demo is really being trained, a truss is really being solved. That is the difference between saying “we can do it” and “here, it works”.

The pricing page: “request a quote” isn't an answer

A page that gives no price sends the serious buyer who wants to compare to your competitor. In corporate sales a firm price may not always be possible, but these are:

• A starting price (“from…”)
• What the price depends on (number of users, volume, modules)
• Which plan suits whom
• What isn't included

If these four are written down, the “request a quote” button is no longer an obstacle but the next step.

A demo request has to land somewhere

The form itself is the easy part. The real issue is where the request goes: who replies when, what happens if nobody does, which request is at which stage. Without that system in place, a form only produces emails that get forgotten.

Separate the marketing site from the documentation

Someone considering a purchase gets lost in the technical documentation; an existing customer can't find what they need among the marketing copy. Two different people, two different needs — and mixed on one site, neither is satisfied.

Write a “who this isn't for” page

Counter-intuitive, but one of the pages that works best. Stating openly who your product isn't for does two things: it filters out the wrong customer from the start (your demo traffic gets cleaner) and it raises your credibility with the right one.

I do the same: when I'm asked about Shopify for a SaaS product, my answer is a flat no. Selling something that doesn't fit wins work in the short term but costs reputation in the long term.

If you're going to sell abroad

An English site isn't enough. The minimum list: a verified sender email (otherwise your messages land in spam), a payment method that works in that market, clear return and cancellation terms, a realistic support promise. I built all of these end to end for my own US brand; none of them is glamorous, but if one is missing the first sale doesn't come.