Stop Confusing Prospects and Sell More Software!

You're losing software sales because prospects can't tell if your software will run on their computers. You need to tell your website visitors early and often what your system requirements are. And you have to tell them in language that they'll understand.

The merchandising professionals at computer stores understand this concept. They organize their shelves by manufacturer and model. When you visit Staples to buy a replacement ink cartridge for your Epson printer, the store makes it simple to find the ink you need. Sure, you have a vague interest in the cost, the quality of the ink, and the carbon footprint of the packaging material. But your number one question is, "Will this work in my printer?"

There are hundreds of boxes of inkjet cartridges on the shelves. You have limited interest in reading what they say about the number of copies they will produce, the number of years each printed page will retain its image, or anything else except the make and model of the printer that the cartridge is designed to fit. Period.

That's the mindset that most people have when they're buying software on the Internet, too. And I'll never understand why so many software developers make people work so hard to find the answer to the question, "Will this software run on my machine?"

I often have to search through web page after web page to find platform information. The developer has carefully crafted a sales pitch on their home page, but I'm not reading it. I'm barely glancing at it. All I want to know is whether the software will run on my particular version of Windows. For many people, this question is even more crucial when Microsoft introduces a new version of Windows because people want to know if your application will run on the new computer that they just purchased.

I've heard the theory that you don't have to list platform information if you include a screenshot. Truth is, most end-users can't tell a Windows 7 screenshot from a Macintosh screenshot.

From the time a prospect arrives on your home page, to the time they purchase your software, you have to tell them nonstop how they would benefit from owning your application. When you give them puzzles to solve or distractions from your sales message, they lose their train of thought. This makes it much harder to get them to buy. If you give them a really tough puzzle that they can't solve - for example, you don't tell them if your software will run on their computer - then they'll hit their "back" button, return to the search engine or download site, and read about your competitors' software.

Prospects aren't going to read your sales presentation until they know that they're investing their time wisely. They want to know that your application will run on their desktop or laptop. So, they'll skim your site looking for platform information. If they can't tell if your program runs under Macintosh, UNIX/Linux, Palm OS, iPhone, Pocket PC, AS/400, Windows, or some other platform, they don't care about your description about how it will benefit "the user". It simply won't benefit them unless it runs on their machine. And they're not going to take your sales message seriously until that question is answered.

Tell your prospects your system requirements in language that they will understand. For years, developers have been using techie code to educate prospects about their `requirements. Twenty five years ago, end-users didn't understand "Windows 3.x." Ten years ago, they didn't understand "Win2k."

If you speak to English-speaking prospects in plain English, they may buy your software. If you speak to them in techno-babble, they'll buy from your competitor, even if your software is better.

There are only three ways that prospects can react to confusing platform descriptions -

• (A) They understand it immediately, and keep on reading your sales message. Everybody who is reading this article reacts this way, because we're all in the software development industry. Unlike the vast majority of computer users, we know what "Win9x" and "Win2k3" mean.
• (B) They think about it for a moment, and say to themselves, "I bet Win2k3 means Windows 2003 Server." They should be thinking about how their lives would be enhanced by having your software installed on their system. Instead, you gave them a puzzle to solve. And now it's going to be harder to get their minds back on track, and to sell them your software.
• (C) They don't have a clue. Their spouse or their boss said to them, "Find something on the Internet that performs this particular function, and make sure it runs under Windows Vista." They're looking for "Windows Vista" and they simply can't - or won't - solve your "Runs on Windows XP and newer" puzzle. You've lost their sale.

If you're selling music software, you have a similar problem. Many prospects know about OGG, AIFF, WAV, WMV, g721, and similar things. Most don't. Whether they're tech-savvy or newbies, they're just looking for a way to convert music files so that they'll run on their new handheld device. Most of them, however, won't be familiar with the file extensions that follow the name of their favorite song. Talk to prospects in terms that they'll understand. It's not easy. But if you do it correctly, you'll be rewarded with more sales than if you do it poorly.

If you'd rather be cute than rich, then find cute ways to confuse prospects. Talk about running on 32-bit systems, and tell them the exact version of DirectX they need to have installed. If you're selling programmers' tools, then this is a great way to describe your software. But if you're marketing games or utilities or general-interest software, you're throwing away sales and money with these descriptions.

The bottom line - Use your website to paint your prospects into a picture in which they see themselves having a more productive, less stressful life after installing your software. Don't give them puzzles to solve, and don't confuse them. Tell them your system requirements in simple, easy-to-understand terms. Sell them your software.