How not to sell Linux products

The article bellow covers more importantly how to sell Linux products, or any software products for that matter. It uses some poorly sold products to prove their points.

While the article is specifically about Linux, the principles should apply to all products. I'll provide a generic version of the points with my own embellishments.

• Make sure your product actually does what the user expects it to do.
  This is actually more then was originally suggested in the article. It just said to make sure your product works as promised, but that isn't always what the user expects. You need to make sure that your users expectations are inline with what you are claiming, and that your product delivers.
• Make sure your product is enough better and different from the alternatives that it is worth the difference in price and consideration.
  There is a lot of software out there. It is always amazing to me how many different takes there are on the same idea. It is important that your product is better then the alternatives (free or otherwise). If your product costs more, then the difference should more then justify the price, and it had better be obvious to the customer that it does. If not then they will line all the products up and pick the cheapest. It does no good to include killer features and support if your customers do not know about them.
• Make your product so easy to use it doesn't need any instructions, but provide them anyway.
  Provide a printed manual, a quick reference guide, a quick start guide, online help and a few tutorials. The tutorials are important, but something that most people leave off. They show the user what the product can do, and how to do it. It would be great if your tutorials were available form the web for perspective customers to see.
• Make it easy to buy your product.
  Perspective customers should be able to find your product however they might be looking for it. Find out what the common channels are and advertise there. Also, be upfront with your price. If it is a consumer product then your customers don't want to talk to a sales rep to find out how much it is. If you won't tell them, then they will assume the worst. If you introduce a new product make sure your sales people know about it before your customers.

Well that is my take on selling software. Keep in mind that I am an outsider to software sales, but it seems like common sense to me.

Feel free to read the original full article NewsForge | How not to sell Linux products for a more informed opinion.