How to speak (and how NOT to) when selling software

The problem: agencies that talk about “disruptive solutions”

Open the websites of ten software agencies. On nine, you will read phrases such as “we empower your business”, “bespoke disruptive solutions”, “synergies between your team and technology”, “end-to-end digital transformation” and “we enhance your ecosystem”. None means anything specific. They are words designed to sound ambitious without committing to anything.

A client reading that does not understand what the agency does. Worse, they do not trust it. If an agency cannot explain what it does in ordinary words, how will it explain what it is going to build for you?

Jargon is a shield. Behind “comprehensive solution” there is often a WordPress website with a contact plugin. Behind “cloud-native architecture” there is a VPS on DigitalOcean. Behind “we empower your business” there is literally nothing — because empowerment is not a verb you can execute.

If you cannot say what you do in a sentence your mother understands, you do not know what you do.

The Architect’s voice

At SOM-OS, we speak like the Architect archetype: direct, technically informed and human, specific. We do not sell hype. We sell systems that work. For a client to understand which system they need, we must speak in a language they can verify.

The Architect’s voice follows three rules:

• Direct. A short sentence first, nuance afterwards. “Audit before building” rather than “our agile methodology guarantees optimal implementation”.
• Technical and human. We know what we are talking about — code, data, processes — but explain it so the client understands, not to impress them. A technician who hides knowledge behind jargon is not an expert; they are insecure.
• Specific. Numbers, deadlines, prices. “€250 in 5 days” rather than “an accessible investment and an agile timeframe”. Being specific is being honest.

4 DON’T / DO pairs with examples

This is how we speak and how we do not speak, with real examples from our own website and those of competitors:

1. DON’T say “we empower your business” — DO say “we save you 5 hours of copying and pasting”

Empowerment is not an actionable verb. You cannot measure it. You cannot invoice it. “We save you 5 hours of copying and pasting” is different: it can be measured, verified and invoiced. In the Nemus case, we say “−5h/week”, not “we improve your productivity”.

2. DON’T say “a comprehensive bespoke solution” — DO say “a web and mobile app that unifies 5 tools”

“Comprehensive solution” could mean anything — a website, a spreadsheet, Notion. “A web and mobile app that unifies 5 tools” says exactly what you deliver and why. The client knows what they will receive before signing.

3. DON’T say “end-to-end digital transformation” — DO say “audit → organise data → deploy AI”

“End-to-end” is the favourite catch-all of people who do not want to explain the process. We explain it: first the Chaos Map, then development, then AI agents. Three steps, three names, three deliverables.

4. DON’T say “an accessible and flexible investment” — DO say “€250 basic, €500 in-depth, deducted from the project”

“Accessible investment” could mean €100 or €100,000. It is a phrase that says nothing to avoid committing to anything. “€250 basic, €500 in-depth” gives the exact price, both options and the condition. The client can decide with that information.

Our preferred verbs

Our verbs are not those of a typical agency. They have a subject, an object and an outcome:

• Assemble — bring the pieces you already have together into something that works. “We assemble the foundation before adding AI.”
• Sustain — keep what has been built standing. “We sustain the system with decreasing maintenance.”
• Connect — join what was isolated. “We connect 5 tools in 1 system.”
• Simplify — remove what is unnecessary. “We simplify the workflow from 7 steps to 3.”
• Organise — put what was chaotic into a sequence. “We organise the data before deploying agents.”

None is a marketing verb. All are verbs of a craft. SOM-OS is a craft — building software that works — rather than an image campaign.

Why tone matters to Balearic clients

Clients in Mallorca — and Spain in general — are tired of marketing fluff. They have spent twenty years reading “comprehensive solutions” on agency websites that then deliver a badly configured WordPress site. A direct tone is not an aesthetic pose: it is a form of respect.

When you speak clearly, clients looking for hype leave — and that filter suits us. Clients looking for a system that works, costs what it costs and lasts as long as it lasts stay. That is our client. The way to find them is to speak as they do: with words that mean something.

Speaking clearly is not a style. It is a promise that the software we deliver will be as clear as the way we sell it.

To see how we apply this voice across the website, start with about us. To see it applied to real cases, look at Sando Capital and Nemus. No “empowerment”, no “disruption”, no “end-to-end”. Just what we did, how we did it and what changed.