This is what's called gradual engagement. Google what patio11 has to say on the topic, but to summarize it it's not an obvious win and you should A/B test that (against just getting contact details + getting them into a free trial).

Now, I see you have just launched a beta version and have an aversion to copywriting (on the "try" page). In my opinion, you should focus on explaining the value proposition to users, getting a few of them onboard and working on the engagement. Avoid spending too much time on the product itself and listen to what the users have to say: is it solving a need? How are they using your product in their work? etc etc

I will search what Patrick said about gradual engagement for sure. I was not aware it had a name or something, thanks.

I completely agree with you on focusing on user feedback, I simply wanted a different, more quicker first impression homepage.

Landed on your homepage and it was quite a shock for me. Not what I expected for a homepage - and I don't mean that in a good way.

I think that what Groove and promoter.io is doing with their homepage is pretty much how a SaaS homepage should be done. A clear, crisp explanation of what your 'paid' account can solve for a lost user such as myself.

I run a SaaS startup myself BTW (https://qeryz.com) just so you know where I'm coming from :)

Nice product. Thanks for the comment, really appreciated.

No worries man :) all the best for you. If you need me to check it out again, send me an email at sean (at) qeryz (dot) com

I actually liked both - the idea of a WYSIWYG proposal designer and the way you've implemented it.

I wish more SaaS apps gave such functional demos instead of putting up a video I don't have the patience to watch or forcing me to first sign up just to try it.

I also liked how every style change updates the page immediately.

Perhaps you can make the "Client preview" button more prominent in some way, because that's what leads to the "aha, so this is what it does!" moment.

Thank you very much. The client preview is indeed the "aha" moment, I will try to make it easier to view / reach.

Like the idea but it is not done so well. Too much information all over the place and the formatting isn't done so well. I would go with a different font. Also, If I click on schedule/TnC your footer blocks some of the buttons over on the left.

I feel pretty overwhelmed by the amount of information/tools I need to scan to realize what I can do there.

It might be worth considering some kind of instructive overlay which ends in the proposal editor you've created.

Edit: But I am really no UX expert; just what I've thought..

Agree with this. Some sort of wizard or interactive product tour to hand hold me through the aha moment described by another commenter might be quite helpful for the onboarding experience.

You could use something like this to assist with that: http://github.hubspot.com/shepherd/docs/welcome/

I think you would really benefit from working with a designer. It seems like there is a lot of great features... but suffers from information overload.