Why You *Must* Get Into the Software Industry
By Mike Chen
Posted Saturday, October 9, 2004
No matter what industry you're in, it's absolute vital that you either sell software or offer free software to your customers.
By the time you are done reading this article, you will understand why.
1. "It's the Product, Stupid"
No amount of marketing "how to" is going to make up for not having a killer product.
People are sick of being told how to do it. They want something that will "do it" for them.
Software does just that ... It *does* things for people.
Stop trying to sell "how to" and start selling instant solutions. That's where the real money is.
2. Downloadable Viral Marketing Tools
OK, so you don't want to sell software. Fair enough.
You're crazy if you don't use software as a viral marketing tool.
Many of the largest lists on the Internet were built using free software downloads as an enticement for subscribing.
You can easily add viral twists to these tools and before you know it hundreds or even thousands of sites could be offering your free software - becoming virtual newsletter subscriber magnets.
What if you created just one new tool like that a week?
How big would your list be inside of 6 months?
3. Create Value-Added Customer Helper Apps
What if you were to create applications that simply added value to your existing products and services?
How much higher would your customer satisfaction be if you created various software tools to teach, train, support, or otherwise help your customers?
How many more sales would that added customer satisfaction generate for you without any additional effort year after year?
4. Upsell Products
As you probably know, selling new products to existing customers is the easiest way in the world to make money.
It's 5 times easier to sell to an existing customer than it is to acquire a new one.
Why not create new products using "Make Your Own Software" and sell them to your existing customer base?
Instant profits.
5. Highest Profit Margins in the World
Electrons are free.
If you're selling an instantly downloadable product, your product fulfillment costs are virtually nil.
Plus, in the software industry there is no inventory to manage, so it's probably the easiest business in the world to manage as well.
About the Author
Mike Chen was one of the pioneers of the software security industry and is a widely respected Internet Marketing expert. Mike's newest product, "Make Your Own Software," allows even those who don't know a single line of code to create software programs instantly. EDITOR'S NOTE: "Make Your Own Software" has our highest rating. It's a mission-critical tool: (http://www.makeyourownsoftware.com/braj)
