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DP Directory, Inc.
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Subscribe Now to Al Harberg's Software Marketing Newsletter, the best way for software developers to get free, usable marketing information. We'll never use your email address for anything besides sending you this twice-monthly newsletter.
It's All About Marketing
A lot of developers have abandoned their newsletters because a low percentage of their customers signed up as subscribers. By contrast, the percentage of people who respond positively to invitations to subscribe to this newsletter is in the mid-80s. Here are my Top Five Tips to get people to subscribe to your newsletter: (1) Tell them immediately why you're writing to them. Get their attention. In my invitations to join my subscriber list, I start with something like, "As a follow-up to our press release emailing last week,...". You can accomplish the same thing by starting your email with "As a follow-up to your purchasing Widget on December 2, 2004...". People want to feel good about the things they've purchased. They're in the right frame of mind to hear from the publisher of a neat app that they've recently purchased. Email them, and tell them about your newsletter. (2) Give people a sample of the kind of material that the newsletter contains. Tell them something about your program that they likely don't already know - something that they'll want to hear about. Make them say to themselves, "The idea in this email is going to benefit me by making me money (or saving me money, or making my life easier, or letting me relax and enjoy life more, or whatever it is that your software does for your customers). If I subscribe to the newsletter, I'll receive this kind of benefit every month. Free!" - If you're selling a game, tell people that you just released a new, exciting level. It's free to registered owners, and they can download it immediately, and enjoy a new gaming experience in just a few minutes. Give them the URL, and invite them to download their free bonus. - If you're offering a Windows utility, tell them about the incredibly innovative time-saving idea that one of your other customers mentioned to you. Impress them with how easy this new idea is to implement, and how it will make their lives better. - If you're marketing educational software, offer customers a tip or trick that lets them get more out of the program. Remind them that your software is giving their kids the life skills that they need to succeed. (3) Tell people in a single sentence what your newsletter is all about. This sentence has to tell them how they will benefit from subscribing. The basic message has to be, "If you like the idea I just sent you, you're going to love getting the newsletter every month." (4) Give them anti-spam assurances. Make people comfortable signing up for your email newsletter by saying that you'll only use their email address for sending them this newsletter, that they can unsubscribe at any time, and that you'll never sell, trade, or give their email address to anybody else. (5) Ask them to subscribe. Make it easy. Invite them to click "reply" and say "yes". For example, I tell developers that they can read back issues of my newsletters on http://www.dpdirectory.com/3newsltr.htm or subscribe by sending a note to al@dpdirectory.com Customers subscribe to your newsletter because you promise to make their lives better. Your newsletter has to deliver on this promise. It's easy to lose subscribers. People are always looking for ways to simplify their lives, and unsubscribing from useless newsletters is a great way to get rid of clutter. You have to send people usable information every issue. Your newsletter has to be 95 percent usable information, and five percent gentle selling. I'm convinced that newsletters are an incredibly effective way for software developers to support customers, generate referrals, create cross-selling opportunities, and find new clients. It takes quite a bit of work to create and sustain a newsletter, but the results can be outstanding.
- If you'd prefer to read an HTML version, please visit http://www.dpdirectory.com/3news028.htm - There are back issues of the first 27 newsletters on http://www.dpdirectory.com/3newsltr.htm - Subscribing to the newsletter is the only way to make sure you'll receive every issue. To subscribe, send a note to al@dpdirectory.com
According to a US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) report in December of 2004, 33 million broadband lines connect homes and businesses to the Internet. CNN's Money site said that the US continues to fall behind other countries in broadband penetration, and is currently ranked number 13 in the world in the percentage of homes and businesses that have access to broadband. The April 20, 2004 issue of PC Magazine quotes a January 2004 Nielsen/NetRatings study that says that 43 percent of US homes use broadband (as compared to 45 percent for Spain, 59 percent for France and The Netherlands, 64 percent for Switzerland, 69 percent for Germany, and 92 percent for Hong Kong). PC Magazine adds that the US cable modems are slow compared with the services delivered in many Asian countries. Don't assume that your web site visitors have broadband. Keep your web site's images small so your pages will load quickly. And don't force visitors to watch long Flash movies. Don't assume that your software will be loaded onto machines that are connected to the Internet using high-speed lines. In fact, don't assume that your software will be loaded onto Internet-ready computers at all. With today's emphasis on security, many PCs are either not connected to the Internet, or sitting behind highly restrictive firewalls. Business users will have higher broadband penetration than home users, but they'll also have stronger firewalls. Younger people might seem to be more inclined to buy the latest high-speed services, but older people are more likely to have the financial resources to make broadband a reality. While broadband installations are growing rapidly every year, software and web sites have to be designed with dial-up users in mind.
Selling on eBay
eBay PowerSeller Secrets: Insider Tips from eBay's Most Successful Sellers by Debra Schepp & Brad Schepp (published by McGraw-Hill Osborne Media) The Big Picture - I was mesmerized by this book. I actually read all 374 pages of it in one sitting, pausing only to take a few notes. Okay, I will admit - it was Super Bowl Sunday, and what else was I going to do? But that by no means can explain how intensely fascinating I found this inside glance into the world of eBay's elite club of "Power Sellers." In my few meager attempts, I haven't been very successful at selling on eBay. Having a quick trigger finger for those high-pressure final minutes of an auction, I'm much better at buying. Now at least I know why my sales didn't go so well - I was doing almost everything wrong. Did you know that the color blue sells better than any other color on eBay? I certainly didn't. Did you know that ending your auction on one certain day of the week, at certain peak hours, dramatically increases your chances of success? It never occurred to me that ending my auctions at 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning was a bad idea. (But when I read the book I certainly had a "duh" moment.) While reading this book I learned about the scads of services that have grown up to support and enhance trading on eBay. For example, Sellathon tracking software will help you run multiple auctions, a free auction newsletter (AuctionBytes) keeps you informed of the latest trends, and you can even listen to eBay Radio broadcasts! "eBay PowerSeller Secrets" covers everything, from calculating sell-through rates (although I think the math was a little fuzzy at times) to working with shipping services. I liked the stories about the "real people" behind the eBay handles. What it Means for Software Developers - Why do we care about eBay Power Sellers? These are people who are very successful at selling online. According to the eBay criteria, they must sell at least $1000 a month for 3 months running. Some of these Power Sellers average $150,000 per month in online sales, and these top sellers were the main focus of this book. Software developers should pay close attention to what they are doing right. Automate Everything. More than anything else, perhaps, the book stressed the necessity of automating every possible process. In one excellent passage the authors pointed out that time spent in doing things by hand is just like money out of your pocket. Software developers who want to sell their wares on eBay may well find the actual listing tips to be the most valuable information in "eBay PowerSeller Secrets." Once again we find that content and selling go hand-in-hand. This fascinating book explains that you need to fully describe exactly what you are selling; the more information the better. Make it fun; that's a big part of eBay's charm. Use the About Me page to give some personal details about you or your company. The buyers want to know there is a real person behind the listing, and one whom they can trust. Linking your auctions gives them a better chance of success too. "eBay PowerSeller Secrets" covers this topic, and a great deal more. The Bottom Line - Anyone who wants to achieve a degree of success selling on eBay, or anywhere else for that matter, should find this book useful. Since it is particularly relevant to online selling, I predict this book will intrigue both budding and seasoned Internet entrepreneurs. "eBay PowerSeller Secrets" was reviewed by Kathy Salisbury. Kathy spends her time creating and promoting non-violent games and games for girls at http://www.pharosgames.com/. Kathy recently launched Great Mind Software - http://www.greatmindsoftware.com/ - a company that helps you get your software listed on Amazon.com for $99(US).
Selling Software Is Like Selling Cars
How to Close Every Sale - Field-tested, can't-lose techniques to win lifetime customers - and make every sale stick! by Joe Girard (published by Warner Books) The Big Picture - Joe Girard has been named "the world's greatest salesman" by The Guinness book of World Records. Over 15 years, he sold 13,000 cars, with no fleet sales and no leases. While the techniques and advice in this book are targeted at sales people who work face-to-face with prospects, a lot of the material applies to selling software on the Internet, too. Unlike a lot of sales books that emphasize closing the sale, Girard points out that you have to create the need for your product, and you must create the desire to own it. "The prospect must believe that your product has more value than his or her money." What it Means for Software Developers - People don't like hard sell. Most people don't like dealing with overbearing sales people. By making your web site congenial, informative, and professional, you can convince prospects to make the software-buying decision. In addition to selling your software, you have to sell yourself, and sell your company. A professional web site does a lot of this work for you. In addition, your web site has to convey conviction and enthusiasm. Make prospects believe that you're proud of your family of software products, and that you believe that users will find them valuable. When describing his office, Girard says, "I don't have anything on my walls to confuse my customers. There are no photographs of cars because I don't want a prospect to think about any other model except the one that I'm selling him. Nor is my desk cluttered with anything that might be distracting." I'm certain that he would advise developers to get rid of many of the external links on their web sites. Don't distract prospects by letting them click on links to your trade association, local weather forecast, or regional sports team. More face-to-face sales are lost to procrastination than to any other excuse. Many people are afraid to make decisions, and they want to "think it over". The Internet turns your computer into a procrastination machine. You have to convince people that now is the time for them to make the buying decision. Ask for the sale, and make it easy to order. One of the closing techniques that Girard describes is the Follow-the-Leader Close. "Some prospects will buy only after they know that prominent people have signed up." On the Internet, this means that user testimonials can induce prospects to become customers. In the chapter on the dangers of overselling, Girard urges us not to confuse prospects with unnecessary details. You can overwhelm people, and lose the sale. I almost fell off my chair when I read Girard's statement, "I'm sorry but I don't make callbacks." If he can't sell you a car in a single sales presentation, he won't set up a second appointment to try again to close the sale. He's so good at sales, he'd rather spend that time with a new prospect. Imagine how Joe Girard would feel if we told him that there is an entire industry that turns down sales, and forces prospects to try before they buy. I'm sure he'd urge shareware developers to try to close every sale, and to use the "try before you buy" technique as a secondary sales approach. The book contains advice on going for the big sale (in the world of electronic sales, this would be selling multi-user or site licenses), saying thank you, staying in touch with your customers, providing customer service, and doing all of the things that ensure both referrals and future sales. The Bottom Line - To get a lot of value out of this book, you'll have to translate Girard's advice about face-to-face sales into the practicalities of selling software over the Internet. But it's worth the effort. Joe Girard is an incredibly successful salesman, and most of his advice and techniques can help software developers increase their sales. The book is an easy read, and worth the effort. "How to Close Every Sale" was reviewed by Al Harberg. To UNSUBSCRIBE from this newsletter, send me a note. I'll remove your name immediately and permanently. To SUBSCRIBE to the email version of this newsletter, send me your name and email address. I'll only use your name and email address for this newsletter. I'll never spam you, or let other people have your name or email address. Please add al@dpdirectory.com to your anti-spam filter's friends-list. To REFER a FRIEND to this newsletter, click your email client's "forward" button. I thank you very much. And your developer friends will thank you, too. To SELL MORE SOFTWARE, bookmark this web site, and visit often. There's a lot of free, useful software marketing information on http://www.dpdirectory.com/.
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