Thanks for Asking!
As I understand your question, you wish to develop a marketing plan
for a new software product that, as far as possible, uses your time,
energy and skills you have or may be able to acquire, rather than a
large marketing budget. I have compiled several low-budget marketing
ideas and techniques which apply to software sales in general, and can
be applied to automotive dealer software by the targeting of potential
contacts within that industry.
### Increase your knowledge of sales and marketing techniques:
In order to recognize effective sales techniques, a bit of independent
study of sales and marketing would be beneficial. Whether you choose
to utilize free articles and resources online, or read a book or two
on marketing and sales, you'll increase your chances of developing a
successful marketing strategy. From my research, I've selected a few
mainstream resources to list for you here, rather than some of the
"make a million bucks in less than a month" genre.
"If you're in a consulting or service-oriented business you know that
it's going to require a relationship building process, but a product
sales environment may require the same thing. The art of selling is
not as straight forward as you may think. If you haven't been out
there and sold before (as many new business owners haven't) then you
may benefit from going through this workshop and identifying what you
think might work for your business. "
How Biz Works (from the creators of How Stuff Works)
Sales Tips and Techniques by Lee Ann Obringer
http://biz.howstuffworks.com/sales-technique.htm
"For most small businesses, highly effective marketing is a
make-or-break necessity. It's really impossible for you to be
successful without good marketing and sales techniques — that's what
brings the dollars in the door. You've got to let people know about
all the wonderful things your business can provide to them, which
means that your business must first provide those wonderful things
that people are willing to pay for. And that, in turn, means knowing
who your customers are and getting so close to them that you can
virtually anticipate their needs and desires.
Our discussion here is intended to introduce you to some of the
concepts and strategies that professional marketing experts in large
companies use and show you how they can be adapted to help your small
business thrive."
The Business Owners Toolkit
Marketing Your Product
http://www.toolkit.cch.com/text/P03_0101.asp
Specifically, the Business Owners Toolkit "Building a Successful
Marketing Plan" will lead you through the steps of developing a
customized marketing plan for your software product.
"Every business, small or large, will be more successful with a
business plan. And the key component of a business plan is the
marketing plan. A good marketing plan summarizes the who, what, where,
when, and how much questions of company marketing and sales activities
for the planning year..."
The Business Owners Toolkit
Building A Successful Marketing Plan
http://www.toolkit.cch.com/text/P03_8000.asp
### Gain a platform for testing, demonstration and customer
satisfaction
Your very first sale will be the most critical to your developing
business, however, the actual value will most likely not be measurable
in immediate income. You'll need to find and build a customer
relationship with a dealership who will allow you to install your
software for their evaluation. You may find it beneficial to offer
your first customer a free demonstration and evaluation period. You
might not derive any monetary benefit from this first installation,
and it may, in fact, cost you in terms of re-evaluation and
development of your product, but a successful evaluation will provide
you with a valuable customer relationship that can be used as a
springboard to future sales. The testimonial value of such a
relationship may turn out to be priceless. You'll be able to point to
a satisfied customer with a full working product, and also gain a
source of word-of-mouth referrals.
Seek out used automobile dealers in your regional area for prospective
contacts by letter or telephone. If you are unsure of your sales
copywriting skills, see the Sales Aides section below for resources.
### Acquire an Independent Sales Force
Though you may not be able to initially afford a direct sales force,
you can still provide the personal selling touch by offering your
product through Independent Sales Representatives. These sales reps
work strictly on commission. By putting together an attractive
commission package, you can attract sales professionals who'll do the
selling for you, and be paid only for successful sales.
"Use Someone Else's Sales Force! Especially if you have a small
product business, you're probably going to be better off trying to get
a larger company or a distributor to sell your goods."
BusinessTown
Choose the Right Sales Force
http://www.businesstown.com/sales/face-salesforce.asp
"Who Are Independent Sales Reps?
Independent sales reps, also called manufacturer's reps, provide
in-the-field representation for small to medium-sized companies. Reps
are independent contractors who are generally paid by commission only
when sales are made. They may be self-employed, but frequently are
employees of a sales rep marketing company. These firms have anywhere
from a few reps on staff to dozens."
Small Business Success Magazine
Make Independent Reps Your Sales Force
http://www.smallbizpartners.com/success/XIIIarticles/sales_rep.html
"Trispot is a new company with a new idea. To get the word out about
its services, the company needed to quickly establish a national sales
force with sales reps in major radio markets nationwide -- on a
shoestring budget."
Guru.com
The G-Files: Case of the Instant Sales Force
http://www.guru.com/channel/hiring/case_instant.jhtml
I've located a good example of an online job listing for an
Independent Sales Rep. It might be useful to you as a model for a
similar listing of your own.
Net Presenter
Job Listing Example
http://www.netpresenter.com/employment/index.html
### Create a website to showcase your product
Whether you sell offline only, or choose to offer online sales as
well, a well-crafted website can be your product's foot in the door.
Professional appearance and ease of visitor use are absolute
necessities. You can create such a website yourself with current web
page building software such as Macromedia Dreamweaver,
(http://www.macromedia.com/software/dreamweaver/) Adobe PageMill
(http://www.adobe.com/products/pagemill/main.html), or NetObjects
Fusion (http://www.netobjects.com/). Or you can choose a service like
Guru.com or eLance to commission a professionally designed one to
three page website for a minimal fee.
Once you have a viable website, you may list it in Internet search
engines and directories which will allow potential customers to locate
you online. An example of a potentially useful directory listing would
be:
Open Directory
http://dmoz.org/Computers/Software/Shareware/Windows/Business_and_Finance/Automotive_Management/
http://dmoz.org/Business/Industries/Manufacturing/Automotive/Software/
The Open Directory is used by a number of additional websites as the
basis for general or specialized directory listings, including a
specially relevance-sorted version used as the Google Directory:
http://directory.google.com/Top/Computers/Software/Shareware/Windows/Business_and_Finance/Automotive_Management/
http://directory.google.com/Top/Business/Industries/Manufacturing/Automotive/Software/
### Offer your product as shareware
One method of marketing on a tight budget could be the introduction of
your software as shareware. Many successful software products were
introduced or are sold as shareware. To learn the in's and out's, page
through the website of The Association of Shareware Professionals.
From private discussion groups, to intelligent marketing strategies,
this non-profit website is a treasure trove of ideas for the software
developer.
The Association of Shareware Professionals
http://www.asp-shareware.org/
More organizations are associations are listed at:
Software Marketing Resource
Software Developer's Organizations and Associations
http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/tradeorganizations.html
### List your product:
The following websites allow you to list your software product, most
for free, some for a fee. Below these listings, I've included the
Google search URLs for you to locate a number of additional listing
opportunities.
Capterra
The Enterprise Software Center
http://www.capterra.com/home.tcl
Eye 4 Inventions
Virtual Product Display
http://www.eye4products.com/11anewinvention.htm
Knowledge Storm
Automotive Software
http://www.knowledgestorm.com/SearchServlet?ksAction=keyMap&x=automotive+software&site=Google
://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=%22list%20your%20software%22
://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=software+vendors+listing+automotive
### Sales Aids and Marketing Resources:
The Google Directory
Computer - Software - Marketing - Guides
http://directory.google.com/Top/Computers/Software/Marketing/Guides/
Business.com
Marketing Resources, Guides, Tips, Articles, Consultants
http://www.business.com/directory/advertising_and_marketing/
Software Market Solution
Direct Marketing Resources
http://www.softwaremarketsolution.com/software_directmarketing_pg.htm
Aegis Resources
The Definitive Guide to Successful Software Marketing
http://www.aegis-resources.com/
Instant Sales Letters
http://www.instantsalesletters.com/?12407
### Automobile Sales Industry Resources
An extensive listing of automotive industry associations, including
used car dealers. You'll find that many of these organizations are
region or state associations, rather than a single national group.
AutoGuide.net
http://www.autoguide.net/clubs/associations.shtml
National Automobile Dealers Association
http://www.nada.com/
Local Cars
A Dealers Network/Listing Service
http://www.local-cars.com/
=====
Google Search Terms used:
independent sales agents auto -insurance
independent sales representatives software
hire independent sales force
software "sales techniques"
"software marketing techniques" -internet
used car dealers associations
I hope the information and resources provide the assistance you are
seeking in getting your marketing project off to a zooming start.
Should you have any questions about the material provided, please,
feel free to ask.
Best regards,
=larre= |
,
0 Comments
)