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I'm a programmer, that's pretty much all I've ever done.
I live in America, a country with great national parks, wonderful bookstores and libraries, well organized sports teams, and hey!, this is where the internet was invented (even if it wasn't invented by a foolish man from Tennessee.)
But ah, how does one sell software these days? Years ago, ah, early '90s I think, I tried to do business with MS, they made the right noises for a while but, no, turns out they were just kicking the tires. And really, I'm just not a Microsoft kind of guy.
(My tastes are much closer to UNIX and Linux.)
So my question, how does one sell software these days? I've been doing research for a lab for the past 15-20 years or so, and the group is getting back into financial apps and I just don't want to do that anymore. I have some programs that do some pretty unusual things.
But I have no idea how to sell my goods.
My email address is: repeatable_compression@yahoo.com
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My past experiences:
1. big consulting company, commercial did their thing, god knows how
2. small hardware shop, talking to customer identifying need, provide a software for stock taking (related to their business!)
3. mind mapping app: the guy loved that, made an app for mac, sold it online, I made the windows version
4. work for farmers. my boss had contact in the industry (he was a long time "soil scientist"), knew their needs, provided for it
5. now. my boss went to the government website, apply to tenders, got some jobs
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One doesn't. Software is meant to be free.
This space intentionally left blank.
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I'm new here, I don't want to be banned, so I am left unable to say what I feel as I consider your remark...
However I note that even your screen name contains the word "consult."
In sum, my programs will be free when I can go to the store and don't have to pay.
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Don't take it personal, it was probably meant as a joke.
You have posted in the Lounge where jokes are the norm even on serious topics.
Also, you may want to remove your email from your original post before you get too much spam.
You have enabled Email replies to your post, so anyone that wishes to go that route can.
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Member 10214013 wrote: I'm new here, I don't want to be banned, so I am left unable to say what I feel as I consider your remark...
Get over it. 
Member 10214013 wrote: I'm new here
You'll learn about the lounge over time.
Member 10214013 wrote: n sum, my programs will be free when I can go to the store and don't have to pay.
If you go behind the store you will find all manner of free food in the dumpster. 
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Apart from the obvious (or not so obvious?) joke, consulting doesn't mean selling software, it means making people pay for using free free software! 
GOTOs are a bit like wire coat hangers: they tend to breed in the darkness, such that where there once were few, eventually there are many, and the program's architecture collapses beneath them. (Fran Poretto)
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I've spent the last ten years, a little longer actually, researching two topics. These are subjects in Computer Science.
Now I have a product. It's not productized in the way the programs on my Android are, but the program is on two laptops I never put on the 'net.
I live in the US and here patents, most especially technology patents just aren't respected. I consulted for twenty years, I have a wife who needs me and since I'm old now, I'd rather not run around consulting.
I'm going to try to execute simultaneous product delivery based on a selling time frame of three to six months. People will want what I have,
I'm not good at marketing, but I've got to make a move.
thank you folks for your contributions, I asked, wondering and wanted to see exactly what answers I got.
Thank you!
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Maybe we consultants may sell our expertise and charge for it and give out the resulting software for free 
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Pah. Liberal hippy. The Free Market just called to say it's going to crush you.
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PIEBALDconsult wrote: Software is meant to be free.
Oh yes!!! Just like grocery, haircut, beer, burger, clothing, etc. are free.
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Heh ... yeah, right. And just how do you justify getting paid then?
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PIEBALDconsult wrote: One doesn't.
I thought that one got Liz to do it for one.
Michael Martin
Australia
"I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible."
- Mr.Prakash One Fine Saturday. 24/04/2004
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Member 10214013 wrote: well organized sports teams
who play against each other, and never consider competing with rest of the world. (Canada doesn't count) 
Member 10214013 wrote: But I have no idea how to sell my goods.
Windows 8, Mac OS, Ubuntu + all the Mobile platforms have App Store / Marketplace, you may publish your software there. Also there is always the difficult old-school method of creating a marketing website for your software, and sell it yourself.
It depends upon the type of the software, but now a days web applications are more popular than the traditional desktop based software. I have been marketing my SaaS product since last 10 months, and selling software is still a challenge. (but this goes for everything except Apple products  )
Good luck!
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Member 10214013 wrote: how does one sell software
What else have you got?
Peter Wasser
Art is making something out of nothing and selling it.
Frank Zappa
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First, I'm not a marketing genius.
Most of us programming types are, well, marketing isn't our strength. That said I have a pretty good idea the way to sell my program is to execute sales simultaneously.
It's either that or sell to the big boys.
I'd like to think about my answer; Thank's to the people who've commented, you've given me things to think about.
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Member 10214013 wrote: I have some programs that do some pretty unusual things.
While your programs may do unusual things, the thing to consider is do they do things that people want? Is there actually a market for your programs? What you are potentially considering here is setting up as an ISV - while this can be rewarding, it's not without its risks.
When you run a business (certainly here in the UK - and I suspect the US is the same), you need all sorts of indemnities - and these cost money, so you already have costs being incurred. You will also need a business name, and you're going to need copyrights and trade marks - it's worth getting a good legal team to conduct searches for you to make sure you aren't infringing on patent, copyright or trade mark. If your programs are so unusual, you may want to consider patenting - again, costing money.
I haven't even touched on marketing. Don't attempt to do this yourself. Get a professional.
Now, what about after sales support? Are you going to offer that? Have you considered selling an annual license at a lower price and offering a support contract (that's where you really make the money)?
Are you going to be doing this "on the side", or are you intending this to be your main business? If so, do you have the funds behind you to support you while you aren't bringing money in?
Are you the right person to run a company? If not, do you know someone who is business savvy who can do the day-to-day while you concentrate on the technology? If you want to retain total control, are you prepared to learn how to run a business, and willing to give up programming time for day-to-day administration (trust me - this is the hardest part)?
I hope I've given you some things to ponder.
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I think the question to ask is not how to sell software but just how to sell.
With sales comes support, convincing someone that they need something they did not know they need etc.
If you are prepared to do all of that,there are lots of books out there on selling, you will know how to sell your software.
I stopped trying to sell my software as soon as the rather slimy salesmen started to contact me with their offers(it almost makes me shudder thinking of some of their offers) - quite simply I am not interested in the whole turgid area of sales so I concentrated on opensource.
Good luck if you want to go into sales and don't let it destroy your creativity and humanity
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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I'd just like to say, 'Tim Berners-Lee'.
As for software, I tried going local in 2009, giving demos to businesses and so on, but there was no way they'd bite in the crash climate.
The product was (is) a webcam application with face detection that snaps a picture when it sees a face and uploads it to ftp.
The idea being that it uses hardly any resources, but if somebody breaks into your house or hotel room, you'll see who and when.
Didn't catch on. But it was a wonderful tool for interviews (it fitted on a netbook, Linux or Windoze) where I could give demos to the interviewers, and it was good for my CV too, so it wasn't a total loss.
It really did the trick at my present job, and I now do Windoze and Linux robotic programming for a good salary in a solid company.
I'll settle for that. 
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Sounds like the path I have followed - the software I wrote in my spare time got me my current job too.
So you are correct - although there may be no direct sales there may be other pleasant consequences.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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Simon O'Riordan from UK wrote: The product was (is) a webcam application with face detection that snaps a picture when it sees a face and uploads it to ftp
Great idea. However your experience reminds me of mid-80's when I was trying to sell people on this crazy idea called "voicemail". I had an Apple II with an AppleCat modem with DTMF and a 128K RAM card for storage. Most common comment was, "Why should I spend $2000 for something I can do with a $100 tape answering machine?"
They just didn't get it. However the Telco's were better positioned than me to finally roll stuff like that out, but I just look back and shake my head at how ubiquitous voicemail is nowadays.
Psychosis at 10
Film at 11
Those who do not remember the past, are doomed to repeat it.
Those who do not remember the past, cannot build upon it.
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Yes. My last fig-leaf is that I haven't open sourced it yet, but in any case it's pretty simple to implement.
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You post it up on Pirate Bay and watch the cheques come pouring in...
Or at least, someone posts it up on...
Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952)
Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)
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I live in America, a country with great national parks, wonderful bookstores and libraries, well organized sports teams, and hey!, this is where the internet was invented (even if it wasn't invented by a foolish man from Tennessee.)
The first internet was run from a hut on a Cornwall beach back in the 1850's
It linked from that hut to India, Australia, America, Asia, and all over Europe, down cables laid from the hut to the rest of the world.
It used a hardwired system to link millions of connections so that anyone could send a message to anyone else.
It was digital.
It was run using a language invented by a Briton, a language still used today.
It was Fast and fairly robust and took on so quickly that a lot of rival companies went bankrupt.
(The US had The Pony Express but that didn't last long thanks to those Damnable Brits and their superior technology).
The Telegraph was a wonderful thing.
Why do Americans think they invented everything?
They have invented virtually nothing.
All the major inventions were British.
We were just crap at making money from them.
---------------------------------
Obscurum per obscurius.
Ad astra per alas porci.
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur .
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Indeed, one Gentleman (Alexander Bain[^]) used teh Telegraph to transmit pictures.
Since one of these would at some point of been of a Cat, and another of a Unclothed Lady (it is a law of nature, I fear) you could well argue that it was the first use of a primitive forerunner of t'interweb... 
Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952)
Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)
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