Tips for selling software

Well, it indeed is, provided that you are able to fulfill the needs of the customers looking to purchase one. And, not to forget the value you are able to deliver to them via your product. Wondering how do you increase your chances of getting your software noticed by prospects and further, sell it? Mentioned below are some useful tips from the experts on how to sell your software online and increase those dollars in your bank account.

Gone are the days of spending huge amounts of money and efforts in building and maintaining an infrastructure for software purposes. This will help you improve your product early and save you thousands of dollars down the road.

Download our software proposal template to use as a starting point to quickly put together a compelling sales proposal for your software or service.

This software marketing plan template will help you develop a strong marketing strategy for your software company, including worksheets and checklists also. Software sales cycles are changing. With the existence of Software-as-a-Service SaaS , cloud computing, and open source options, in many cases this can shorten the overall decision process for the customer.

Do you have the right business model and pricing structure? For example, moving to or adding services revenue or subscription licensing can drive increased software sales. Check out our article on software business model planning. Also, if you have a multiple product strategy eg, a traditional software license approach, and also a SaaS offering then you need to be very careful to avoid channel conflicts in your pricing strategy, and make sure you are positioning the right product for your customer's needs, using this SaaS readiness checklist.

Find out more details here. What is your company's and your product's biggest strength in the eyes of the customer, of course and main advantage against your competition? That is your value proposition. Keep it simple. If you don't believe it, then you won't be able to make your customer believe it.

Make sure that your value proposition clearly differentiates your product or service from your competition in the customer's eyes. Remember that your "competition" may not be selling exactly the same type of product you are. If you are a licensed software vendor, your primary competitor may become a SaaS provider or perhaps open source software.

Each requires a different type of value proposition. Make sure your value proposition is clearly spelled out in the beginning and end of your software proposal.

Having a compelling software sales proposal is critical to come across as professional and convince your customer that your product or service will meet their specific needs. You can download our Software Proposal Template Package here to use as a starting point to developing your own professional sales proposal. It will really increase the effectiveness of your proposals, help you build credibility, and speed up your turnaround time to close the deal faster.

Also, check this article for key tips on writing winning software proposals or you can start with this free software proposal outline. You must be able to write down exactly who your customer base is: are they in a specific industry? Are they in small, medium or large companies? What other common characteristics do the right customers have? And who are the specific purchasers and stakeholders within your customer? That's right: I just said "don't sell software. No - the first rule of selling to businesses is to remember that they are looking for a solution to their problem.

They aren't looking to buy software. In fact, if they can solve their need without having to buy and support another piece of software, they would love to do that! Many software vendors are moving to a SaaS business model, delivering their software from the cloud.

Is SaaS right for your software business? What is a services business mindset? Download our software proposal template to use as a starting point to quickly put together a compelling sales proposal for your software or service. This software marketing plan template will help you develop a strong marketing strategy for your software company, including worksheets and checklists also. As a provider of software to businesses, focus first on listening, then on selling a solution to your client's problem.

Give advice freely and honestly, even when it means that buying your software is NOT the best choice - you still benefit by nurturing a relationship that might lead to a purchase in the future. If you determine that the best solution to their challenge IS your software WHAT exactly should they do?

Help them identify and work through all the steps of the solution, even if your software is only one component of it. That might be a great opportunity to partner with another solution provider on the deal, or offer some consulting services yourself.

Depending on your software, very large businesses may or may not be the bulk of your client base. But it's good to have at least one or two enterprise clients, if you can.