Survival Guide for Software Product Development

Real world lessons about what it takes to create & market a software product

Fair Warning

Who We Are

• Small Independent Software Vendor• Young Company– Started Development Feb 2008– Public Release June 2009

• Product Division of Consulting Company– eSymmetrix founded in 2000– Engineers, not Sales People

Being an ISV Rocks

• Clarity on requirements for success

• Flexible hours

• Highly empowered

But It’s not Consulting

• You can’t convince them you’re right

• No one cares how your code works inside

• No partial credit

Diesel Engine Products

• Steady Value over Time

• Closer to the Money the Better

• Well Defined, Large Markets

• A solid answer for “Why You”

Pricing – Your Market Set It

• Ranges by Audience– Consumer / Impulse Buy Market (<$99)– Professional Market (<$500)– Business Market ($300 to Infinity)

• Make your Productworthy of the Price

• More Expensive = Better

• People are used to paying certain amounts

Pricing – Don’t Sell Yourself Short

• Biggest Mistake is to go low– If you’re better, charge more

• Profitable Based on where you will be 18 months out

• Lay out a family of related options– Consumers like buy ups– Consumers like 2-3 choices– Create a structure for experiments

Pricing – Consumer Myths

• The Well Informed Consumer

• Cross Shopping

• “If it only did…”

The Internet

Get Anyone’s Attention

Marketing Marketing Marketing

• Metric & Monitor First Contact to Decision

• The Right Traffic

• Reach Out at Every Opportunity

• Ask for the Sale

It’s Not about You

• People have distinct, strong preferences

• Be where they are: Accessible Everywhere

• Project your Values

2009-07

2009-08

2009-09

2009-10

2009-11

2009-12

2010-01

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2011-04

Monthly Sales VistaDB

Gibraltar

Mon

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2009-07

2009-08

2009-09

2009-10

2009-11

2009-12

2010-01

2010-02

2010-03

2010-04

2010-05

2010-06

2010-07

2010-08

2010-09

2010-10

2010-11

2010-12

2011-01

2011-02

2011-03

2011-04

Total Sales VistaDB

Gibraltar

Tota

l Sal

esSteady Growth

Design for First Wow

• People decide fast

• Deliver value in small increments

• Look at every bump between first hit & first wow and sand them down

Things to Ignore

• Brand Building

• Fancy Web Site

• eCommerce Pipeline

• Business Operational Scalability

Things to Pay Attention To

• Responsive Communication Systems

• Automate or EliminateRoutine Tasks

• Every Bump fromFirst Hit through First Wow

• Why people tell you they bought your product (and why they didn’t)

Critical Lessons Learned

• Have a Diesel Engine Product

• Marketing Marketing Marketing

• Worry about Values,not Brand

• First Hit to First Wow

Additional Information:

Websites– www.GibraltarSoftware.com– www.eSymmetrix.com

Follow Up– Kendall.Miller@eSymmetrix.com– Twitter: kendallmiller