If you are a business looking for software, a tool or a piece of technology to improve your business process and productivity or solve a specific problem within your organization, where would you go?
The first thing that comes to mind is to turn to a colleague or a friend and check if they have a tool that best fits your needs. Next would be to search for the best and the most reputable solution online.
In my 10 years of experience as a salesperson, marketing and selling software products such as ERP, Accounting Software, Business Intelligence, Inventory and Warehouse Management solution, CRM and other custom software is becoming more and more challenging. With the changes in technology, many software companies who are looking to sell locally and internationally knows how important it is to become aware of these challenges and develop a plan on how to overcome them.
Here are 3 biggest challenges software companies are experiencing when marketing their products and how to overcome it?
#1. Pricing
It feels good whenever you encounter a prospect asking how much your product is. But for a marketer or a salesperson selling a software product, the answer to this question can either be a make or break situation. People are most likely not to buy when they found out that your product is expensive or is way beyond their budget. But the sad truth is, software products are one of the most expensive tools that are available in the market.
What to do?
When marketing for software products focus on your prospect’s pain points and provide a solution by offering what your software can do to help them solve their problems. It’s important to master your product knowledge before you say your sales pitch.
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#2. Rapid change of technology
Change is constant, especially when it comes to technology. That is why software companies need to constantly develop their products in order to compete in their market. With thousands of tools and new apps that are available in the market, marketers need to adapt to new technologies in order to keep up with its competitors.
Related: Effective Lead Generation Technique for Software Products: Leverage Multi-Channel Exposure
What to do?
- Research about your target audience. Ask, what are the common problems and issues they’ve encountered.
- Find ways to develop or add new features to your products that could help them solve any problems within their organization.
#3. Hiring and Keeping Top Developers
Finding the right person with the right skills could take time and can be costly. However, the main issue right now for software companies is how to keep the right candidate.
What to do?
- Be clear about his responsibilities
- Offer training that could help him improve his skills
- Provide challenging projects for career improvement
TIP: When evaluating for a perfect candidate, try to look for the following qualities?
- Someone that has a portfolio
- Is open for feedback and coachable
- Has high standards when it comes to quality
- A team player.
- Is particular with the deadline
Related: Leaving your lead generation campaign to the expert?
Don’t let these challenges get in the way of your success. Develop a marketing plan to overcome these challenges within your business and follow these tips on how to prevent them from happening and what to do whenever these challenges arise.
