How Can First-Time Developers Sell Their New Software Product?

[hagopbul]

TL;DR

soft ware logistics , how to sell a software

Hello All:

i have a question regarding the steps after your team finish developing a software , my relative and her team finished developing a software but they don't know how to sell it , it is their first software , they start from scratch algorithm then code ,...etc

now after one year they finished their first alpha release , and they are now working on developing it , but they don't know how to be able to profit financially from it , they didnt teach them in academia what to do after finishing developing a software , where should they go like for real

they finished licensing and took copyrights of it

but the kids don't know how to sell it for example if they are going to talk with companies what should they do , or just print DVD and put it on the shelves , do they need a lawyer , how to approach the companies in a way not enable some one to steal their work

they are -according to their claims- have some new and original work starting from the algorithm to the final stage of their program

any one here have experience in this kind of situations

Best
Hagop

 

[jedishrfu]

There's a lot to unpack in your post.

Some folks market it on the App store for whatever computer it runs on;

for windows: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/apps/windows

for macos: https://apps.apple.com/us/genre/mac/id39?mt=12

similarly for tablets and phones

Of course, you need to conform to whatever packaging requirements they have and your app is subject to review and approval. Even then it may not sell well at first. The store also takes a commission. I've heard the Apple app store took 15% commission from each sale and a higher commission once you reach the million-dollar sales mark.

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/11/apple-announces-app-store-small-business-program/

Other ways of marketing include advertising on social media and having a website for your product. As an example, the Hemingway Editor has a working demo on their site and a means to buy the product. They will then ship a link and product key to unlock the product.

Other folks may use some try and buy where you can a crippled copy for 30 days and then you need a license to unlock it.

Notice DVD's are a thing of the past for most software products. Everything is done online.

Out of breath...

 

[hagopbul]

thanks man , but if they want to sell it to software company ,what should they do other than hiring a lawyer would they give the sourced code or some other things ?

 

[jedishrfu]

It's unlikely a software company will buy it but if it's a cool add-on to their product then they may be interested. You will need a lawyer and likely a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before you can show them anything.

Sometimes just mentioning an idea to them would be enough for the company to go off and make a competing product so there's always that fear.

However, for any business dealings, you'll need a competent lawyer with proven experience in software agreements.

One thing to be aware of is if you somehow hacked the company's product to get your software working then you might wind up in a lawsuit. Again a lawyer versed in software licensing should be able to help here.

Did I mention get a lawyer to represent you? ...

 

[Vanadium 50]

There's a lot to unpack in your post.

Fortunately uncontaminated by periods.

Hagopbul, what you are describing is that they need to create what is called a business model. If you type that into Google you will get over a billion hits. That's the good news. The bad news is creating such a model takes a good deal of thought, time, and effort. Much more than can fit in a message. Or ten.

 

[Wrichik Basu]

thanks man , but if they want to sell it to software company ,what should they do other than hiring a lawyer would they give the sourced code or some other things ?

Did they create a library that has to be integrated into other software, or did they create a standalone application that can run by itself? If it's a library, then it cannot be put up on app stores.

The first step is to set up the software for distribution. This means they have to develop their product such that it can be activated with a license (which has to be bought from them). The product has to periodically check with the software whether the license is still valid. If invalid, the product will stop working/pause future updates. They will also have to decide whether they will sell the product once and provide lifetime updates, or whether the license has to be periodically renewed to continue using the software. All this has to be done via internet, so setting up an website and integrating payment gateways is of utmost necessity.

The next step is to basically let people know that you have something that they can buy. This is part of marketing. If it's a library, they have to say which programming language it supports. They can also release a trial version of the product. It's better to leave the marketing part on a professional marketing manager who has experience in marketing software.

As far as I know, nobody gives the source code for the software. Companies give executables that can be installed on a computer and activated via a license/activation code. Consider MATLAB: you buy a license, and then they redirect you to the product download page. After installation, I have to log in with the account to which the license is linked. Once the license expires, I can no longer update MATLAB unless I buy a renewal pack.

And yes, get an experienced lawyer.

 

[jedishrfu]

This article briefly describes the three traditional paths:

https://product2market.walkme.com/how-to-market-software-products-3-strategies/

DIY marketting using:

https://info.selligent.com/north-america

or via campaigns on MailChimp but you'll need focused email addresses to do that (focused means the people are interested in your kind of software).

 

[anorlunda]

but if they want to sell it to software company

Wow! That is the most difficult imaginable customer for buying software. Yes, hire a lawyer. Demand do-not-disclose agreements before talking with them, and expect them to say, "No. If you want a disclosure agreement, we don't want to hear you."

There is a famous old line about "selling refrigerators to the Eskimos". I would judge that easier than selling software to a software company.