into the
search box.
25. Trial Software
The expectation bar has been raised in the world of software. Few people are wil ing
these days to take a gamble on instal ing semi-functional software during a trial period.
They want instead to see the software work in its ful -featured form before deciding
whether to buy it. If you ever are in a position to offer software for sale, that’s the way to
go.
26. iPhone Application
I refer to the iPhone only because it’s the leader in having separate applications written
for the phone, but of course the BlackBerry and other phones also are active in this
area. Just a short time ago there were few good phone software applications—or apps
for short—but things have rapidly changed as the phones have become more capable.
Now it’s possible to hire a geek and have an app written for phones for about the cost
of having a T-shirt designed. Because apps are a relatively new phenomenon, they have
a certain cachet or coolness about them. Instead of quickly concluding “ My situation’s
different ,” you’d be smart to ponder if your info product might benefit from an app.
Maybe it’s a quick calculator or a database to look up information that varies by region,
city, or time of year.
Offering your app for free could bring you many new prospects for your product. If the
app is good enough, you could charge somewhere between 99 cents and $19.99 for it.
27. Software
This is no different from trial software in Number 25, but you could consider offering
software that requires payment up front but that carries a ful guarantee if the customer
decides to return it.
It’s worth noting that current software is moving away from the model that prevailed in
the last several decades, where you buy a box of software and instal it on your
computer. The trend now is to pay for access to software that’s available on the web with
nothing to instal on your end. This removes a major headache for customers who
become extremely frustrated and angry about instal ation problems. It also al ows you to
make quick upgrades to the software without shipping piles of disks and incurring more
instal ation-support headaches.
28. Online Calculator
You know those postal mail promotions where on the order form it asks you to take a
sticker from one spot and place it on another spot? Those companies are not being sil y
or arbitrary but are incorporating what’s known as an involvement device.
Whenever you can involve a prospect in a physical act it helps to increase attention
and sales. Online calculators are great involvement devices even if you offer them for
free. Popular ones have included “What’s your REAL age?” This tool asks you a series
of questions to determine how old you act versus how old you real y are. Other
involvement devices calculate something related to weight loss or your likelihood of
finding your true love.
It’s good practice to have prospects use the calculator without your asking for any
name or other contact information. Then in order for prospects to see the answer, you
ask for a name and valid e-mail address and send the answer to that e-mail address.
This system ensures that you do not have people typing in
[email protected] as their e-mail
address simply for the sake of getting to the next screen with the answer.
As with iPhone apps, it’s definitely worth thinking about what type of calculator you
could offer.
29. Interview Series PDFs
I’ve already spoken about this excel ent product, but just in case you’re not sure what a
“PDF” is, that term stands for Portable Document Format. It’s now a practical y universal
method for displaying a document online because it works on just about any kind of
computer brand under the sun and the reader tool is a free download. It’s superior to
sending a Microsoft Word document to customers because they may not own that
software.
30. Free PDF
Nothing much to say here other than