How to Effectively Sell

Based on the last several years of selling prepackaged solutions for SuiteCRM here is our list on how to successfully sell and make add-ons a viable, stand-alone business.

Service & Support

Every customer interaction is an opportunity. Not just for that specific customer, but also for all future potential customers and advocates.

• Offer free install/setup and say so on the About page. Not many need it, but when they do use this they are 3 times as likely to stay on as a customer. One hour of your time will be recouped quickly in future renewals. Besides, it is a great way to learn why your customers choose your product and how they are using it. This is invaluable.
• When someone makes a purchase reach out to them and introduce yourself. Do you also provide services? Although the first interaction isn’t the right time, remember that this relationship could lead to future services or up-sells.
• Always follow-up in a timely manner. People don’t expect solutions right away, but they do want to know that they have been heard and that someone is there for them. If someone creates a support case, a bad verification (or good), a review, etc do try to follow up within the first 2 to 4 hours. Want to knock it out of the park? Shoot for the first 5 to 30 minutes. Not only will it win over their trust, it also wins over future visitors which leads to more sales.
• Use a professional, but friendly tone. Use empathy and show sympathy when appropriate. Show a bit of your human side. This helps to connect at a much more effective level to move forward.
• Whenever possible follow up publicly. Benjamin Franklin was famous for this. You can be the greatest anything in the world, but what good is it if no one knows? Use the public communication avenues available to let others know that you are there for them.

Walk Away Point

Every possible interaction is an opportunity. Each of these chances is a way for you to nurture a high level of trust between you, your customers, and your future customers. By being open and public with your conversations future visitors will be able to quickly see that they will get top-notch service and care, that you are there and invested in their success. This is a critical factor in determine whether to give your add-on a shot or not.

Quotes

“A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all. ” - Michael Leboeuf

“He profits most who serves best.” - Arthur F. Sheldon

Product & User Experience

Every customer interaction is an opportunity. Not just for that customer, but for all others who are watching.

• The make-or-break point is immediately after installation. Spend your time and resources here.
  • Immediate redirect the user to the next step which may be the License page, configuration, or a guide on what to do next and where to go for help (or a combination of those)
  • Ensure that the software just works immediately after install without any additional steps being required by the user. This means doing any Repairs automatically, adding fields to views, etc. Each additional step done automatically is one less chance that something will go wrong which means a lost sale. A user doesn’t, and shouldn’t, care whether it works and they just missed a step. Help to minimize that which leads into...
  • Have a few must-do steps that are unavoidable? Walk the user through it with an installation wizard.
• Build in proactive support. In all code there is that spot, that condition, that just shouldn’t ever happen. But it will. In those critical spots that can cause the add-on to not work as expected have it email the admin with a description message and anything that may help you if forwarded to you. Is it a known piece of functionality that will completely break the app? Have it email a dedicated email address of yours for these issues. Then follow up on them. This will help you create better products.
• Use the License API to make it easy to ensure that everything is paid-for and up-to-date.
• Question everything. Put yourself in a your users’ shoes. It may be easy for you, the creator or provider, to use, but it’s easy to forget how someone from the outside may actually see it.
• Follow Amy Hoy’s advice on How to design the most efficient software your users have ever seen:
  • Look at every step. Question it: Do you have to reload the page? Do you have to scroll? Do you have to mouse around? Will the user end up jumping back and forth? Will they have to copy and paste?
  • Look at every interface component. Every button. Every interface widget. Every line of text. Question it.
  • Look at every customer-facing decision. Must they really make that decision, or make it right now, or is it for the simplicity of your data model? If it’s merely convenient for you, remove the requirement.
  • When you find a step, button, widget, etc. is avoidable… remove it.
  • When you find repetition, eliminate it.
  • Look at every task. Question it. Ask yourself how to make it easier, faster, more available, more direct, fewer decisions, fewer clicks, fewer page loads. Then do it.

Walk Away Point

Make it was painfully easy as possible for the user to get up and running. Remove all possible breaking points or all possible reasons to walk away from the purchase. Make your product a reflection of you and your organization because that is how they will view it.

Quotes

“If you keep your eye on the profit, you’re going to skimp on the product. But if you focus on making really great products, then the profits will follow.” - Steve Jobs

“Make your product easier to buy than your competition, or you will find your customers buying from them, not you.” - Mark Cuban

Product Listing

Every customer interaction is an opportunity. Not just for that customer, but for all others who are watching.

• Have a strong value proposition
• Focus on solving the user’s problems and why it is needed. Not on the technical features. (However, do call out the technical features in the Documentation.)
• Focus on them. Not on you. That any many other tips can be found on 10 Reasons Why People Don’t Trust Your Landing Page.
• Include screenshots of key functionality that solves those problems
• Have complete documentation that is constantly being updated with what you learn about from your users. Use each question or problem as an opportunity to clarify and address it before they come to you.
• Bonus: include a demo video
• Bonus 2: include a link to a demo install that includes a walkthrough

Walk Away Point

Know what problems your add-on solves and make it painfully clear how it does so.

Quotes

“Know what your customers want most and what your company does best. Focus on where those two meet.” - Kevin Stirtz

“Here is a simple but powerful rule: always give people more than what they expect to get.” - Nelson Boswell

Pricing

Give every reason to get someone trying your awesome add-on now versus later. Remove all barriers by giving options.

• Offer a Free Trial. Those that do offer a free trial typically sell 3x more than those that don't.
• Offer both a Monthly and a Yearly plan (Yearly at 10 times the price of a Monthly subscription)
• Bonus: Offer 3 different editions priced at 1x, 2.2x, and 5x. Want to learn more about tiered pricing? See Why Tiered Pricing is the ONLY Way to Price Your Product. If you do this be sure to show your users what they are missing out on in the lower editions.

Walk Away Point

Price points don’t matter as much as simply providing a way for the user to see for themselves what value your add-on will bring to their organization. Better put, to know if it will solve their needs and pain points.

Quotes

“Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” - Warren Buffet

“You’ll never have a product or price advantage again. They can be easily duplicated, but a strong customer service culture can’t be copied.” - Jerry Fritz

Have questions? Want some guidance? Email us at [email protected].