The Old Joel on Software Forum: Part 4 (of 5)

It's starting again.

I have been working on a fairly extensive application for the past year and a half. I've been utilizing my time in the evenings for this.

I've had a couple other major development projects in my life that were commercially viable products. The problem I am running into is that when it comes time to market the thing, I either become depressed (because the development cycle has ended), or move on to something else that seems much more exciting.

I guess if I am being intellectually honest, maybe I just don't know what the hell I am doing when it comes to selling. Or maybe I am just shy and don't want to deal with people. Or maybe I find the feedback process as a rejection of my ideas. Or D) All of the Above. I choose D. <sigh>

Sigh.
Saturday, May 8, 2004

I'll go for A. The A problem is solved with getting over B and C.

MyNameIsSecret();
Saturday, May 8, 2004

There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to sell it, but you need someone to open the door first.

Door openers are skilled in their own right, they're the ones that get you in front of the buyer and you get to make your pitch in the right environment.

Find a good door opener.

Simon Lucy
Saturday, May 8, 2004

Maybe its fear. You fear failure? Or more difficult to acknowledge, you fear success?

Ken Klose
Saturday, May 8, 2004

Basically you just have to suck in some deep breaths and start knocking on some doors. I have been in your position in the past where I did lots of development on the side, more for fun than anything else. I also never really knew how to get past the development stage and start selling. But after being forced to do it once, I now feel I could do it easily again. You just need to get the ball rolling and you will be right.

Craig
Saturday, May 8, 2004

"Sigh", send me an email and let's talk.

Interested.
Saturday, May 8, 2004

Marketing is very different from programming, however you can approach both using straightforward problem solving.

1. Are there customers who would pay for this program is they knew about it?

2. How did you verify #1?

3. What does it take to convince one customer to buy the program?
(i.e., if it's a single person, they just find out about it, try it and buy it. If it's a corporation, you might need to convince several people (end user, thier boss, the budget person, IT depart, etc.))

4. How would you make lots of those customers (in #1) aware of your product?

Mr. Analogy
Saturday, May 8, 2004

Problems are overwhelming when we don't know where to START or how to deconstruct them into smaller, more manageable problems.

It SOUNDS like you're overwhelmed by this big problem called "how do I market & sell my app".

Most independent developers throw thier arms up and do it shareware, essentially (in most cases) sticking thier head in the sand and ignoring the problem.

Mr. Analogy
Saturday, May 8, 2004

"Maybe its fear. You fear failure? Or more difficult to acknowledge, you fear success?"

Just creating something good is success in the world of creatives. Not selling it might be unfortunate, but "failure" is no longer a word to worry about.

doer
Sunday, May 9, 2004

When I come to the end of the development cycle, it is never as exciting as the beginning. I think it is because in the beginning everything is a blank slate, and you get these grand plans in your head where everything fits together and the design is clean and sensical. But by the end of the cycle, you have come across so many little problems that you've had to fix in a way that doesn't fit in with your master plan, and you can't keep it all in your head any more.
It's like when you start out you are living in a fantasy world of perfect design, but by the end of the project, you are in the real world of bugs and ugly hacks.
Not sure what to tell you other than it's a natural part of life, and we should accept it and learn to deal with it for what it is, rather than try to escape it in the fantasy of "the next perfect project".
Good Luck!

Jordan Lev
Sunday, May 9, 2004