Help! Having Problems Selling Android/iPhone Apps

You are creating an app for their business? What does the app do?

It depends on the business.

If it's a gym...

It would provide class times and dates, send push notifications to the user's phone to offer a free week of gym membership to entice a longer term membership.

If it's a restaurant,

It would offer a menu, directions, ordering from app options, and special offers.

You kinda get the idea.

The majority of local businesses are only concerned on how it will get them more customers.

So the pitch would need to be around how you intend to do that. The app can have all the bells and whistles but if they don't see the potential of how it will get them customers it will be a hard sell.

If you pitch some stats based on similar apps on the potential of getting this many downloads etc they may help. Also you would need to expain how you intend to drive customer to download the app?

They will be looking for the potential return on their investment.

The marketing for the app would come from the business. Phone book, direct mail, radio, billboards, etc.

I also pitch it to them like this:

The average half page ad (depending on region) in a phone book is $200 a month. I ask them "How often do you catch someone actually using a phone book for obtaining a number anymore?" (pause, wait for response.) More often than not, they will admit it hardly ever happens. But if you ask them how often they find people trying to look up a phone number or restaurant's menu on their phone, the response is usually the opposite.

The push notifications show up like a text would on a customer/potential customer's status bar of their phone, provided they have the app installed. So...in a sense, the app isn't only informational -- but it's also mobile marketing.

I think where I'm screwing up is my cold call pitch:

"Hi...this is (my name) with (my company), and I develop Android and iPhone apps for businesses. How do you think it could benefit your business."

I tried to go for the open-ended approach rather than allowing someone to give me strictly a "yes or no" answer. I feel like I'm lacking something...

"The marketing for the app would come from the business."

That's extra work for a business that immediately reduces the value of your product in their eyes. Think about it. They have enough on their plate without having to organise marketing for something as insignificant as a phone app.

Regarding your cold calling, keep these concepts in mind :

- Sounding salesy instantly loses credibility. Try to sound as if you were a customer for at least the first 30 seconds to a minute. Ask about their business, get them talking about it. Then move slowly into asking about their marketing, then finally about their online marketing.

- Then reel off whatever stats you have about app usage, mobile internet usage etc the statistics (as long as they are relevant) are interesting to the owner

I would recommend that you may offer a free service for few days and let them use your apps to check if it really works and brings in customers. If they do see some positive results you can charge them for paid version also.

I would change your pitch and suggest something along the lines of

"Could your business handle and extra 10-20 Customers per week"

Local businesses just like yours are getting an extra X amount of new customers every month with our app program.

Then they are more likely to say tell me more.

You could then go into a list of things that you will do for them to convert the download of apps to potential clients mobile phones.

You could use QR codes by placing them in their business and in their current print media this way clients will no how to download the app get exposure then use the push notifications the same way you would use them for SMS marketing to drive clients to their business

Everge, I love your suggestion. I actually have integrated QR codes...but I like the pitch. Do you have better insight as to what a decent cold call script would be?

I would keep it short and to the point...I'm assuming when you say Cold Calling your meaning over the phone? But you could use something like this for walk ins as well...just adapt it to your style and you should get a better responce.

Hi my name is ................ I'm also a local business owner and I specialise in helping Local Businesses such as yours get more customers, Let me ask you one question could you handle and extra 10 - 20 customers a week. (They are more than likely going to say Yes or tell me more) Then you would something like fantastic I would love tell to you all about it I just need 10 minutes of your time, I have Monday or Wed available at 10am or 1pm which day and time is best for you. (If they start saying hang on what's it all about just respond with) as I mentioned I only need 10 minutes of your time, it's easier to explain in person and I can give you all the information when I see you is Monday or Wednesday good.

Lock in a time and do you best selling when you are in person giving them the information you mentioned at the start of the post. I would also concentrate on businesses that have a web presence and who advertise now as you will have a greater chance in converting them than those that don't undertand the importance of advertising and marketing via Mobile Phones.

Genius. I like it, man. Thanks again for your help!

If anyone else has input, I'd love to hear it.

I'm in the same market. What I like to do is show them a free mockup (not sure what platform you use, but mine allows me to create 1 mockup in 10-15 mins).

Price will be your most common objection. Consider different price points based on the client's customer value (eg. 1 customer is worth a lot more to a lawyer or real estate agent than to a restaurant or karate club). Price accordingly.

You may also want to consider payment plans. Typically if the client is a real stickler for price, I'll divide their payments into three months so they can see the benefit for themselves. That first payment should take care of submissions to both marketplaces and give you a couple hundred bucks profit to start with.

Something else I'm considering is leading in with the free twitter SMS service as shared by Rick Duris here:

http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...campaigns.html

This would be a great way to get your foot in the door for many businesses and give them a small taste of mobile marketing, which will make selling an app to them so much easier. I'll be trying this method out next week, but from my experience I can already tell it will work like gangbusters.

All the best,

Srdjan

I would tend to make a mobile website for those sort of customers and then it is cross platform and a lot cheaper.

If it works well for them then I do an upsell of an app.

Quentin

87Studios shoot me an email...may have some work for you graeme.norris @bigpond.com

graeme.norris3 @bigpond.com sorry this is the email left out the 3