We Built the Software, Now What Do We DO ?

I remember a bit about this when it was posted before.

As the last time I still don't get how Power Partnership Program becomes POP.

I believe that was my biggest advice last time was to rename it. It's not clear what it is from this name.

Overall it appears to be personal development training. Am I correct?

EDIT: I believe I said this last time as well but what does "Always be closing" have to do with this product? Always be closing doesn't mean always be providing new content (which is what that paragraph says).

Basically that website needs new copy as well. Your site needs to inspire me to buy your product and right now it doesn't.

EDIT2: You speak about all the seminar speaking and workshop leading you have done. Why isn't this "Brian Beckstead's Partnership Of Power aka POP"? You seem to love the POP thing so that way you can keep it.

Cart before the horse?

Developing a product without first doing extensive market research and knowing exactly who your target market is and what their needs are... is a pretty risky way to do things, lol!

So basically, the software is a day planner? And if it's free, how do you plan to monetize it? And what are your long-term goals for it?

One idea (if you want to keep it free) would be to start a mailing list, and give away the software in exchange for opt-ins. That way you are building a long-term asset, which can be very valuable over time.

Also... there are tons of freeware and shareware sites out there you can submit software to. You can do this manually, but I don't recommend it (been there -- got the scars to prove it)! Far better to create a PAD file for the software and use a good submission service... that way you can cover a lot more ground with far less effort.

If your software was a paid program, then you would have the option of recruiting JV partners & affiliates in your niche (whom you pay a commission for all referred sales)... which in my opinion, is the absolute best way to market a digital product.

A few paid options for reaching your target market would be media buys (ie banner ads or text ads on popular websites in your niche), and PPC (Adwords, etc). Also, you could use a service like BuySellAds.com to make it easier to find potential ad partners. Just start small and test / track extensively when paying for ads... so that you know what's working and what brings you the best ROI.

Lots of different options though... just depends on what your overall goals are.

Good luck with it!

PS- I agree with Aaron, I would hire a professional copywriter and give the site a complete makeover (nicer looking website template & logo) before I did any marketing at all!

Can you explain the model here a bit better to us.

I don't think last time I ever really understood how it works.

If we can visualize how it works and how you monitize it I think we can offer better advice.

Man. I know you aren't going to like this. Not even ONE entrepreneur I have worked with has liked what I am about to say or followed the advice. Even though this advice is coming from a great deal of experience with startups, software development, venture capital, and angel investors.

You went about his completely the wrong way. You cannot "built it and they will come." It simply doesn't work.

You have violated the most basic tenet of the Lean Startup process. I know you will say you are not a startup, been in business for years etc...but your software IS a startup.

Mistake #1: Developing something before you know who will buy it. This almost never works out. The reason is that you try to be all things to all people and simply NO software can do that. You aren't Microsoft or Apple. You must target a small niche and identify their needs.

Mistake #2: Adding features before you know what features the market wants. Entrepreneurs do this constantly. And it is wrong. Once you know who your target is, you set out to solve 1 or 2 problems for them. Not 3. Not 4. Not 8. 1 or 2.

You develop a platform to solve these one or two things and you do a beta launch to see if anyone even cares. If nobody likes it, you try again. If people DO like it, they will give you feedback to make it better. Future versions are based on this feedback from the market telling you what it wants. You cannot know this in advance.

You cannot launch a new software that does 18 things and expect to be successful. Until you test it in the market, you have no idea what will work.

Mistake #3: Once you get past the beta process of the market telling you what it wants, you move to your MVP. Minimum Viable Product. This is the most basic version of your software that you can get people to give you $1 (figuratively speaking) for. This is where you start. In future versions, you make it better and better. You iterate quickly. You release better and better versions as quickly as possible as your community of users grows.

The above three reasons are why you are where you are. Your site makes no sense. I spent a few minutes trying to figure it out and I just can't. You are all over the place because you didn't start from a place of focus. What does Armstrong Moving have to do with your software? Aren't these really two different brands? Why would I want personal development training from a moving company?

Now, you have a piece of software, that you spent a fortune developing, that no one understands, with a message that is confusing, and no one wants.

If I were you, I would read The Lean Startup. Learn about Lean software development. Focus like a laser on one problem, and start over. You cannot launch "complete" software. You must start with just 1 or 2 things, and then develop features that your users tell you they want.

I went to the website and couldn't really figure it out. I'm sure if I was super motivated I would get into the site and try to figure it out but there was nothing compelling enough to make me want to know more.

I think the first thing you've got is a messaging problem.

I don't mean to be harsh, but your web site is like a nightmare that keeps getting worse.

Why do I say that?

Well, let's take a quick look...

First of all, NOBODY uses left-aligned websites these days. The moment I arrived at your page it just looked "off."

Next, your sales letter (if you could call it that) started to put me asleep almost instantly. It uses "wave the flag" copy. That's boring. Really boring.

ZZZzzz... (Sorry, I drifted off for a moment.)

Your copy needs to talk about WHAT THE CUSTOMER GETS. The BIG benefits. Nobody really cares about YOU. They care about what they get.

Your letter says, "The Power Partnership Program, POP has helped more than 62,000 people since 1979 lead fuller, more enriched lives."

That's extremely vague. (At this point, I still don't know what you're selling.)

You need to... GET TO THE POINT.

Then, you immediately hit them with, "We look forward to having you join this group of people."

Putting aside the rather stiff phrasing... you want them to consider joining before they even know what it is they're joining?

Do you see the problem, yet?

Armstrong Moving?

Sounds sort of like a company that moves furniture. You know, two guys and a truck. If that's not what you're selling, you need to explain your name... quickly.

REMOVE THEIR CONFUSION.

There's an old saying in copywriting... "Confuse them and you'll lose them."

Then there are all those links near the top of the page...

So... you want people to come to your site and have to click page after page just to figure out what you're trying to sell them. Seriously?

Well, let me tell you... for most visitors, that will be entirely too much work. They simply won't do it.

You need to explain the important stuff right on the MAIN PAGE. Extra pages are for extra stuff. Not primary stuff.

Honestly, I never got past your main page. (I was too bored.) However, after reaching the end of the main page, I'm still unclear about what you're selling. Some kind of happiness training... or maybe some software or something. I'm not really sure.

In short, you have a lot of problems to fix.

I hope this helps steer you out of the fog.

John