Seventhman Blog

1. How to Sell Your Software Online in 6 Simple Steps

   You’ve got a great app or service. Wonderful!  If only you can market it to your target customers.. then, that would be so much better.  How do you sell your software online?  Online marketing is crucial to your success factor and you can get started in so many ways and for the same reason, many cringe on the very thought of doing so.  With new competition popping up all the time, you struggle to find ways on how to increase your chances of getting your product purchased. العاب القمار   If Gartner has predicted that cloud-based business apps and SaaS services will reach $32.3 billion in sales by 2016, how can you join the roster of those who are out there to profit?

   When Traditional Sales Methods Won’t Work

   Don’t get me wrong here, but when it comes to software in the enterprise, traditional means of selling what you’ve come up with won’t work like expected.  One reason for this is that the classic models were based on assembly lines – like building automobiles, manufacturing and so on.  In the world of IT, change happens so fast that just when you think you’re done with step #1, you find yourself scratching your head that you have to redo things all over and start on a clean slate.  Thanks to the internet, your customers are smarter. سباق خيول   They want you to show how you can solve their problems. Simple.  They are also discovering products via influencers, search engines and social media channels. بيت فاينل   Chances are, if you get an inquiry, your prospect already knows everything about you and would just like to validate or clarify what s/he has read.

   How Can People Who Hate Marketing Sell the Software They Have Built?

   I believe at some point, everyone got stuck in the how of things, especially when driving growth and sales is concerned.  You probably heard of the word ‘growth hack’ – a popular meme on launching your business to the right audience so you can turn hundreds to millions of them into customers who have the money to buy what you offer.  You’re a software engineer, an entrepreneur, a CEO and marketing is not your expertise.  It’s never too late to learn and you can start with:

   1. Beta Testing – Validate your software and get feedback by launching a squeeze page.  By doing so, you can also invite email signups which you can use for generating quality leads who are interested and more likely to buy.

   2. Free Trial – If you’re just starting out and you haven’t built a solid online reputation yet, you can offer free trial for a limited time for customers to test drive your product.

   3. Freemium Model – You may also offer a free version side-by-side with options to sign up for basic to premium services.  Make sure to make a clear comparison of the features of each.

   4.  Inbound marketing – whatever type of content you wish to share on your website, blog, related websites or social networks.. You have to make sure that you address your customers’ pain points for your product to connect with them in a powerful way.

   5.  Transactional marketing – if you plan to offer a one-shot deal without the need to upsell, you can check out how you can compete on price and feature alone without having to get active in conversations.

   6.  Relationship marketing – I’d rather recommend this even if you don’t intend to upsell.  This is where you engage your prospects and customers in a conversation, building relationships with them in the long run.  This way, you get to increase your influence and social proof over time.

   Before anything else, you must always start with an open mind.  Experiment and mix these six strategies in your hope of generating repeat business and customer loyalty for your brand.

    

   **If you need help in developing your software from idea to completion.. to marketing online, just Ask!

    

    

    

2. Are You Ready to Embrace Enterprise Mobility?

   Change is coming… to enterprise mobility and the shift is happening in a blink of an eye.  You might say that it’s an over-statement on my part.  The reality is not really far-fetch, thanks to the BYOD movement.  Mobile is the new IT, no doubt.  Back in the 80’s, big companies invested millions on desktop computers because they believed that this will make their employees productive.  Today, everything changed with mobile apps running on smartphones, tablets and somewhere in between.  Going mobile used to be a business cost and now, a means to transform the way people work.  With these said, one can wonder who owns mobility in the enterprise.

   From Cloud Exploration to Cloud Business

   The adoption of cloud within the enterprise is becoming less experimental, evolving into a vital production tool in the workplace.  IT departments are starting to take cloud computing and security more seriously.  From the CIO to marketing departments and business managers, the power-shift is happening.  Almost everyone can now work with mobile applications, thanks to vendors who have listened well and designed something simple and useful for their end-users.  According to a research done by Forrester, business leaders who are making lots of renegade tech purchases are 50% more likely to increase spending.  No matter, we’re seeing a rise in the number of tech-savvy business executives who can now interact more effectively with IT.

   Taking the Management Out of Enterprise Mobility

   There is an emerging discipline within enterprise where people, processes and technology are managed based on the increasing use of mobile devices, computing and wireless networks in the workplace.  While mobility may free business units from the iron grip of IT, there must be balance where managing this revolution is concerned. العاب مقابل المال   While you can play the paranoia game, thanks to the revelations made by ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden, people should be empowered to go mobile without putting corporate data at risk.  One way to do this is to implement a unified network infrastructure that delivers a secured virtual network for its user.  This means having reliable connectivity too. bet365 arabic   Also, having a unified architecture approach helps – from routers, servers, wireless access points, security to business apps.  The last thing you want is for your people opting out simply because the company-provided tools didn’t perform well on their devices. كازينو دوت كوم

   Should You Mobilize Everything?

   What can empower your team more is through giving them access to their work and personal data – anytime, anywhere on their mobile devices.  The challenge?  Not everyone feels ready for this transformation simply because they think they are wasting money on this investment. Can you really bring in mobility, data security and self-service come to work without risking data control?  This is everyone’s dream.  The solutions available right now in the market may be far from perfect,  but I’m optimistic that we’re finally getting there.  For now, I’d say spend more time researching on how you can create your own work apps, train your people to efficiently use mobility in their jobs, and make sure that everyone knows the value of going mobile.

   Technology has the power to transform or deform your brand.  The choice is totally up to you…

3. Can IT and Business Bury the Hatchet?

   Can we all just get along?  Sometimes, you can’t help asking this question where it concerns the IT department and the rest of the business.  Whether it’s an issue of mistrust, communication or mindboggling bugs – business owners are simply lost as to how to deal with the issue.  This gap is a major money drain that adds to loss in productivity in the workplace.  When things get awry, end users of technology used in the company hate calling their help desk.  In fact, that’s the last thing they want to do.  Does it have something to do with the IT stereotype, of introverted technophiles working in secret?  Is it a culture clash that makes charismatic business leaders steer clear of IT?  Whatever the answer is, there’s only one truth here: There is a huge gap.

   Going Back to Where It All Started

   Last May, I shared with you my insights on the three inconvenient truths about IT and business. Let’s dig in deeper this time.  No matter how modern a company’s business is, how well-supported it is with new technologies and trends like the  BYOD (bring-your-own-device) movement, the expectations between IT and business is a major mismatch contributing to the friction that’s getting bigger each day. According to a study made by Forrester (commissioned by BMC) in December 2012 – there are significant gaps in customer experience.  Business users of all types are  solving things on their own or getting it elsewhere, even when they reached out to IT for help. ربح المال من لعب الالعاب   We all know that user satisfaction is important in business.  The thing is that even when IT asks for ways to improve with their surveys, little to no action is done to make things work.

   • Just take a look at this I.T. Friction Index to get the idea (courtesy of CIO.com)

   Inspiring a Culture of Change

   Do you think that the old system is to blame?  In the beginning, businesses were totally dependent on IT no matter how limited the technology is.  Then came the internet and tools on how to make things faster at a lower cost. مواقع القمار العالمية   Business leaders are simply taking things on their own because their needs weren’t met when they started working with IT. سباق الخيل   Not all users have the same demands and expectations so understanding the culture of each user is a must.  Gone were the days when the service desk is just a point of contact.  They have to be trained to excel in customer service.  If the IT management will be more accountable on each solution they provide, they may even automate certain processes within the business to help regain loss in productivity.  Everybody wins then…

   IT Problems Don’t Have to Cost Your Business Big Bucks

   The real trouble kicks in when you’re dealing with numbers.  Let’s say company X employs thousands.  Majority of their requests go to the help desk – whether they are working at the office, semi-mobile or 100% mobile.  When users can’t work because of IT issues, they lose valuable time.  Frustrations can pile up.  While automation has helped counter this,  together with implementing user-friendly support (tutorials, remote help, live chats, blogs, forums) – only through proactive and timely communication will the gap heal in time.  Having a Plan B when things go wrong can help too, so long as there is a real commitment to continuously improve existing technologies and system with one end in mind: Positive Impact to Business.

   How can you innovate IT? Start with common sense, like keeping things simple.  It can go a long way, would you agree?

    

    

    

4. Three Inconvenient Truths About IT and Business

   If there’s one thing we have learned throughout these years, it’s this:  Business is no longer confined to a single territory.  Thanks to robust applications and new technology, growing your very own business these days is less costly and a tad simpler.  To be a leader in your niche is something that many of us are still trying to figure out and together with the digital revolution comes the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle… and most of us are no closer to solving the pieces that will determine our very own success. بينجو اون لاين   What went wrong?

   Exploring the Nemesis Within

   To quote from this lively discussion in Linkedin, it’s mentioned that ‘25% of businesses fail within their first year and an astonishing 70% of businesses fail within ten years…’ Perhaps, if we can explore the truth behind this statement, then, we may be able to come up with realistic solutions that will address which factors will lead to our business success or failure.  I would like to start off with these issues as seen from the eyes of a software developer and an entrepreneur:

   Three Inconvenient Truths that IT and Business Leaders Need to Face

   Truth #1  You’re Not Looking in the Right Place

   An idea, no matter how brilliant, is useless unless it is turned into a working model.  Problem is, we have always asked ourselves why we haven’t thought of that.. bwin شركة as we read news about this new product that became a huge, overnight success.  If you have asked the geniuses behind these wonders, they will tell you that they have never thought of making a profit firsthand.. instead, they wanted to solve this problem they have in their own life.  That’s just half of the equation though.  The other half is being open to change.  Your love for your idea may keep you blinded from better opportunities out there.

   Truth #2  Invasion of Privacy

   With the convergence of cloud, social and mobile comes a new era where companies are starting to breathe life into their social business.  While there are many benefits to be had when you connect with customers in new ways, the price gets higher this time as companies follow closely the online activities of their target market so they can up their chances of selling something, with the hopes that there will be less room to say no to that offer.  In a perfect world, IT objectives support business goals.  But with this new threat to data security, the risk is simply higher.  Improving IT compliance can be a long and windy road to take, and minimizing risk is all but a perception.

   Truth #3  Do we really need data scientists?

   With all the buzz that big data is creating, most of us are lost on whether we should base our every business decision from data analytics alone.  For the reason that you can’t improve what you can’t measure, we swim deeper into the murky pool of tools in our hunt for the next business intelligence which will help us gain our competitive edge. مواقع الرهان على المباريات   In the process of doing so, creativity-driven decisions are set aside and businesses start to lose sight of the real context of what they see in their enterprise data.  As sheer volume of data is collected, you forgot to ask better questions on how to improve your business.

   I believe that when we start to address these inconvenient truths, then that’s the time that we can really create the most productive approach in handling business and IT issues altogether.

   …and the devil is in the details?

5. The Greatest Challenge a CIO Has to Face

   For quite some time, I have been pondering about the current talent shortage that many businesses are complaining about.  Is it really a lack of people who fit skill-wise.. or personality-wise?  For the same reason, CIOs should spend more time thinking about human resources so they can bridge the gap between innovation and strategic initiative. When there is a need to manage people to perform their best and increase opportunities in corporate profitability, perhaps it’s high time that the CIO and HR executive work head-to-head over a cup of coffee.. and brew a plan that will advance the company’s business goals to create results, for real.

   The Paradox: Integrating IT with Business

   Thanks to the rise in cloud applications, CIOs are taking a more strategic role in the business side of things, rather than simply sit back in the tech department.  Sooner, every CIO will be equipped with ways to merge IT and business so s/he can make plans that will drive revenue, solve customer pain points and fix persistent business issues.  While the HR has  a treasure cove of data about workers lying dormant in the system, the CIO has the analytic skills to unearth value out of these data.  To deal with managing talents, having a scientific approach will turn businesses into game changers.  The CIO may just find the crucial piece that connects value creation and innovation.  But the real challenge is how to make everyone think that IT is not a separate entity from the entire business.  This time, we have to shift the focus on IT tasks to relationships. بلاك جاك   Simply put – just because you’re not writing codes don’t mean you are not adding value on the table.

   With High Risks Come High Rewards

   Maybe I’m asking too much.. but CIOs who are adopting mobility these days are also the ones who are facing high rewards – with greater risks.  Those who embraced the idea of telecommuting are seeing better results, with happier employees as a plus.  While it’s totally fine to be cautious about mobility, being resistant to change is not.  If you take longer than the rest to moving things forward, you will be left behind in the race.  With the recent reports on China’s cyber-espionage, the outsourcing industry hit another dent where data security is concerned.  Still, adopting mobility in the workplace is on the rise to meet end-user demand.  How can we do a better job for our talents and make sure we attract new ones?  This is the question everyone in business has been asking lately to make sure they increase speed, agility and productivity – while improving their brand value, customer loyalty and competitive advantage.

   The Quest for Continuous Improvement Begins

   Where do CIOs go from here?  The only way to improve is to actively measure what works and what doesn’t.  The issue is not much about identifying problems, but the quality of new solutions being run. قوانين الروليت   At some point, you have to check if your KPI (key performance indicator) is up-to-date. كيف تربح في لعبة الروليت   Data on job candidates alone are not enough to identify the key element to their success.  You have to anticipate their needs so you can plan programs that will improve their job satisfaction and keep attrition rate closer to nil.  Money alone is not a great motivator so you may have to revamp what will have a greater impact on your bottom line – then, draft incentive structures based on what exactly makes them perform best.  You can’t take the back seat this time hoping that things will improve soon.

   If you want to have a clue about what’s happening – you have to be in the game.  This is the ONLY way.  It’s high time to match your IT portfolio with your business strategy.  The Good News?  It’s achievable.

6. Keeping Agile in the World of Offshore Outsourcing

   Gone were the days of labor arbitrage as we enter a new era where finding qualified talent for your team is as quick as a mouse click. تنزيل اموال حقيقية   While it is true that many businesses are looking offshore to cut down on cost, there is much more benefit to be had than meets the eye.  Those who were first to take a bite have now harbored mature offshore outsourcing relationships that resulted to an overall increase in service quality, as well as maximum flexibility when it comes to the organization’s enterprise strategy process.  Many of those who have been practicing offshore outsourcing see more improvement in their organizational agility as an effect of sending work over to global sourcing hubs.  But, innovation in this area is not without a multitude of challenges.

   The Immigrant-Driven Economy

   As I’ve been following the hot debate between Obama and Romney when it comes to immigration, I can’t help but wonder just how have these people born outside the U.S. helped in growing the economy.  In this infographic from Entrepreneur online mag, it will surprise you that more foreign-born workers and entrepreneurs are driving economic growth.. and the number is rising.  What’s more amazing is that they dominate service-based industries, regardless of the language and culture barriers.  There must be a stigma right now on local businesses taking jobs abroad, but I’m hoping that whoever wins the presidential race will not forget about the efforts of these migrants who are helping reshape the economy in such uncertain times.

   How Do You Play the Sourcing Game?

   While there’s news of GM bringing back 10,000 IT jobs on-shore, many other early adopters of offshore outsourcing may just follow suit.  Manufacturing is one of those areas where we’ll surely hear more news where sourcing is concerned.  But in this age of globalization where the fast beats the big, to survive the game, you have to multi-source… or simply, take the best of both worlds, of what insourcing and outsourcing can bring to your business so you can maximize productivity and increase your ROI.  As the adage goes, fortune favors the brave.  Many may still be reluctant to go local because they may not be able to scale their operations like what they currently do now overseas, like in India.  Investing in domestic resources may just not be a viable option for some.  Are you willing to take the risk? العب روليت

   Offshore Outsourcing and Agility

   Some say that you can’t outsource agile for the simple fact that distance works against close collaboration among your team.  Can you really adopt an agile work process when it comes to outsourcing? العاب في الهاتف   Though it comes with challenges, especially in the matter of managing people and technology, the good news is that it is manageable.  The core value of organizational agility comes with the right preparation, of taking baby steps, starting things slowly but surely, investing in on-site training, choosing the right partner, and having project managers who lead by example.  It’s all about taking advantage of the best available resources, onshore and offshore, that works for many successful teams.  In this case, we’re more likely to see hybrid sourcing models bloom just to make ends meet, as they call it.

   The decision is yours to make.  Experiment and Learn.

7. Can Your Business Scale Globally on the Clouds?

   We have all learned that to be successful in business these days, you have to conquer the cultural divide so your business can scale globally.  But, what does it really mean for your cloud strategy?  When traditional approach is still being used in IT architecture these days, just how do you take advantage of the clouds so you can integrate multiple technologies and service providers seamlessly?  Is there really a secret to cloud computing success in your organization? شركة المراهنات bwin   A new era of change has just begun.

   The Adoption of a Cloud Strategy

   It will all start with an agile process involving CIO’s… down to your sales, marketing, HR and other departments involved in the so-called ‘change’.  Here is where the CIO view the blueprint of this cloud strategy so the platform can integrate very well with various business functions in the organization, where cost is not only reduced, but making the transition less complex for everyone.  Sounds too easy?  Yes, it may be a drag or even a major pain – and business executives must lead the way in what you call a leadership in the clouds. العاب قمار كازينو   It all boils down to shared vision and collaboration so that everyone can participate in this change that will affect the business in the long run.

   It’s not really surprising that cloud computing is here to rule, no matter how people may have varying opinions about the subject.  Gartner predicts that by 2015, most organizations will have migrated to the cloud.  It’s an adapt-and-adopt game out there when it comes to a cloud strategy, where you adapt the technology and you adopt its use in your business functions.  It’s important then to have a careful planning process before making that giant leap.  Security is still a major concern for many who are having second thoughts though, and to illustrate, here’s an intriguing infographic about it.

   The Age of IT Industrialization

   There is a growing demand for private cloud services and though the pay-per-use model may not be cheaper, if you want your business to scale globally on the clouds, you must be realistic with what you’re actually getting for in return.  You need to assess which applications you can move to the cloud and which ones should be managed in-house.  With plenty of vendors to choose from, you have to scrutinize each one closely to make sure that they meet your requirements.  Yes, there will always be some risk and having a contingency plan can help along the way.

   This is just scratching the surface of migrating to the clouds.. and getting ready to make a change is not a one-off deal, but something that takes years to master and managed every day.  In the end, the goal is to have free flow of information across regional to international borders.  The question now is:  “ Are you ready to rethink your cloud strategy.. or start one, if you don’t have any yet? “