Sorry, couldn’t resist the classical quote in the headline 😉 But this is one of those truths… They all say it (me too): Make things work automatically as much as you can. You’ll then be able to make money, even while you’re asleep, on holidays, or playing golf. And it’s true, of course, but there are pros to doing things manually, and there are times where it’s the solution, you SHOULD choose.
Follow me here, and Auntie Britt will explain everything…
How to Sell Software Through the Internet
When we started out by reselling software, we probably made every mistake in the book.
You know how it is, when you want to invest in a shareware program? You try it, you like it, you click a button, you pay, and you get your license automatically by e-mail or even directly in your browser.
Well, that was NOT the way we resold our email client. Far from.
People tried it, yes, they liked it, yes, but then they had to either send us an e-mail, or even telephone us to make the order.
Next step was paying. They could do that by sending us a check by snail-mail or by a wire to our bank.
When we received their money, we would go online, fill in all the information the customer had provided us with (name, address, email, etc.), and we would get a license code from the form.
I would then copy this license code, and thanks to this brilliant email client (that I used myself, of course), I could make the final part a bit automatic, in that I only had to write a keyword, I’ve chosen, and a whole explanation about how to register the program appeared in the email to the client as well as his personal license code.
I would also print out the page with his name, email, and license key.
Pfew!
That was hard work, and luckily we didn’t go on holidays those days, because we had to be present for this “system” to work.
But it was not all bad, you know, because something miraculous happened.
We got to know people.
We got loyal customers, who even asked us, if we were reselling other products.
We formed a community, a mailing list (not one way, like an ezine, but multi way), and we enjoyed each other’s company.
That was a great time that meant a lot to us.
When Should You Go for Manuel Work
Okay, so you have a product, you want to sell, and you’ve heard that you should make the whole sales process automatic. True. But what if you have no idea about how to do that? Or what if you’ve heard about a product that does it all for you (like RAP), but you just cannot afford it yet?
Instead of waiting for the whole thing to be ready and perfect, go with your idea. Go sell it, any way you can, even if it means that people should send you an e-mail and ask for your bank account. Just take action. And then figure it out later, how to make everything run smoother.
Go, go, go 🙂
I like the Auntie Britt sentence. You get the good ol’ mama picture on my inner retina when you say that. Really put a smile on my face. 🙂
It was indeed an amazing era. I remember that mail client with fond memories. I would even go as far as saying it is the primary reason for replying mail on a PC since they were unwilling to target both the Linux and MacOS platforms.
You make a very good point in saying that taking action is the most important point. Getting things to run smoother later is indeed a good piece of advice.
I love all the inspiration that is coming from this blog in the month of June.
Thanks, Henrik, I’m glad you liked it.
On my blog on Wealthy Affiliates, I wrote about joining the Blog 30 challenge. It has made me choose as a priority to write on this blog, and I get inspired from other blog-posts, or – as usual – from something I suddenly think of, or talk with my husband about. A challenge is a really good way to push yourself into taking action.
Britt,
There are so many things we can automate… downloads, lost passwords (membership site), autoresponders, blog posts… the average person doesn’t realize it.
I also used to handle downloads manually in the very very beginning. You’re right, you can’t do it the “right” way right out of the gate. Do it any way and then change over one piece at a time to something automatic.
Auto makers had to figure out how to make a car start by turning a key instead of a crank. Then figure out automatic transmission… power windows… cruise control… intermittent windshield wipers… headlights that turn themselves on… and now some of these cars parallel park themselves.
Every time you add one of these things, like automatic downloads (which really only means instant delivery to them) that’s another excuse to run a promo.
Hi Robert,
I like your metaphor with the auto makers. You’re absolutely right. If they should have waited with the first auto-mobile until we had direct ignition with automatic gear and stuff, we would still be riding in horse driven cars.
I like to automate as much as possible, but there are probably tons of things, I could do better that I haven’t even thought about yet. I know there’s a program for Mac which should make it easier, but I haven’t tried it yet, and right now, I don’t even remember the name. It’ll come back.