Need help deciding on marketing and sales plans

[gpietersz]

Just as a matter of interest, what percentage of your turnover do you spend on marketing yourself, often with the self employed its next to zero, they expect word of mouth to get them the jobs or a 2cm slot in the local weekly

I have been spending next to zero, except indirectly for PPH work (where they take a cut, a big cut for one-off small jobs). I am prepared to spend.

If you are unable to decide to follow one path but just become a jack of all trades then you need to market yourself in all area's,

That is why I want to pick one thing to focus on. I was a bit of a jack of all trades, but have become less so over the years.

I reckoned on a budget of 22%.

I would be happy to spend that, especially short term, and increase it if it increased revenues.

 

[NickGrogan]

Some of the ideas involve so initial spend to be able to do the work, and all will involve effort and money to get sales.

It's hard to get sales without at least one of those.

Personally I'd move away from the CRM side, as you know its a very broad and competitive sector. Unless you can find a niche, like CRM for financial, but that will probably create more issues with compliance and the like.

There is plenty of work, but you need to be much clearer and what you actually want to do.

Once you decide that, the marketing will ensure that the clients know you're the right choice.

 

[AllUpHere]

Realistically, as a one man band you are going to have to work a lot of it out on your own. As Nick pointed out, the reasons you have got the responses you have, has little to do with what's actually best, and a lot more about what they are trying to sell you.

Anyone offering digital marketing services will tell you exactly what Paul Carmen has told you, a web designer will tell you your website is rubbish, and a graphic designer will tell you your graphics are putting people off.

On the bright side, it doesn't cost a lot of money to market a business in your sector once the ground work has been done. Unfortunately, someone qualified and experienced enough to do the groundwork for you is probably going to be out of your price range.

If you get a proposal from someone claiming to be able to help you, I'd be more than happy to look over it and tell you if they know what they are doing or not. The help you need is exactly what I do every day, albeit for slightly larger businesses. I'll be able to tell you if someone has the skills and knowledge to help you almost instantly.

 

[gpietersz]

Personally I'd move away from the CRM side, as you know its a very broad and competitive sector.

I am also thinking of calling it something else. Then I am not competing head to head with salesforce. I can use alternative terminology: "contact management and workflow" for example (that is just off the top if my head, not thought through).

Realistically, as a one man band you are going to have to work a lot of it out on your own

Any pointers? Books to read, courses to follow, things to try...?

 

[NickGrogan]

Calling it something else doesnt change what it is.

Why would I come to you for a python crm, and not go to salesforce?

 

[gpietersz]

Why would I come to you for a python crm, and not go to salesforce?

lots of reasons, depending on what you do:

• Customisation to your exact needs. No limits on customisability. I have worked on system that include regulatory compliance checks, a customised booking process, a single platform running a website and operations etc.
  
• Integration with existing systems planned for and integrated.
  
• Unlimited users, contacts, pipelines etc. This can be a real problem with SaaS CRMs For example, Hubspot starts free but gets expensive if you have more than a few thousand customers (which a lot of consumer businesses hit pretty fast) or more than one sales pipeline.
  
• Lower training costs: it can be built around your existing workflow, terminology, etc. This is a big selling point: a lot of people try the big CRMs and find them hard to use, and sometimes this is after spending a fortune on training (and a another on customisation, configuration and integration).
• No vendor lockin. If you decide you do not want to work with me or I am charging too much you can just hire someone else who knows the platform.

 

[NickGrogan]

Which of those do you think doesn't apply to salesforce?

No system will allow unlimited users without increasing costs, even if you create your own or use open source, hosting requirements will change as size develops and most platforms have some scaling limit.

 

[gpietersz]

Which of those do you think doesn't apply to salesforce?

All of them. Does Salesforce let you modify their software? Can you use the Saleforce software independently of salesforce? Did they look at your workflow and talk to your staff before writing their software?

No system will allow unlimited users without increasing costs, even if you create your own or use open source, hosting requirements will change as size develops and most platforms have some scaling limit.

Not even remotely comparable in terms of cost. Moving from a £20 a month VPS to a £100 a month dedicated server because you now have to have capacity for a thousand users and a million customers instead of the 100 users and 100k customers you originally planned for is nothing like as expensive as having to pay a fee for every single one of those thousand users.

Very few businesses are big enough to have scaling problems with competently written software and they are far too big to be potential customers.

 

[gpietersz]

I have had another thought.

I have been told in the past that one of my problems is that I do not know whether to promote my self or the company as a brand.

So, does it make sense to do this:

1. Revive and update the business site in my personal name for things that rely on my particular mix of programming and financial analysis and maths skills.
2. Use the company site for more general things. Target that at Python/Django/webapps etc.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Where are either web sites in google search at present for any of these terms

Quote "Easy to use business systems including CRM, customised to fit your workflow.

Advice and virtual CTO, for startups or established businesses looking to make IT a competitive advantage."

How many startups would know what a vertual CTO does or is? what is this Advantage?

Your hardly selling yourself to a business forum where there are lots of potential cuastomers

 

[gpietersz]

@Chris Ashdown agreed. I will rewrite my signature. I will put more effort into it after I have settle the "what do I do question".

Where websites rank is not really important until after I have decided what I want them to rank for.

 

[NickGrogan]

All of them. Does Salesforce let you modify their software? Can you use the Saleforce software independently of salesforce? Did they look at your workflow and talk to your staff before writing their software?



Not even remotely comparable in terms of cost. Moving from a £20 a month VPS to a £100 a month dedicated server because you now have to have capacity for a thousand users and a million customers instead of the 100 users and 100k customers you originally planned for is nothing like as expensive as having to pay a fee for every single one of those thousand users.

Very few businesses are big enough to have scaling problems with competently written software and they are far too big to be potential customers.

If I google salesforce customisation, I get 120,000 results and bunch of ads from customisation companies. Your answer is technically correct, I can't edit the source code, but it's also wrong, because as a business I can customise Salesforce to my hearts content.

If you're selling to businesses, you need to give the business answer.

Your solution is open source, there are countless open source products that have died as people have stopped updating them. PhantomJS for one - now any project that uses that needs rewriting.

I've no doubt your solution is technically better, but that's not what people want, people want safety and reassurance, and you need to offer that.

I think you need to take a step or two back from what do you do to what do you want?

Are you looking for global domination, UK domination, £1m company to sell, £1m earnings, a better job, more security, something to do, a hobby.

They're all valid answers, but they affect the what do you do question.

 

[gpietersz]

If I google salesforce customisation, I get 120,000 results and bunch of ads from customisation companies.

Which is an argument in favour of using a custom built system: if you are going to spend a lot on customisation, why not just build your own or customise an open source system yourself instead?

Its probably worth mentioning that I have two reasons for doing this:

1. Custom systems because I have found customers in the past - but there has been two much chance, and too many through the wrong channels (like PPH).
2. CRM in particular because I know so many people who have had bad experiences with the big CRMs.

Your solution is open source, there are countless open source products that have died as people have stopped updating them.

There are also countless proprietary products that have died.

With an open source product you can keep using it even if the vendor withdraws it. If it is at all widely used someone will maintain a fork.

With a custom system the problem does not even arise.

Mostly a lot of what you are saying is that I need to have a better explanation of the advantages of particular things if I decide that is what I want to sell. Or are you are you saying that I should not sell it because the USP is too hard to sell

If you're selling to businesses, you need to give the business answer.

Are cost effectiveness, flexibility, lower training costs and time etc. not business answers?

£1m company to sell

Close to my goal - except I do not have it down to £x.

 

[gpietersz]

Close to my goal - except I do not have it down to £x.

Good earnings would be a decent substitute.

 

[NickGrogan]

Mostly a lot of what you are saying is that I need to have a better explanation of the advantages of particular things if I decide that is what I want to sell. Or are you are you saying that I should not sell it because the USP is too hard to sell

I'm saying that you haven't found/explained the USP yet. When you find/make one that you'll have something you can sell.

Close to my goal - except I do not have it down to £x.

Can you make a £Xm company as a CTO/advisor? Probably, but you'll end up running a recruitment company. Nothing wrong with that, but is that what you want?

Can you make an £Xm company as python developer? Alone, probably not, with a team yes, but again you're heading into recruitment, providing a range of contractors for clients.

Can you make an £Xm company with a CRM? Yes, even if its open source, but probably not alone, ultimately this is a marketing problem, not a development problem.

I was approached by a marketing company using an open source tool for their clients and charging between £2 & £5000 per month for the service. It's quite easy to make a £1m business if you're charging those kind of fees.

which CRM do you base your projects on?

 

[gpietersz]

Can you make a £Xm company as a CTO/advisor? Probably, but you'll end up running a recruitment company. Nothing wrong with that, but is that what you want?

Not what I want if its a recruitment company. It would be if I can build a consultancy company. It would be niche but niche IT consultants do make money and they are often bought by bigger ones.

That is a very helpful question. Thanks.

I'm saying that you haven't found/explained the USP yet. When you find/make one that you'll have something you can sell.

Agreed.

That comes back to my original question, which is how I find the right USP.

There are multiple directions I could go it: the question is which ones leads to something that has a USP in the eyes of prospective customers?

 

[NickGrogan]

Not what I want if its a recruitment company. It would be if I can build a consultancy company. It would be niche but niche IT consultants do make money and they are often bought by bigger ones.

Ultimately its still a recruitment company model, even if you employ the consultants, you're still spending most of the time finding jobs for them and make your money by charging for their time.

the question is which ones leads to something that has a USP in the eyes of prospective customers?

Who are the prospective customers? Then you can find the USP, not the other way round.

I'd look for a niche which is less technically advanced and provide them with a solution they dont know exists to a problem they have.

You don't want people who are comparing you to salesforce, you want people who are comparing you to excel or a box file.

Or who can't / won't use salesforce for another reason.

 

[gpietersz]

Ultimately its still a recruitment company model, even if you employ the consultants, you're still spending most of the time finding jobs for them and make your money by charging for their time.

Fine by me.

 

[NickGrogan]

OK, so there's your idea.

You want to create CTO/advisory company that will be sellable and worth Xm in a reasonable time frame.

You'll also need to look at company structure and sourcing your consultants, as well as whether they'll be employees/consultants/etc. Some structures are easier to sell than others.

This goal is what your marketing needs to reflect and should guide you in your plans too.

The answer isn't a shiny new website and PPC.

 

[gpietersz]

OK, so there's your idea.

One of several ideas I am considering. I do not have the resources to do several things at once (even apart from sales and marketing).

You'll also need to look at company structure and sourcing your consultants, as well as whether they'll be employees/consultants/etc. Some structures are easier to sell than others.

It will initially need to be just me selling my services. If I cannot get that going the end goal many years down the line is unachievable.

The answer isn't a shiny new website and PPC.

I think that is true,

 

[NickGrogan]

You might find these sites useful as a possible template for your idea

https://www.tume.co.uk/
https://www.thefdcentre.co.uk/

 

[Ray272]

Maybe provide some case studies on each discipline.

The CRM for example you could tailor to specific industries and highlight the benefits of the custom CRM with similar business's or previous clients. You could then target such companies and they would immediately understand your benefit to their business. You could identify multiple industries using this method.

 

[nabila2030]

if you want to increase your profit use splitly it s very intersting and allow you to get more profit and sales it test every element of your product for increasing conversions and profits.so you will really see how your listing performs over tim
go to mye instagram women futur and send me a message i will answer u