Hi Robert,

Every situation is differnt. You need to evaluate how valuable that person is, and to realistically ask yourself how far you would get without them.

Giving away ownership is not preferable, however it may be required to get the right person on board. The right industry insider can be worth more than their weight in gold, especially if you don't have the ins. I don't think there are any answers to how much to give away. I just ask myself, where would I be without this person? In 20 years, will I resent having giving them this much? In 20 years, would I have done as well with the product if it wasn't for them.

You need to work closely with this person, and educate them on the workings of your system, so they can talk the technical talk. It won't take long. Then the two of you need to make appointments and go visit people and show off the software. You need publicity too - but good publicity. A mention in USA Today is not going to help you a fraction as much as the mention in the relevant trade journal. That is the kind of thing an insider who you partner with can get.

Good luck


>Hi David and thank you for your reply..it is very helpful...
>I do not understand what you mean when you say...(i.e. put a cap on their annual earnings so you get virtually all of the longer term upside)...
>Do mean to require the partner to make so many sales a year?
>If they are doing all of the selling, what percent of the gross should
>I give them? Should I give them ownship in the program or just a percent of what they sell? I coded the program for the govt, but have made considerable
>changes and the result is another program. In fact I re-wrote the program..
>I did not think they will partner up with me. Are you saying you want me to find someone who is in the HEALKSECK business or just some who knows how to market software? Sorry for all the questions...and I appreciate your help.
>
>----------
>>Hi Robert,
>>
>>A couple of thoughts...
>>
>>1) I'd be wary of the email approach. When I receive that type of email, which I do on occassion, I get very upset, and I believe many others feel the same. There are moral invasion of privacy issues to consider, and a bigger question of whether you want to participate in the degradation of email, as has happened for years with snail mail. In other words, unless you can work your way into a commercial email which the user already receives, you may get some hits, but you also run the risk of tarnishing your reputation and wasting your time and money. Some guys are doing OK with this direct email approach. But I don't think any are doing great, and though I'm not certain, I would guess that most of them are absolutely wasting their time and throwing away their money.
>>
>>2) In my mind, the best way to market your software is to partner with an insider in the industry. I suspect you'll have better luck selling your system if you can find a partner with a decent reputation, perhaps even the person for whom you built it, and splitting the action with them. Just limit your exposure (i.e. put a cap on their annual earnings so you get virtually all of the longer term upside) and though you'll be shelling out to some guy who certainly did not spend the hundreds or thousands of hours you did designing this, you'll be making that much more money than you would have otherwise. And here's another big thing to consider - your upfront costs. What is the risk to you? If your venture fails, you've lost your time, but not your money (at least not too much of it).
>>
>>>I coded a program and it is almost ready for sale. The program is for companies to keep track of their hardware and software problems. Now comes the marketing. I do not no anything about marketing or even how to get started. Could you folks that are selling your programs give me some pointers?
>>>These are some of the questions I have...
>>>Do I need a bulk emailer?
>>>If so, where do I get the email addresses I need.?
>>>How does a person selectively seek out the right group of people?
>>>What do I use for a return address.
>>>Will my email address handle many emails from people interested in my program?
>>>Thanks...