Sale Strategy

Sun Apr 1 20:26:43 PDT 2018

One other consideration, Time.  Not only the time to find a software but to
test it alongside your current application to insure that it is working
properly.

If they are looking for a GUI, consider the filePro screen scraper.  It
works and also adds an additional layer of security.  Or you could go with
OneGate and write a GUI/Web-based front end as a number of developers have.

When one of my clients wanted the filePro GUI for his staff to use,  They
soundly rejected it.  The billing clerk said, "You really want me to take my
hands off the key board and use a mouse.  That will slow me down and I won't
be able to complete the billing on time".  

Also, keep in mind that a lot of functionality that filePro has does not
exist in other databases.  And they can't get there.   That is not to say
that there are a lot of functions that other languages have that filePro
doesn't.  You client need to make sure that whatever they pick is capable of
duplicating the functionality of your application.  

Again, they are going to spend a lot of money up front just to what they
thing is more functionality.  Other than the GUI, which you can deliver, far
cheaper then writing a new application, what functionality are they looking
for?  Until specifications for the new application have been developed, you
don't really know if filePro can meet these requirements.

Try to pin you client down as to what they are looking for.  Not
generalizations but real specifics.  At that point you will really know what
you are facing.

One of my biggest clients had 2 partners who were for developing an SQL
database application for their business until I was asked if I could add a
feature during an early development conversation.  I said I could.  They
walked out of the room for under 10 minutes and I was able to add the
functionality they wanted.  That surprised the 2 SQL partners and were very
impressed.

Also, I was able to write routines to import data from their client's
databases.  In Fact I was able to import data from a file that their outside
tools could not handle.

The Senior partner was able to demo the application I had written on his
smart phone.  This impressed prospective new clients.   (I really don't
recommend doing this but one can if the smartphone uses a pointer.)

Also, point out that it takes more hardware to handle a GUI application.

Richard Kreiss
GCC Consulting

PS: Take a look at the new functionality available with the latest version
of filePro.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Filepro-list [mailto:filepro-list-
> bounces+rkreiss=verizon.net at lists.celestial.com] On Behalf Of Mike
Schwartz
> via Filepro-list
> Sent: Sunday, April 1, 2018 8:56 AM
> To: 'Filepro List' <filepro-list at celestial.com>
> Cc: Mike Schwartz <filepromike at gmail.com>
> Subject: RE: Sale Strategy
> 
> > How do you guys manage to sale filePro today?
> >
> > $349 per seat is a price tag and then some ... I am one that believes
> > that
> >
> > So, how about some tips on "filePro sale pitch" to win those ever
> > present battles!!!
> > --
> > Jose D. Lerebours
> 
>      It is odd that a customer pays a few thousand dollars for a system,
runs it for
> 15 years as the "heart and life-blood" of their business, then complains
about
> paying another couple of thousand dollars that will probably carry the
system
> forward another 15 years.  I bet they don't get 15 years of dependable
life out of
> their delivery trucks or their office furniture...
> 
>      Since they are happy with their old SCO operating system, why switch
that to
> Linux?  I'm sure you can find hardware that will still run the SCO
operating
> system.  Bill Campbell and others here on the list can probably assist you
in
> virtualizing their old SCO server, if they simply want to virtualize.
> 
>      Business decisions are ultimately ALL about payback.  So, when trying
to sell a
> customer on upgrades, normally I emphasize the "quick payback"
> that they will get with the new reports or new filePro features.  However,
since
> this is a "lateral" move to Linux and if they are not interested in having
you do
> more programming to make use of the new filePro features, they
> won't get a quick payback on their investment.
> 
>      So, the only payback they will get  is that the "heart and
life-blood"
> of their business will have been overhauled; similar to buying all brand
new
> delivery trucks.
> 
>      It is probably worth mentioning the new filepro features to them.
For
> example, maybe they will want you to add filePro's direct PDF printing to
their
> system.
> 
>      Remind them that there is a heavy cost to switch software.  Just the
function
> of SEARCHING for a new software package will probably  consume a LOT of
> man-hours.  They have to look at things like training and buying a LOT
faster
> server and hardware system than their old filePro system requires.
Windows
> apps have their uses, but Windows systems are not always the best option
for
> database systems, even if their users do not type 100 WPM.
> 
>      For example, a few years ago I had a large insurance brokerage who
spent
> more than $350,000.00 to "upgrade" to a "canned" MS-Windows insurance
> database system.  After almost 3 years of testing and adding more and more
> Windows servers, they tried to go "live" on the new system.
Unfortunately, they
> never could get things to balance on the new system and found it took a
LOT
> longer (like 10 times as long) to enter insurance policy info into their
new system
> as compared to filepro.  Also, they just could not get the same "sort and
select"
> reporting flexibility that their old filePro system had.
> 
>      Finally all of their managers confronted the bosses and told them
they were
> going to QUIT unless they went BACK to their old filePro system.  So I had
to
> scramble for a couple of weeks to get them a couple of new servers and
> upgraded filePro system so that they could cut back over to their old
filePro
> system!
> 
>      One of my favorite sales phrases is:  "Every time a user has to take
their hands
> off of their keyboard and move to their mouse, then scroll around a page
and
> position the mouse to the next data field, they have lost
> a LOT of time."
> 
>       So, in this case, I advise:
> 
> 1)  Do NOT move off of SCO (Xinous) Openserver.  There's probably no valid
> reason to spend the money to do that.
> 
> 2)  Think long and hard about considering moving to any new software
package.
> It will probably end up costing a LOT more than you thought it would.
> 
> 3)  Non-GUI database applications are NOT dead.  They are typically more
cost
> effective than GUI Windows based apps are.
> 
> Hope that helps...
> 
> Mike Schwartz
> 
> 
> 
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