Question

Topic: Other

Finding A Sales Rep For Computer Software

Posted by Anonymous on 3/17/2005 at 7:55 PM ET 250 Points
This is a fairly new Software Company. I am interested in finding at least 1 or more Sales Rep that can help me market and sell my software. The Software that has been developed vary from games, educational, organizers, graphics tools, and more. Right now my only source of income is coming from Day Care Centers who need software for their kids. The Software that the Day Care Centers purchase from me are straight forward and follows their teaching criteria for kids. Basically, the Sales Rep does not have to be highly experienced in Computer Software. There will be training given to the Sales Rep. Salary is Commissioned Based. It Starts at 20% up to 45% Commission. There are bonuses. If a Sales Rep can get at least 100 clients there will be a bonus (between $1500 - $3000). To add to that bonus, if a Sales Rep can have clients purchase a certain amount of Software with "Site Licenses" they will receive another bonus (between $2000 - $4000).

If anyone here at this forum can help me , I would appreciate it dearly. Can someone please help me find some Sales Reps that can market and sell my software.
Thank You!


Cordially Yours,
David Watson
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Carl Crawford on 3/17/2005 at 9:00 PM Member
    Where in the world are you located?

    USA, New Zealand, Russia, India?

    Sales rep normally DONT make good marketers and vice versa.

    Also why don’t you try posting on www.Monster.com or www.craigslist.com

    If you are in New Zealand i might be interested. My email is in my profile.
  • Posted by telemoxie on 3/18/2005 at 8:56 AM Accepted
    As a professional telemarketer, I have been approached literally hundreds of times and asked to do marketing on commission.

    It might be possible to find someone who does this. But why would a skilled salesperson bother selling software for your start-up company, when they can sell any one of a thousand or more established products on commission? My guess is that, at this phase in your company's development, your web site, product literature, and other marketing materials need substantial work.

    There are folks on this forum who will do marketing for a piece of the action - I just don't happen to be one of them. There are web based marketing folk who might be able to help you drive traffic to your web site for a piece of the action - that's not my specialty, either. Do you have a web site? Maybe your biggest problem is getting the word out - and that's what folks on this forum are very good at. Can you post a link to the site?

    There are also, I believe, other telemarketing firms who will do lead generation on commission - you might be able to find one with a Google search.

    Are you offering a piece of the action? If the skilled and talented marketing person you seek is successful in getting your business off the ground, will they own a share of your company? If this is your intention, is this offer in writing?

    Maybe you can find someone who meets your expectations and requirements, who will basically work their but off for free. Maybe you can also find Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, Elvis, and the Great Pumpkin.

    My advice is that you figure out an amount you can afford in the long term. (Money talk, bullshit walks). For example, let's say you can only afford $200 per month. I'll bet there are 100,000 people in Russia, in India, in equatorial Africa, and maybe in Indonesia who you can contact and work with over the web, who can promote your product over the web, and who would work for you part time or maybe full time for that amount of money. Such a peson could help you get established (assuming for the moment that your software is half decent). I'll bet there are 100 or more folk on this forum who would put a part-time effort into your software, assuming for the moment that you can find your checkbook.

    You might also consider finding someone who is currently calling on the educational market, who would also promote your offerings. Such a person could be highly valuable to you - since they have established relationships with folk, they can probably give you excellent market feedback. Again, if it were me, I would find a way to put money in their pocket (e.g. "expense reimbursement", spiffs, or bonuses) in the short term.

    You might consider retaining a retired teacher, on a part-time basis. (By the way, "retaining" means that you spend money).

    Personally, everyone I know who is motivated, organized, and hard-working already has a job. From my perspective, if you don't believe in your own product enough to invest your own money in promoting it, why should I invest my time?
  • Posted by telemoxie on 3/19/2005 at 2:53 PM Member
    Can we draw a distinction here between marketing and sales?

    My understanding is that the oldest known coin is inscribed, "find a need and fill it". To me, the "finding a need" part is marketing, the "filling it" is sales.

    Marketing creates opportunities, sales turns them into orders.

    Another example would be if you owned an apple orchard. Sales people are apple pickers - they do not plant trees, they do not water trees, they do not cut dead branches from trees - they simply pick apples. Sales people are reapers, not sowers.

    Commission oriented sales folk will close qualified opportunites, but agreeing with Vevolution, you need to create those opportunites.

    Once you have a stack of opportunities in hand, you will no longer have difficulty hiring a sales person or sales staff. The type of person you will need to create those opportunities will be a marketing person, not a sales person.
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