Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sunybcs!boulder!tcr!news
From: news@tcr.UUCP (John B. Sobernheim)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: marketing of programs
Summary: Marketing direct to end users costs sales, dealers ARE important.
Message-ID: <149@tcr.UUCP>
Date: 16 Feb 90 16:57:53 GMT
References: <9002160434.AA12227@cie.uoregon.edu>
Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga
Organization: The Computer Room, Denver
Lines: 52

In article <9002160434.AA12227@cie.uoregon.edu>, dsears@CIE.UOREGON.EDU writes:
> The open letter below was on a local BBS, and I pass it on because I think
> some net.programmers might find it interesting and useful.
> =============================
>                         The Puzzle Factory, Inc.
> Dear fellow Amigan,
> For several years I had pondered the state of the software industry from
> the point of view of a programmer developing a new program, and what I
> saw bothered me quite a bit.  They had several choices: all bad!
	[his views of different marketing solutions edited]
> should profit from this work.  I finally came up with what I felt was an
> innovative idea, and it became The Puzzle Factory.  
	[description of Puzzle Factory concept deleted] 
> program's creator.  We sell direct to keep down expenses, and pass these
			 ^^^^ ^^^^^^
	This is where I have a problem with your idea.  By selling direct
	to the end user,  you are limiting your market to the few that
	actually see your advertisements or download your demos. With
	an excellent product like ReSource, you will get some extra
	business from word of mouth, but nothing like the kind of 
	exposure you can get by making just one store employee excited
	about your product.  The result is that you are losing sales. 

> Our first program was ReSource, an intelligent, interactive

	[information about the author of ReSource deleted]
	It IS very good, however, we sell DSM.  The profit motive and
	all that, you know.  We can stock it, demonstrate it in action,
	fix defective copies quickly, and allow the users to peruse the 
	manuals before making an informed purchase decision.
	[plea for new software titles deleted]

> We feel that The Puzzle Factory is an excellent alternative to shareware
> or customary commercial marketing.  Please feel free to contact us with
> any questions you might have.
> 
	I feel that marketing software direct to the end user results in
	a loss of sales due to the limited exposure available via such
	routes as advertising and downloadable demos and the loss of the
	exposure that can be generated by computer software and hardware
	dealers.

>                                                 Jeff Lavin, President
>                                                 The Puzzle Factory, Inc.
> --
> ===================================
> Doug Sears   dsears@cie.uoregon.edu
> ===================================
-- 
John Sobernheim   ...boulder!tcr!news || news@tcr.UUCP
The Computer Room ...CIS 76625,1210 
Denver, Colorado  ...But moma, that's where the fun is! (Manfred Man)