Selling a service or a product online? - Page 2

webdev · #11 (**permalink**) 08-09-2007, 08:19 AM

Hey Serif! Thanks for the info. I'm gonna set that up in days to come. This will also bring addition traffic for my site. I should put the opt-in newsletter thing for the entire site including scripts section.

Going back to the scripts, here's something i have been noticing. A lot of people who contact me about the scripts are web design companies. Since yesterday i've had 3 different web design companies asking me about technical aspects of my scripts (help installing them or how to add additional fields and such).

Last night after work, I helped all of them install the scripts for their clients. I don't mind helping if i can gain some sort of incentive off of it. I'm sure i can somehow capitalize from this?

webdev · #12 (**permalink**) 08-09-2007, 08:48 AM

On further note, i should clearly write out on my script pages that for any customization it will cost this much and so on.

However, i see a flaw with that model. Because if i put in X amount of hours to help customize the script for someone for let say $xx amount of money, they will use the same script for all their 100s of clients. So, that's means i'm loosing money and they got a good barging for $20.

But instead, i think, i should adopt software licensing model (just like vbulleten). For exxample, I can say when you sign up, you will get a one copy for free or you'll get a free trial for 2 weeks or something. From there on, I can license each copy for a small monthly or yearly free OR say you can license x amount of copies of the script for $xx amount of dollars and so on.

What do you think guys? I'm interested now how i can make this work because i know there is potential to turn this inot a small business.

I'm also interested know how vbullitent prevent people from pirating their software?

lisa · #13 (**permalink**) 08-09-2007, 09:05 AM

Hey webdev,

You could set various prices. For the simple scripts, you can charge a smaller one-time fee and for the more complicated scripts (forums, chat rooms, etc.) you can charge a licensing fee and then charge them again for updates and new releases like vbulletin does. I think it's a great idea.

I don't know how vbulletin keeps people from pirating but I'm wondering with PHP is there a way for you to code something in the scripts that reports what domains are using it?

So when the person uploads the script and it gets accessed online via the web there is something in the script that triggers a report/email back to you saying what domains are using it? Again you know I am not the techy person but I was wondering if something like this is possible for you to keep track of where your script is being hosted.

And then again who's to say people aren't pirating and using vbulletin scripts.

webdev · #14 (**permalink**) 08-09-2007, 08:44 PM

Lisa, you're right. The only way to do it is to set a track. I can certainly set tracking in the code to track who is using the scripts. I don't know how vbulletten does it but i'm sure they assign a unique id to each copy sold and track their customers that way.

Since its a web software, that means the customer has the full code. If they are savvy enough they can figure out where the tracking is ste in teh code, and thus hack it or remove it. I'm sure vbulletten somehow deals with this thing.

This is where widgets are better, all the code is being accessed from my server, through small javascript code. But widgets rely on users browser, if javascript is disabled, they won't see anything.

Quote:

ou could set various prices. For the simple scripts, you can charge a smaller one-time fee and for the more complicated scripts (forums, chat rooms, etc.)

I want to focus on providing small useful scripts like the tell-a-friend and contact-us form scripts and such which people can easily embed in their websites. Forums would be hard for a single individual to make since the complexity is enormous. I would need a team of developers. May be in the longer run, i would decide to do it.

What i'm thinking is this. Provide unsecured version of tell-a-friend/contact-us script for free and provide secured version (with form validation and captcha) for a fee. With that, set a price for any customization and/or form designing, if they require.

Free version
Non-Secured
support and installation included (for $9.99)

Paid version - $14.99
data validation included
secured capcha validation included
free email support and installation included

Customization
$5 per additional field
Custom form design - based on a hourly rate at $20/hr

Customized Forms
As per request (get in touch with me for a quote)

With all the options i also capture the clients email address for future updates and so on.

so something like this...what do you think? Can you add something on this?

lisa · #15 (**permalink**) 08-09-2007, 08:53 PM

I always like incentive pricing so you could have $5 for each additional field, or if you order at least 5 custom fields you can have them for only $3 per field or something like that.

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