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Doku · 12-19-2006, 03:01 PM

Re-assess the product itsself. How does yours beat out the competition? Lose to the competition?
Is yours more durable? Better warranty? Better support? You mentioned that the product is essentially tailored to each customer... What's the turn around time from order to ship/install? Go to current customers. What do they like about the product? What should you change for the next revision?

Travel cost to sell the product is a pain. Ok, how about conferences where a lot of your customers will be? Or setting up your own conference? Or setting up a launch party for the next revision, and inviting your customers/potentials to the event?

Are your customers in competition with each other? Working with each other? Or in random fields? Do they know each other and can make a connection on your behalf? The best advertising that you will ever have is word of mouth.

All that being said, since you are working for a company in Austria, and living/selling here in the US, I would assume that you're a "low man on the totem pole" at the company... If you don't have the full support of your upper management literally all the way to the top, then you are going to have very little influence over the product itsself, very little ability to improve the product, and very little ability to help a customer mould the product to a perfect fit for them. If the product won't sell itsself, and you can't help make the product sell itsself, then I would suggest that it might be time to move on.

I work in a very small niche market myself. The best "sales" I have done so far are from working with my customer and actually getting a current customer to help me land the next customer. My customers have common goals, and aren't really competing against one another. An example would be a book publisher, magazine publisher, and newspaper. They all are somewhat in the same market (printing presses, paper, ink, etc), but they aren't really competition for each other.

Anyway, FWIW, that's my rambling opinion/suggestions.

12-19-2006, 03:01 PM	#2 (permalink)
Doku Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Central MD Posts: 385	Re-assess the product itsself. How does yours beat out the competition? Lose to the competition? Is yours more durable? Better warranty? Better support? You mentioned that the product is essentially tailored to each customer... What's the turn around time from order to ship/install? Go to current customers. What do they like about the product? What should you change for the next revision? Travel cost to sell the product is a pain. Ok, how about conferences where a lot of your customers will be? Or setting up your own conference? Or setting up a launch party for the next revision, and inviting your customers/potentials to the event? Are your customers in competition with each other? Working with each other? Or in random fields? Do they know each other and can make a connection on your behalf? The best advertising that you will ever have is word of mouth. All that being said, since you are working for a company in Austria, and living/selling here in the US, I would assume that you're a "low man on the totem pole" at the company... If you don't have the full support of your upper management literally all the way to the top, then you are going to have very little influence over the product itsself, very little ability to improve the product, and very little ability to help a customer mould the product to a perfect fit for them. If the product won't sell itsself, and you can't help make the product sell itsself, then I would suggest that it might be time to move on. I work in a very small niche market myself. The best "sales" I have done so far are from working with my customer and actually getting a current customer to help me land the next customer. My customers have common goals, and aren't really competing against one another. An example would be a book publisher, magazine publisher, and newspaper. They all are somewhat in the same market (printing presses, paper, ink, etc), but they aren't really competition for each other. Anyway, FWIW, that's my rambling opinion/suggestions.