"First year averaged around $500 per week.. Next
year went ballistic.. 3rd year was my first 7
figure year online. Never ever looked back."

   Why Software? Why not eBooks and things like that - which every body does?

   First of all you need to understand why companies like ours have programmers.

   Answer, to make my company more profitable, you cannot run a successful online biz without scripts doing everything for you. My top programmer's desk is always beside mine, so he can observe what I do, then every once in a while he says "STOP", let me do it...he'll create a script or software application to make my promotional life easier..

   So around 5 years ago.. I decided to start sharing my software applications that made my online life easier with other marketers. And continue to do so till this day. While the internet keeps changing, we'll always be on top of it and automating it.. making others plus mine just that bit easier.

   How much success did you have selling software?

   How do you define Success? I could be a success if I never sold another product.. success is about creating a successful life, apart from money. If you specifically mean income?

   If you provide software that makes peoples lives easier, and provide a simple to use and effective affiliate platform, its very hard to go wrong. I have sold 10's of thousands of orders of my different software applications to people, automating their online live and making it easier and faster to make money. So that's a good example of success I think.

   What kind of revenue are you generating selling software online?

   Personally I hate this question. Would I ever walk up to someone I don't know on the street, and ask.. how much are you worth mate? of course not.. Anyone who asked me this question face to face, would want to have a very good reason to be so rude, though I do understand there is some relevance to this question.

   As noted above I made my first 7 figure year after being online for 3 years and been very successful ever since.. Hopefully that covers it enough.

   Is it easy to create software?

   The Answer entirely depends on the software you are developing.

   One little PHP script I had made and kept to myself cost me exactly $100 to create and used it for 2 years. This software made me a LOT of money. Others have cost me $200k over 2 years

   Remember this, a programmer is only as good as the Project Manager!! = YOU! If your theory and ability to communicate what you want software to do well to your programmer is good and the answer the software produces is sound and makes people lives easier, your on a winner. Depending on what your script does, is related to how hard or simple it is.

   So the simple answer is.. some software is just too easy to develop. Some much harder. Depends on what you want the software or script to accomplish.

   What are the risks?

1. You get a bad coder, who doesn't produce what you want.

2. You've created a product that requires way too much support.

3. You cannot communicate effectively to your audience why the software is great.

4. Really there is no risk. If its a flop, you'll know why it was and make changes accordingly to your next effort.


   Would you recommend other people start selling software online also?

   Yep.. start of small with a simple cost effective application and start to build trust with your members and grow over time.

   Any tips and tricks to becoming successful online with software?

1. Do what you say you will.

2. Provide software or script that requires little support and OVER supply
supporting docs.

   At the end of the day, people are not buying the Script. They are buying YOU. Brand yourself well, and build your brand/profile.. success with products that you release is guaranteed :)

- Peter Drew

"I have averaged $10,000 per month in profit every month this year, and my best month was $16,000 in May 2008. My business is so profitable, with very few expenses, that I had no choice but to buy a house so I'd have some kind of tax deduction!"

Name: Robert Plank
Age: 23
Website: www.SoftwareSecretsExplained.com
Business Earnings: $10,000+ Per month
 

   Tell us a little bit about yourself?

   I am a 23 year old homeowner, computer programmer and internet marketer. I have a 4-year bachelor's degree in computer science. I paid for a torch red 2005 Ford Mustang with a single payment. PHP programming makes my house payment.

   What did you do before you got online and how did you enter the world of Internet Marketing?

   I started selling on eBay in 1999, found the Warrior Forum in 2000 and took a few very small freelance jobs as a web designer. I learned C++ in 2001 which led to learning PHP, and some networking led to working on a project with Gary Ambrose and Brian Garvin.

   I released a few scripts in 2002 with Teresa King... that's what I consider my "start" with Internet marketing, when I sold my own products. I did more joint ventures in 2003 with Robert Puddy... we released a few ad rotator scripts which eventually turned into a service.

   My big script was ClickSensor, the first script to show Clickbank ads in an AdSense-style format. I released it in 2004 and at least 20 other software developers immediately copied the idea. After adding onto it for years... adding multilevel marketing, rebranding, co-op list building, and pay-per-click features, I finally sold the full rights to the script in 2007.

   In 2006 I released the first "peel away ads" script (called PageRoll) which was also copied by many popular Internet marketers. I released some free scripts for list building purposes (PicSensor, AdSense Shield, List Protector and AntiCrawl). Most of my money these days come from my script packages – PHP in a Box, Full Blast PHP and Guerilla PHP. I'm selling a solution rather than "just a script."

   Why Software? Why not eBooks and things like that - which every body does?

   I have tried to blur the line between ebooks and software. When I write a piece of software, my only goal is to release a bug-free barebones version as soon as possible. That's where the "fast money" is... releasing software quickly.

   Afterwards, I get so many feature requests from my list, and come up with ideas on my own, that I end up writing huge "tutorial" manuals. I wrote a simple pop-up script (Action PopUp) but thought of lots of improvements that the manual is now 13 pages and 3200 words.

   I also coded a simple affiliate script overnight (JV Plus) and made $2,000 from the initial launch, but after I added the rest of the features over time, the manual grew to 13 tutorials, spread out over 16 pages with a 4500 word count.

   The manuals are as condensed as I could make them and contain lots of strategy AND benefits, instead of features. When you write a manual with features in mind (isn't it cool our script does this), instead of benefits (here's how you solve this problem), it's a heck of a lot more useful to your users.

   To answer your question, people want a solution that solves their problem, with the least amount of work possible. They don't necessarily want the best or the most comprehensive solution, it just needs to solve their entire problem.

   Consider article submitters. You could write an e-book explaining how to submit your article to all these article directories, or you could write a piece of software that submits the article to those directories with one click. Maybe with the software, you can't get your article on EVERY directory, but it takes less work and that's more appealing to people.

   Also remember that in the manual for that article submitter software, you can include instructions on how to submit your article to the directories your program doesn't cover. That way you get the best of both worlds... the people who want to submit articles the easy way, and those who want to get their article on every single site.
To the end user, software requires less work... it's more of a plug and play solution than e-books are.

   You also have to take into account the fact that any idiot who can read or write, can create an e-book. With software, you need to know a language, the best practices for solving common problems, how to debug, and so on. There's a limited supply of computer programmers.

   How much success did you have selling software?

   Just like any software developer, I have had some hits and some misses.

For example, I spent a week creating a "red alert button" software where you placed an image on your web site, which ran a script that logged onto either AIM, MSN, ICQ, and sent you a message so you could join a web-based chat with a prospect on your sales letter. It was a good script, and I wrote a good sales letter for it, but the demand just wasn't there.

   It made two sales for a total of $24 profit each, and he still wanted me to spend several more weeks turning that script into a paid monthly service. I said no, and luckily saved myself a lot of time. When you start small, your failures will be small failures.

   I have also had great success starting small and building up later. I jointed ventured with another marketer to program a site that produced a bunch of articles and it sold very well... $2,500 from 105 buyers in a couple of days, We eventually turned that into a membership site with 40 members, which earned us another $3,500.

   The result of all of that was that I got my name out there. I built up a mailing list through a content newsletter, funnelling buyers into update mailing lists, offering freebie products and e-courses, resale rights, joint ventures, and affiliate programs... every time I launched a new product, I created a list for it.

   Once I stopped freelancing, and stopped becoming dependent on marketers in joint venture projects... I became much more successful selling software. Now I am seen as an expert when I release new software products, and I can see a ton of instant sales because I market to my mailing list.

   What kind of revenue are you generating selling software online?

   I have averaged $10,000 per month in profit every month this year, and my best month was $16,000 in May 2008. My business is so profitable, with very few expenses, that I had no choice but to buy a house so I'd have some kind of tax deduction! The IRS took a good sum of money from me this year ($20,000) – not including quarterly payments.

   Is it easy to create software?

   It's easy to create software if you leverage your existing skills. If you are good at managing people then it's easy to hire a freelancer and get what you want. On the other hand if you already know a programming, write your own software... just finish what you start and put a little bit of work into it every day, even five minutes. No one cares about your OWN project more than you do.

   What are the risks?

   The time and money risks are fairly small as long as you start small. Don't get carried away with a lots of fun ideas, create the bare minimum first version of your software and if it sells well, you can improve it.

   Would you recommend other people start selling software online also?

   Customer support is going to be your biggest cost and your biggest headache. Create video tutorials of your product in action. Like I said before, keep in mind that you are providing a SOLUTION and that you need to explain the BENEFITS, the how-to and "what's in it for me" ... instead of the features.

Get friends to try out the software and look over their shoulder. Figure out how to improve your interface. Do a Google search for "The Joel Test" to get your software as easy to use as possible.

   Any tips and tricks to becoming successful online with software?

Tip #1: Write simple-ware. Dummy proof your applications. The iPod... point-and-click.

Tip #2: Add a quick start guide and video to cut down on customer support.

Tip #3: Make version one as simple as possible. (You might know this as "feature creep".)

- Robert Plank

"...the market definitely is open to more developers out there. Especially with more and more people coming online to try and earn a living and the growth that is expected in the future this is a ripe time to get in the market."

Name: Peter Gregory of Symbiotic Networks, Inc
Website: www.Scriptillusion.com
Business Earnings: $8,000-$10,000 per month


   Tell us a little bit about yourself?

   I am a marketing manager for a company that provides PHP scripts, webmaster tools, custom built websites and website design. I am a part of a 3 man team that consists of David Winstead (main programmer) and Zothan Sanga (designer).

   What did you do before you got online and how did you enter the world of Internet Marketing?

   Before I was full time in the internet marketing world I was in Construction Management.

   Why Software? Why not eBooks and things like that - which every body does?

   Well we have a great core team and David is a great programmer who can put together just about anything you have an idea for. His code is very clean and I consider him to be one of the top PHP programmers around.

   With that being said there is also a significant demand for software that can help webmasters be successful with their sites, whether they are site building scripts or webmaster tools, they are needed and wanted. We also found that many people we saw selling these products had limitations that we found ways to work around.

   How much success did you have selling software?

   At first like anything it was difficult getting our name and brand built up. We worked with a lot of people to try and help with promotion, but many times it never really worked out. However, over the course of time we were able to get the Scriptillusion name out there thru dedication and commitment to providing products that we were confident in and people really enjoyed working with.

   What kind of revenue are you generating selling software online?

   We make revenue through a variety of sources, but strictly selling our PHP scripts and webmaster tools we are profiting approx. $8,000-$10,000 a month.

   Is it easy to create software?

   If you have a solid understanding of the language you write your software with then it should be relatively easy, but it gets more difficult when going thru the debugging phase as well as the conceptual phase. We find that it helps in the conceptual phase to really listen to our customers input and go after ideas that we find helpful ourselves.

   What are the risks?

   The biggest risks we face are copyright infringement. When we release products it is not uncommon for people to try and crack our encryption methods so they can steal the code. We are always working on better ways to encode the scripts, but it is inevitable that people will be out there trying to steal what took our hard work to create.

   Would you recommend other people start selling software online also?

   I think that the market definitely is open to more developers out there. Especially with more and more people coming online to try and earn a living and the growth that is expected in the future this is a ripe time to get in the market.


   Any tips and tricks to becoming successful online with software?

   Develop what you see a demand for in the market, listen to your customers feedback and try to implement as much of what they want/need into your products. Think outside the box and don't just provide something that has already been done over a million times. Be creative.
 

- Peter Gregory

"I'm very lucky that all of my software are successful. Maybe because of the planning and the way I select a project. What I always do is to create a project that even me will need and use it."

Name: Ross Dalangin
Website: www.RossDalangin.com
Business Earnings: Enough to have monthly vacations and buy land!
 

   Tell us a little bit about yourself?

   A computer programmer since 1991 and Graduated Best in Computer Programming with courses B.S. Computer Science and Computer Information System.

   What did you do before you got online and how did you enter the world of Internet Marketing?

   I was a computer consultant, senior programmer and analyst before and studied SEO and web development. Since I always want to have my own business I tried it and It's not hard for me to start because I was an experienced software developer. All I need is an idea to start a project.

   Why Software? Why not eBooks and things like that - which every body does?

   I like software because it's easy for me to do it. I also created some eBooks in SEO and marketing but I really love creating software. Hence, most people when pursuing what they want they will succeed so I pursue what I want.

   How much success did you have selling software?

   I'm very lucky that all of my software are successful. Maybe because of the planning and the way I select a project. What I always do is to create a project that even me will need and use it.

   - Name recognition? Yeah, I really love it. Many people knows my name maybe because in this industry there are only few who select software to be their business. Most are focus on eBooks.

   - Industry status? So far this industry is always in need of new people because of the old providers always go offline and trying to get more money offline than online because they can't handle the support needed. Supporting clients is risky but enjoyable if you can handle it.

   - Seen as expert? Most of my colleagues and customers are happy with my software even before that I was working in a large corporation here in our country. They always love my works.

   What kind of revenue are you generating selling software online?

   Ooops, tax collectors are always in the lookout but to tell you a figure. I can able to have a month vacation in different Islands here in my country, last month I bought few hundreds square meters of land and I can earn more than my boss before.

   Is it easy to create software?

   It's very easy for me because of my experience. When there's an idea I can do it between 2 days to three weeks and will depend on the features I want to include.

   What are the risks?

   I'm not thinking of risk because when it comes I am able to solve it and I just focus on the next project in my list.

   Would you recommend other people start selling software online also?

   I also recommend people selling software also but they must love supporting people because it is the heart of the software business. The support. If you can't provide it then you will loose. Same as eBooks you just do it one time and sell it unlimited times.

   Any tips and tricks to becoming successful online with software?

   Make your software to be a template based because people love it. It's easy to manipulate. You must create a list of possible projects and always in the lookout of helping people.

- Ross Dalangin

"I've experienced a great deal of success online, but I just recently got into doing software. I can tell you that my first launch that I have done had a five figure launch in less than one month."

Name: Chris Morris
Website: www.PhantomLinkCloaker.com
Business Earnings: Five figure launch on first product


   Tell us a little bit about yourself?

   Just a regular guy with a beautiful wife of 9 years and 5 kids Adeel, I enjoy being a Dad and hanging out with my kids. My hobbies are fishing and toying around on my computer :-)

   What did you do before you got online and how did you enter the world of Internet Marketing?

   I've actually got the worlds record for longest resume Adeel...lol. I was a file clerk, security guard, group home staff, bill collector, customer service agent, telemarketer, warehouse manager, construction worker...and the list goes on and on ;-)

   Why Software? Why not eBooks and things like that - which every body does?

   Actually, I haven't done ebooks for one very good reason...I can't write one to save my life...hehe. But seriously, I haven't ruled out doing ebooks, I just have a knack for creating killer software and scripts.

   How much success did you have selling software?

   I've experienced a great deal of success online, but I just recently got into doing software. I can tell you that my first launch that I have done had a five figure launch in less than one month.

   Anytime you have a product out there that gets any type of attention like that, you are immediately an expert and the guru in your niche. And you don't need to have a huge launch to be seen as the expert either, just having your own product online gives you that guru status.

   What kind of revenue are you generating selling software online?

   As I stated above, I just got into selling software online, I created two products of which both I was going to sell, but I decided to give one of those packages away as a lead in for the other later down the road.

   The 2nd software hasn't really been launched to be able to give you any figures, we had a soft launch that didn't convert so we went back in and tweaked some things and we're going to be doing a full launch very soon. I will keep you posted on our progress.

   Is it easy to create software?

   Absolutely. I don't know how to code to save my life, but as long as you have an idea of what you want the software to do, any coder can create it more than likely. What I do is I will map out what I want the software to do...what happens when they do 'x' and so on and get a mental picture of how I want it to look and I go to places like rentacoder and hire someone to code my idea.


   What are the risks?

   Well, this is tricky because there are risks but how big they are is individual. It costs me little to get most software coded and if it doesn't do well then I'm out a little bit of cash.

   For someone else, that could be a car payment, or gas, or food that they may be risking on having something created for them, so there is always a risk, but in my experience, if you create something useful and you can give them something that solves a problem for people then generally you have something that will be a hit.

   Would you recommend other people start selling software online also?

   This is another tricky question. There is so much you can do to make money online so it's hard for me to say "Do this"...or "Do That". Stick with something you're passionate about or at least something that you like, if you don't like what you're creating and you don't know anything about it, how can you sell that idea to someone else?

   Any tips and tricks to becoming successful online with software?

   Being successful online has nothing to do with software or the software you create. Being successful is something you work hard for everyday. I know for me, things turned around big time when I started going to internet marketing seminars and making myself known.

   I also would recommend that anyone who is serious about this join a mastermind group and work with a group of people who are all like minded and sharing ideas and also sharing the work perhaps.

- Chris Morris