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Selling an App for the First Time?

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Monetization of apps is a hot topic that everyone wants to know about, and we’ve covered the basics on how to do that via advertising and charging users a fee in the stores. However, there is a whole other concept, possibly the most profitable one, that many people completely overlook. Have you ever considered entirely taking over the app-making process for someone who doesn’t have the time or desire, and charging for this service and final product?

While many web and marketing agencies are seeing the great value in adding apps to their portfolio of offerings, don’t let the idea of having to be an established agency scare you away, because it’s not at all a prerequisite. Freelancers, both amateur and experienced, are taking advantage of this large demand that needs to be satisfied, by targeting small businesses whose profits and marketing strategies can be greatly enhanced, just with the the addition of an app.

How to go about selling this product?

It’s important to first become familiar with the capabilities of what you can offer. If you’re working with an app builder (as opposed to coding from scratch), understand what their strongest features are and what type of business they can cater to the best. This may help you to narrow in on who your target clients are (at least to start) and concentrate on one sector at a time, as opposed to going all in and promoting yourself to organizations that you are not equipped to deliver a top notch product to.
 

Another advantage of working with closely related clients is that you may be able to repurpose basic work within projects, with just a little tweaking each time—more time to concentrate on the details your client wants. 

Once you know who your ideal client is, prepare some sample apps that demonstrate exactly what value you can bring to their business, and get started with prospecting. If you’re willing to invest some extra time in client acquisition, you can even offer to create their app before they decide to buy, providing a free trial period for them to get an idea of the results they could achieve. Once they see what they’ve been missing, they’ll never want to go back to the non-app days.

How transparent should you be?

Many agencies and individuals using app builders to create customer apps tend to cling to the white label security blanket for dear life, as they feel revealing this “aid” may indicate a lack of knowledge, professionalism, and could even expose a direct competitor. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with concealing the use of an app builder, for some situations it may work in your favor to be totally candid, and acknowledge the fact that you are backed by a robust, trustworthy system and technology.

Being open about using an app builder can also provide for a nice exit strategy in the case that you no longer wish to work with a client. You can always pass the pre-made app onto them, and all they must worry about is maintenance.

If you are concerned that your clients will feel they are paying you for a job already done, remind them that they are paying for a well established app builder technology, as well as the time and creativity you're investing in order to personalize, perfect, and maintain their app—this is a lot of value that anyone looking for a high quality product will see the benefit of.

GoodBarber offers a white label reseller solution, so you’re free to do what fits your needs best.
 

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