Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

People aren't looking for what they don't know exists

Posted by Tyler King

Since we're still in the early days of Less Annoying Software, the business model is still a little up in the air. We've got a pretty good idea of what we want to do, but there are a few things standing in the way.

First, what is it that we're trying to do? Well, the main problem I see with technology right now is that people just aren't using the right tools because they don't know what the right tools are. For example, I've met tons of sales people that don't use a CRM (Customer Relationship Manager). This is the equivalent of an accountant that doesn't use a calculator. It's needlessly handicapping yourself.

I'd say that at least half of the people working in America today fail to use basic software that could either save them significant amounts of time, or increase their earnings dramatically. One of the goals of Less Annoying Software is to help people identify the areas in which software could improve their lives and help them implement a solution. We also hope to build our own suite of software to fill in the gaps.

This all means that our target audience is made up of people that aren't currently using the right software. The problem here is, how can we find these people? If we start making a project management tool, it's assumed that people will find the product when they're looking for information on project management software.

But why would people search for software that they're not aware of? How do we reach an audience that by definition is oblivious to our very existence? The strategy right now is to approach small companies. Anyone running a company quickly understands the need for a solid I.T. foundation, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they know where to start.

My guess is that we'll run through a few different ideas before finally figuring out how to reach our customers. In the meantime, I'll be blogging all about it both for your benefit and for mine. Hopefully the problems we run into and overcome can somehow relate to decisions in your own business life. And hey, maybe a reader will think of something I missed. If that reader is you, hit us up in the comments with your great ideas.

Tags: Less Annoying Software, Business Models

blog comments powered by Disqus

New posts will be emailed to you each night

About this blog

This is a blog for small businesses interested in how they can better use technology. Most tech is targetted at either individual consumers or huge corporations. We'll help you find the tools that are powerful enough to help run your business, but simple enough that you won't need an I.T. team to use them.

There are two main writers on the Less Annoying Blog: Tyler has worked on the tech side of several small businesses and knows first hand what the little guys need, and don't need. Bracken is finishing up a PhD at MIT and he's always experimenting with any new software he can get his hands on.

We also run an online customer manager tool called Less Annoying Software which was created specifically for small businesses to track all their customer activity.

Search the blog

Tips and Feedback

We obviously want to write about things that you want to read, so help us out! If you are interested in reading about a particular topic, let us know. We're also always on the lookout for new software and tools to try out (and review), so feel free to forward information on any new tech you'd like us to write about.

You can reach us at blog@LessAnnoyingSoftware.com