Business Articles - How to Create Profitable Software in Your Niche Market?


by MILANA LESHINSKY - Date: 2009-11-21 - Word Count: 828 Share This!

How to Create Profitable Software in Your Niche Market?

In creating software, there are usually steps you need to take to get the job done. These steps would consist of:

- Systems analysis: This way you have to determine what the application you wish to create will do. This may involve creating a requirements specification. This document will contain information as to how the software will operate, the data it will use, and the functions the software will perform.

- Software design: Now comes the fun part of actually taking the requirements specification and creating the software. You will create the actual outline or blueprint, if you will, and create data structures and specific sets of instructions the programmer will use to create the software. This is known as the design specification.

- Programming: This is where the programmer (you unless you don't know programming), will take the design specification and actually run a program that you will use to type in the necessary code to create the program.

- Testing: After the program is written you will have to test it to make sure it works. If it doesn't you have to go back to find out why. If it does, you compile the code and create it as a stand-alone application.

But what if you are not a programmer? Can you still create software for your niche market of customers? Well, consider something for a minute. There are ways and instances where the software can be created by someone else. But before you even create software, you must know who you are targeting. If you don't know that, it won't do you any good to create the software anyway.

When you create the software, you focus on getting it out to the people who matter the most. You present it to your clients so they can test drive the software. If all is well, they will report your software works. In that case, you will only have to amend the software so when it is executed, the program will perform certain tasks that may be required by the company to take. These actions will require your client to pay for the software.

In addition, when I released my assessment-generating software to the public, I noticed that many other small business owners took advantage of the software and used it for their own purposes. These purposes included generating client leads, pre-qualify clients, collecting data during intake, using self-assessments to add value to their coaching programs, and so much more. Users become really creative, even beyond your own imagination!

So, how can YOU develop software programs for your target audience?

Here are the steps:

1. Surround yourself with your target audience - people in your niche market - by reading what they read, going where they go, interviewing a few of them in person or by phone, visiting their message boards, and surveying them. This can be accomplished much faster if you already know who your target audience is, and if you represent your target audience in some way.

2. Find out what their biggest problems and challenges are and what software or web-based service could make their lives ten times easier.

3. When you have an idea for a software program, do some research online to find out if anyone else is offering something like that. If it already exists, how could you make it better? Different? Easier? Less expensive? If it doesn't exist, approach a few members of your target audience (4-5 people) and share your idea with them. Ask for honest feedback on whether they think it'll be useful to them.

4. When you make a decision to go ahead with developing your software, write out a good description of what you want it to do. Then, go to RentACoder.com and post your project. Programmers from all over the world will bid on it, and you'll be able to choose the person you want to develop it for you.

This resource has been my secret weapon for over a year now! I've paid as little as $300 for a fully developed software, and can't recommend it highly enough.

What software could YOU develop for your target audience? What's missing in your industry?

Remember, simplicity is the key - many times large software companies overlook smaller tools they could develop for certain groups of people, and you can easily jump in and create it!

Put on your thinking cap and ask yourself this question: "What tool would make the lives of my target clients easier?" Creating a software program or product for fellow small business owners or entrepreneurs will help them increase their profitability just as you would for creating it.

Milana Leshinsky shows coaches and consultants how to turn their knowledge into a multiple income stream business empire. To get a FREE copy of her "New Coaching Manifesto: Why 9% of Coaches Succeed, While Others Fail, and What To Do To Prosper In Coaching", visit her web site at Coaching Millions.


Related Tags: target audience, niche market, software program, profitable software, create software, create profitable

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