How to sell software over the Internet?

Once, I was walking home in a dark winter evening. In my pocket I had a flash drive with a program that I was going to sell over the Internet. I madly believed that the program will be sold. My calculation was simple: each copy of the program costs about 5,000 rubles. It is necessary to sell only a hundred copies and will be half a million rubles. And if two hundred copies, then 1,000,000 rubles. Oh how! And such a program was in my carmen. Snow flakes, snowflakes circled in the light of lanterns, I went home, and carried in his pocket 1 million rubles.

The realization that this is not true, came much later. And now I will try to describe what is needed to create a successful commercial software product.

First, it is necessary to divide the costs of sale into three components: on the product, on marketing and on the actual sale. We will divide each component of the product to which type of costs they relate.

1. Product
- The idea.
- The program.
- Documentation.
- Product protection.
- Installer program.
- Demo version.
- Presentation materials (screenshots, videos).
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2. Marketing
- Product logo + Brand concept.
- Product website (design, web mastering, content).
- Search engine optimization site.
- Advertising campaign (banners, mailing, contextual advertising).
- Product registration in free directories.
- Publication of product press releases.

3. Selling
- Sales office.
- Legal entity + bank account.
- Open Yandex Wallet, Web-Money.
- Internet + email + phone + fax.
- Sales Manager.
- Financial statements.
- Support phone, after-sales support + consultant.
- Affiliate program.

It seems to have forgotten nothing.
Usually, most have only the first two points: the idea and the program. Even there is no normal documentation, God willing, there will be a small Readme.txt file. And I only had a program on the flash drive.

The largest item of expenditure is the second item. Advertising is very expensive. You will literally buy every visitor to your site and not the fact that he will buy your program.

And remember that about 70% of the cost of a new car falls on its intangible, intellectual part.

If you agree, then vote, and next time I will try to paint each item in detail.

Continuation