RevSudio on sale for $50

[Lynn Fredricks]

> But we also use MacZot at least annually, where they run 
> absolutely killer specials where you can get apps for about 
> half-off for 24 hours.
> 
> When we run those we make far less from each sale than we do 
> at our own store, but the boost to the installed base makes 
> it worthwhile.
> 
> Fortunately, it's been rare that our public promotions have 
> resulted in disappointment for our customers who paid full 
> price.  On the one hand, this is no different from paying 
> full price at a grocery store while the person in front of 
> you has a half-off coupon, or being able to save thousands on 
> a car purchase because you negotiate better than another customer.

The nice thing about using a service like MacZot is that it gets customers
onto your update/upgrade plan, usually in large batches.

I ran a deal on MacZot a few weeks ago on Shade Designer for 50% off at
$24.50, and the results were quite good.

In running these types of campaigns, there are a few considerations -

- Is there a good chance you'll get an upsell later?

This can be on renewals or on upgrades. If you have a short initial renewal
period and/or desireable higher levels, then it's a really good investment.
For us, it was a really good for Shade Designer because the most popular
version of Shade is Shade Standard, which is a $200 upgrade.

- Do you get a cross sell opportunity?

Once you sell to a customer, it is usually that much easier to sell them
something else. When we sold Shade Designer, we had subsequent sales of
content, including two 3D characters Hanako and Tully, each of which run for
about $49.

- Does the promotion cause long term devaluation of your product?

This is a bit harder. If you keep your promotion term down to two weeks or
less and the exposure narrowed to a specific group - probably no problem. If
it is longer than this and, you also have sales channels, you can see some
push back from those channels because they will begin to see a reduction in
sales - this is where price protection issues come up.

- Does your product require intensive support?

If you have a product that requires a lot of support and you don't have a
separate way to charge for it (or a way to keep your costs very low), then
you are setting yourself up to lose.

Best regards,

Lynn Fredricks
Mirye Software Publishing
http://www.mirye.com