How I got $2500 from a single software license

#startup #sales #webdev #programming

🥳 Landed a BIG client! Here's how I got $2500 from a single software license.

They already had a lower-tier, Company license. They purchased it during last year's Black Friday sale for around $190.

After using the product internally for the last 6 months, they realized that their clients could also get value out of using it.

When they emailed me asking about the migration process from Company to Agency, it was close to midnight. But I knew that the sooner I responded, the higher the chances that they would buy. I quickly replied, asking for their license key, for verification purposes (I did this mostly to gain time). Then, I got an idea. I had to show that the migration process will be easy and smooth.

I started coding. And coded I did... I coded from midnight until 6AM in the morning. After improving the migration system (and also enabling a feature to easily switch from a single to a multi-database setup, which they were interested in), I sent them a discount coupon for the amount they have already paid ($180). I made sure to mention the work I did to ease their migration process.

After a few hours, I got another email. This time, it was from Paddle: they purchased. The final price, including the discount, was $2310. I think they would have purchased at full price too, but I believe it's only fair to just pay for the difference.

$2310 is a considerable amount for an indie-hacker like me, as it covers rent and expenses for a month. This is not the whole story, though. I learned something more. Last month, I increased the prices to better match the value of the product. I was afraid that the new, higher prices, will scare away potential customers. It turns out, it didn't.

My takeaways from this story:

Responding quickly to sales and support inquiries makes a BIG difference.
Always provide proof to the customer that they will be well taken care of. With your actions, not with words.
The pricing doesn't matter as much as you would think if your product is good and does bring value to customers. Offer higher quality and price higher instead of joining the race to the bottom.