Successful marketing of software and software services

[Peter Gibbons]

I D Shukhov asked in another thread about "Small enterprise consulting companies". For some reason I thought about:

http://hashrocket.com/

Then I thought: "How come I know or remember this company?"

And here is what I found: ( Please don't shoot the messenger )

I think one of the defining moments moments of the rise of Obie Fernandez is this post in 2007:

http://www.jroller.com/obie/entry/top_10_reasons_why_java

"Top 10 Reasons Why Java Sucks Ass"

3) Most Java Programmers are Morons

This has to do with the number of people in the world that describe themselves as Java programmers and work at day jobs doing Java programming. What are there, like 2 million of them? More? So it's just a numbers thing, really. There just aren't that many good programmers overall in the world -- and most them wouldn't be caught dead doing Java.

...

10) Java does not have DHH

In the words of my inimitable friend Zed Shaw, "If DHH ain't doing it, you don't fucking do it. (Seems every time some clever fellow gets into trouble it's because of that.)"

Who does Java have? Jimmy Gosling? Hahahahahahahaha...

Oh ... Zed Shaw. And here is what Zed Shaw has to say in his infamous "Rails is a Ghetto":

If it weren’t for the totally kick ass Obie Fernandez I’d probably be slogging away in some McD’s screaming, “you want fries with that?!” He got me a really good gig in Florida and I was able to get back on my feet. Obie rocks, and he’s also a good family man, treats his kids well, and is very smart. He’s one of the few gems of the Ruby world.

And of course the top dog DHH that everybody is sucking up to is not stranger to controversy with his "F**k you" slides.

So there you go:

1. Write very controversial articles.
2. Use profane language.
3. Make plugs for your buddies and get plugs in return.
4. Suck up to the leading authority in your area.
5. Write book(s).

Of course the success very much depends where somebody is in the pecking order:

DHH - doing extremely well
Obie - doing very well
Zed  - not so much but at least he is famous ...

[The Gorn]

...
3. Make plugs for your buddies and get plugs in return.
4. Suck up to the leading authority in your area.
...

It sounds like......

Potty-Mouthed Rails SuperFriends!!!!

[The Gorn]

Inc. just came out with the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies.

I noticed that many, many of these companies are software related concerns.

How many of those entrepreneurs followed this "formula"? Do highly profitable, multi person businesses follow this pattern of being the "bad boy" type?

I do grant you that this formula works up to a certain level. It's a geek programmer alpha-dog imagery thing.

It should work OK for creating a level of success in selling advice, methodologies, seminars, and products to fellow programmers who follow and enjoy these soap opera dramas.

It would not work for making sales to non-technical executives. In my opinion.

[Peter Gibbons]

http://www.inc.com/

I just checked the home page of inc.com

The guy on the front page and here:

http://www.inc.com/magazine/20100701/college-student-to-hasbro-thanks-but-no-thanks.html

was on the "Shark Tank" show.

The show is partly very popular because of the tough street talk of the "Sharks".

Kevin O'Leary occupies the center seat on both the "Sharks" show and the Canadian "Dragon's Den". He is using the most "colorful" language and this is the reason he's on center stage.

Even thought his business career is less than stellar:
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1921635,00.html

he is always dismissive to the other sharks and boasting that he sold his software company for more than a billion dollars and the other guys deals were just a rounding error compared to his.

I hardly remember the other guys and gals names but he just stands out because of his language and constant bragging.

Back to Sawyer Sparks - he placed himself in a position where many people are ridiculed and laughed at. This is something that many people would never consider doing.

So he deserves his success.

[The Gorn]

I don't know where this thread is going. Am I supposed to be an a-hole like the guys that you are citing?  For some reason it works for everyone else but me. If the takeaway is not that, then it would be helpful to know what it is.

If I posted my own rants to the internet under my own name it would be career and reputation death.

A few years ago I referred a guy in my locality referred by a "great colleague" on JoS to a project I was working on. The guy was a f*cking backstabbing creep. But I could see the guy's super-sarcastic, judgemental, sneering behavior being a big blogosphere hit.

Anyone who didn't have to work with the guy would probably "love" his approach an attitude. That's the key. You can write a new script for yourself as a public hero on the internet, while one one one you can be the biggest putz in the world.

In fact I think this approach works best for douchebags. They have the least compunction about being found out. They just keep rolling.

Nope. I don't see that sort of thing as a reasonable alternative.

I chalk up what you're describing to a schtick, not to a solid package of reputation building practices.

[Peter Gibbons]

I don't know where this thread is going. Am I supposed to be an a-hole like the guys that you are citing?

No.

For some reason it works for everyone else but me. If the takeaway is not that, then it would be helpful to know what it is.

Well, we could go over the points one by one:


1. Write very controversial articles.
I think this is a key point. If you don't have ideas that disturb the status quo why would anybody listen to you?
You read articles by Bruce Schneier for example and every other one is controversial. Is he doing this on purpose? I don't know. But I do know that nobody will be reading an articles from security expert that tells you that he agrees 100% with the latest TSA regulations and they are making our air travel more safe.


2. Use profane language.
You have used some very colorful language in your posts and that's what made them memorable.
Just couple of sentences I took from random post:
"I was absolutely not interested in being their bitch, er, employee."
"The owners were arrogant pricks who treated their employees like shit."
And this is just very plain stuff coming from you
Do I suggest you post this under your real name? No.
However articles that show emotion and strongly held convictions make impressions on readers.


3. Make plugs for your buddies and get plugs in return.
I have had quite a few clients make positive comments about my product but for some reason I postponed asking them for testimonials because didn't want it to appear that I am providing good service just to get something back. Now it's kind of too late to ask.
I guess we should always be looking for getting mentioned on somebody's blog or magazine article.


4. Suck up to the leading authority in your area.
Is there somebody working in your area whose work you really value? Mention him in your writing and link to his web site. Maybe in the future he will reciprocate.


5. Write book(s).
This is not controversial at all.
Do you know a well known expert that does not have at least one book?

[The Gorn]

Ok, thanks for breaking it down. What you are saying, spelled out in sequence, makes good sense.

Yeah, even my "mild" commentaries are entertainingly acid. 

I have a lot of similar "fieldstones" - chunks of my past writing - to work with that I could mine, er, collect and utilize.

[David Randolph]

This thread reminds me of how art is marketed. Certain styles of art are "anointed" and thus, have all the critics liking it and promoting it. Other styles are not as well liked and don't go anywhere. Note that being good is not a real criteria for selling art. It is having all the "right people" promoting your art. Then, corporations purchase that art - because it is the right stuff.

This type of marketing is pure luck. Outsiders really can not break into the system.