Putting Your Best Foot Forward

Putting Your Best Foot Forward

Not long ago, I impressed the living daylights out of a buddy by projecting his image onto the screen of my computer. As I continued to touch away at the minus key, the image gradually zoomed-out, exposing that it was a photograph of the two of us, and it became immediately evident where the photograph had been shot. The image was really a tiny portion of a scanned snapshot of the two of us sitting at my desk, studying the computer display while I zoomed in even more. When the high-resolution photograph was taken, the photo was just resting on the desk next to it.

Aside from the fact that just seeing this high-resolution image consumed absurd quantities of disc space and memory and caused my PC to run at the speed of a Sinclair ZX-81, the narrative also serves as a very lengthy parallel to an essential business principle, which I'll get to later. On a regular basis, we lose sight of the big picture, lose sight of what we're attempting to do, and get bogged down in email inquiries, money concerns, bug-fixes, submitting our site to search engines, and other mundane daily chores. All of this is part of the process of operating a modest web-based company. The larger corporations have personnel to deal with letters, answer phones, sell their goods, and spend days or weeks perfecting their new logo. Smaller businesses do not have this luxury. We don't have any.

There is a significant risk in doing so; not only is it very easy to lose track of where you are and what you are doing, but it is also very likely that you will miss any potential dangers or opportunities that may be slipping through your fingers unnoticed.

The SWOT analysis, which stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, and Threats, is one of the few really useful tools I learned at Leeds Business School.It is a quick, easy, and effective tool for internal and external evaluation.

The concept that you, as a business, should play to your strengths and work on your flaws is a straightforward and clear one, but first and foremost, you must recognise your organization's strengths and weaknesses. You just need ten minutes to give it a go... and you may be amazed at how beneficial it can be in real life.

The things you're good at

What do you consider your greatest assets? What are your special skills? Perhaps it's a well-known brand and reputation, or perhaps it's the reputation of your program. Maybe you have something distinctive that customers need and use, or perhaps your existing pricing strategy is what really distinguishes you from the competition. Don't try to be humble in this situation-what makes you special? And what is it about your software that makes it so desirable? When it comes to distribution techniques, it is possible to be completely hands-free if you depend only on the internet for your distribution services. Alternatively, it's possible that your handbook, which registered users get, is regarded as the bees' knees of the PC world.

Weaknesses

It's likely that while compiling your list of strengths, you came up with a few flaws of your own. Every possible strength has an equal probability of becoming a weakness; for example, if you're new to the shareware sector and don't yet have a well-established name, this may be a disadvantage. Perhaps your programme isn't all that great, or perhaps there isn't much of a market for it-be honest with yourself, otherwise you'll be wasting your time. Is there anything specific about your software that distinguishes it from the competition? In other words, do you consider yourself to be one of the many who, based on the basic statistics of random selection, will get a specific proportion of the market's sales? Does the file size make sense if your only means of distribution are on the internet, including downloads? Is the file size small enough to be a practical download?

Opportunities

We've arrived at the meat of the discussion. Based on your indicated talents and shortcomings, it is reasonable to assume that a few potential possibilities have presented themselves. Perhaps you should consider expanding the number of download locations where your programme is available. The goal is to include as many people as possible, not just the large ones. Consider this: how long do you think it will take you to submit your information to Boomer's Shareware Shake-Down? Okay, so the odds of someone discovering your programme there are slim, but how many sales do you need to generate to make those two or three minutes of your time worthwhile? Even better, hire someone to take care of it for you. What about receiving a write-up in one of your favourite magazines? Isn't it true that the editors already have enough material to work with? Take advantage of Al Harberg's services and get your name in front of as many people as possible.

Consider creating a CD-ROM edition of your programme or putting together a printed handbook to accompany it. While writing this post, we're doing a study of a programme called Windows Commander, and registered customers will get a single A4 sheet folded into a booklet as part of their registration. What's more, you know what? It's fantastic! This document seems to have been created on a quality laser printer and then photocopied. It contains simple instructions as well as shortcut key references. And it's just as well-designed and professional-looking as some of the printed manuals we get in the mail.

What do you think about having several language versions? Perhaps it is not as tough to put into action as you would imagine. Don't be restricted in this area-don't analyse ideas through to their logical conclusion before rejecting them; instead, just get them down on paper.

Threats

The most unpleasant component of the process is that there are likely to be more black clouds looming over you than you are aware of. One of the fundamental rules of combat is to understand your adversary. One of the fundamental principles of excellent business should be to recognise your threats. Threats may manifest themselves in a variety of ways, with competition being one of the most prevalent. Have you had a look around at what's available lately? Is it possible for you to identify your competitors, what they offer, and how popular they are? Is it true that they are more popular than you? If so, what is the reason behind this? Perhaps new technology, or for that matter, new advances, will cause the carpet to be pulled out from under your feet in the future. If your programme is an animated GIF creator, you should be paying careful attention to industry advancements in this area right now. This is especially true if you rely on it to earn a livelihood.

example: During the time it took me to write this essay, Enfish Tracker Pro was one of the most outstanding apps I had ever come across in my research. Data tracking was possible throughout my PC, and it did so across all borders-data type, programme source, network connection, and the internet, to name a few. One of the primary purposes for which I originally used it was to look through the many thousands of emails that I had accumulated over the course of a couple of years. At the time, I was using Eudora Pro, and no matter how meticulously I organised sub-directories and groups, searching for a certain letter might still take a significant amount of time and effort. If not for the introduction of version 4.2 of Eudora, Enfish would have been my saviour in this specific domain, and would still be today. Among other things, the search capabilities have been much enhanced, allowing me to do searches using any combination of topic, author, date, and a plethora of other criteria. This functionality of the Enfish program is no longer in use and has been deprecated.

Keep an eye out for new technology, since it has the potential to creep up on you sooner than you realize. Furthermore, if your programme complements or improves other goods, you may find yourself stuck when the next edition comes out. If your programme is heavily dependent on the functionality of a specific operating system, the same approach applies. Immediately, in my mind's eye, I could think of more than 10 apps that will be rendered completely obsolete when Windows 2000 is eventually launched. You are aware of the new features of this "operating system of the future," aren't you? Do you have any questions about them?

SWOT analysis will not develop or build something for you; it is only a technique to assist you in making decisions. In the majority of cases, its primary function will be to prop open our eyes and push us to elevate our heads to view the wider picture, which will be beneficial. It is critical to concentrate on what we are excellent at and what we need to improve on, and it cannot be stressed enough how important it is to recognise the possibilities and risks that exist in our environment. Consider your software, as well as your company in general, as a prize. Make sure all of the dust has been removed, that the glossy parts have been polished, and that the item has been placed under a spotlight to show it off. It seems to be in excellent condition, don't you think? Consider moving the vase before it falls on you, and, for God's sake, repair that stand before it collapses... Be visible in order to be sold.