Need expert advice please

For the last couple of years now I have been creating what I call Software Cards.These are just cards I create and print from my computer and cut out.(Two cards per sheet of card stock.)In side the card I put a 31/2 disk with a small software program or some interesting utility I find that's free online and download it to the disk. I give them as Christmas cards or Birthday cards,etc; Everyone seems to really enjoy the idea of getting a card with a gift included.My question for the expert marketers here is How could I turn something like this into a small home business?
I would appreciate all advice and suggestions.
Best regards,
James
p.s. Michael Ross and Dien Rice!
You might consider this idea for one of your The Great Ideas Letter. Which I do subscribe to.

Offer the "Cards" (with CD's inside) to Realtors.

Create a "Self-running Slide Show" of 10 or 12 photos of the property (house)

The Card would have info about the property and realtor.

You can make a "Self-Running SLIDE SHOW" and an "AutoRun" CD (meaning the Slide Show starts automatically)....with FREE SOFTWARE.

I would charge $500 per property including 100 CD's and Cards. The realtors give you the photos and info and you make up the CD's and Cards.

Once a realtor sees a Sample CD run in his own PC...he is SOLD!

Let me know if you'd like to know where to get the free Slide-Show and Auto-Run software.

Don Alm




Some of my Unique, money-making programs.

Make up a "Town CD".

Again...an Auto-Run CD with an autorun Slide Show using the free software along with a Card.

The CD would have photos of the Town AND...Photos of 40 or 50 businesses that will pay you $500 for a minimum of 500 CD's that will be mailed by your local Chamber of Commerce to people who inquire about your Town.

My little town of 20,000 gets about 200 inquiries a month to the Chamber. The Chamber sends out a "package".

Some years ago I did this with Floppy Disks and a high compression program that would compress 50 photos down below 1.4meg. Using a CD you can place a lot of photos in a 640 meg CD.

When I did it the Chamber charged me nada. My only expense was the floppies and labels (about 50cents ea) and I was getting a buck per floppy from 50 advertisers so my "Net" was $49 per floppy.

Mailing out 100 CD's a month thru your local Chamber and making $49 per CD....amounts to a Nice chunk o change for doing nothing but duplicating 100 CD's and getting them to your Chamber who would LOVE to have something like this to include in their "Town Info package".

Do this in 40 or 5 Towns and the numbers now get VEEERY interesting.

All you do with the software programs is place the 2 files in the same folder on your harddrive as the photo files and whala....they make an Auto-Run Slide Show that will WoW the pants off anyone receiving it.

Give it a go! Local businesses WANT to reach people who are considering moving to your town and they are willing to PAY.

Don Alm




Some of my work from home programs.

Make up a "Town CD" for REALTORS!

Realtors have prospective home buyers contacting them every day. They would be HAPPY to HAND OUT a CD with info about the Town and Area AND... photos of some of the realtors properties....especially if the CD's are FREE!

You would personalize the CD's for each realtor and CHARGE businesses 50cents to $1 per CD given out.

Again...businesses WANT to reach NEW HOME BUYERS.

All the home buyer does is plop the CD into their CD drive and wham-bam....they just sit back and watch a Slide Show (you can control how fast each photo lasts)

Thinking about this has got my own "greed glands" a-poppin.

THIS is DOABLE! All it takes is someone to make up a Sample CD and "show it to prospects"!

Don Alm




Some of my Unique, money-making programs.

I just wanted to say that I love reading your posts. You've always just such great ideas.

And James: I think we'd all be interested to find out how it goes if you decide to make a go of this.

To your success!

Karol Gajda


What is one dollar worth to you?

I was thinking that a more interactive CD for Realtors would even be a better idea, such as using a camcorder and recording the Realtor showing the house for sale room by room well giving the houses details. Then take that recording and place it on a CD. This way the Realtor could give the CD to potential home buyers in or out of state. Now if you wanted to go all out you could contract to work with a whole Realtors office and do a CD that's like a home buyers showcase tv show on CD. This is just how I would go about doing this idea. Let me know what you think?

Martin

I think this is a great idea, but... the $500 price seems a little steep. Not being that familiar with the realty biz, my concerns may be unfounded. But, they are:

1) Isn't that an awfully big chunk out of the agent's commission?

2) Is it typical that a property be shown to as many as 100 (or more) prospects before it sells?

3) Once the property sells, the leftover CD/cards are useless. Wouldn't the realtors resent this or consider it a waste of money?

Please educate me if I'm way off on this.

Chris

> Offer the "Cards" (with CD's
> inside) to Realtors.

> Create a "Self-running Slide Show"
> of 10 or 12 photos of the property (house)

> The Card would have info about the property
> and realtor.

> You can make a "Self-Running SLIDE
> SHOW" and an "AutoRun" CD
> (meaning the Slide Show starts
> automatically)....with FREE SOFTWARE.

> I would charge $500 per property including
> 100 CD's and Cards. The realtors give you
> the photos and info and you make up the CD's
> and Cards.

> Once a realtor sees a Sample CD run in his
> own PC...he is SOLD!

> Let me know if you'd like to know where to
> get the free Slide-Show and Auto-Run
> software.

> Don Alm

>Good points Chris....
I'm trying the town cd and start with whatever a months worth of cd's are apt to be shipped based on the Chambers educated guess. They can always be recopied as Don mentioned. To keep it from being too tedious to watch, I'm using 30 businesses instead of 50. One from a variety of business. exclusivity. Some will drop out and others will renew. Easy enough to redo a cd.

Thank you All,
I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my post. However I may have posted it incorrectly.I'm not really selling software. The software is just a added incentive for people to purchase my cards. The software is included with each card. For example you buy a Birthday card you also get a gift(software.) Hence the name Software Cards. So when you purchase a card for someone they will also have the gift included so when looking for a gift for someone all you need do is buy a card and it has the gift inside.SIMPLE! The software I use is very generic.It's good for anyone to use.Mostly desktop utilities ,etc:
Thanks again for you time and best regards,
James

I read your post. How is your town cd going. Do you find the busineses are receptive to your idea?
How much do you charge?
Kelle