Advice and opinions please

[csda1]

Re: Advice and opinions please

Peter,

Excel, Mail merge with Word or Word Perfect and other such non-Database solutions to common office problems are a different class of the problem which Richard begs the question for. These are people who don't really understand the advantages of a database and need to be sold on a database (any database!), of which Alpha 5 would hopefully be the simplest answer. So it's part database education, part A5 sell.

The others are sold on databases, and thus it's just the A5 sell as a solution.

[DaveM]

Re: Advice and opinions please

Hi,

Probably out in left field here, but it sounds like a thought toward marketing by Alpha. Webinars are not my bag at all. Kids rather do than look/watch. I looked at the page and was not as impressed as maybe others were.

Putting the company in another's hands can be good and bad if that is the thought. If the proper studies and comparisons are done, Good decisions can be made. Either way, there is a cost to be paid. I have done consulting where I sold someone else's product/software as an aside to my own. The programmer/company did not understand the cost involved (paying me) in almost every case.

My personal opinion is to get this product into the hands of the kids, schools, churches, civic organizations at whatever the cost. The kids grow up and become those managers that make decisions. Managers today are usually involved in churches and civic organizations.



Dave Mason

[ken doucet]

Re: Advice and opinions please

Peter,

Excel, Mail merge with Word or Word Perfect and other such non-Database solutions to common office problems are a different class of the problem which Richard begs the question for. These are people who don't really understand the advantages of a database and need to be sold on a database (any database!), of which Alpha 5 would hopefully be the simplest answer. So it's part database education, part A5 sell.

The others are sold on databases, and thus it's just the A5 sell as a solution.

I think that the challenge is to get some testimonial type videos on the Alpha site where the focus is on how Alpha 5 (as a database) solved issues that were not even on the radar of end user until they got "educated" on the benefits of a data base. People tend to see the world from a very restricted perspective and if they can see how "change" i.e. moving to a data base can make their world easier then they may be more open to options.

The tutorials/videos covering general database development aren't going to be as inviting as tutorials with real world samples. An example, I was checking out Apple's site and came across a real world testimony of how a lawyer in a small practise successfully faced off a Las Vegas casino using a very inexpensive piece of software ($50). That lead in drew me further into the testimonial and it got into some detail of how this software was used very creatively to totally organize the mountain of info that large firms try to bury small firms with. It got to the point that the judge was showing frustration at the large firm's effective inability to get to the info quickly whereas this lawyer was totally on top of the detail..... This is the kind of stuff that draws people in - they want to see how others use and apply tools and then consider using it themselves.

I am certain that with the breadth of applications developed by forum users that there would be a fair number that would make great testimonials of how Alpha addressed issues. They would have great drawing power.

Alpha apps have solved problems, leveraged productivity, made life more manageable for the end users - this just needs to have some focus.

Ken

[Steve Wood]

Re: Advice and opinions please

Richard,

I know if I had quality sales collateral, presentation and trade show material, and training material (such as a training syllabus, slides, quizzes, etc.), that I would be more eager to seek out local user's and software developer's groups to presenation Alpha Five solutions. I'd show at trade shows, hold training sessions, or even teach a class at my local JC.

I could do all of the above now, but I'd have to stop and spend a month creating the required material. But if some reasonable number of us wanted, say a marketing brochure or a full-blown sales presentation, then surely Alpha could put something together and provide it through the VAR program at cost+.

[Mortie]

Re: Advice and opinions please

What is the feeling about Alpha maintaining an ongoing marketing campaign as to the availability of developers for small business application design? Surely this would sell additional A5 product. Just 2 dollars added to the cost of each new version (after all their are a million users out there!) would generate some additional advertising monies. There has to be many small business owners that would relish the availability of a specialized software package for their business. This is not just the listing on the web site as it is now but full fledge marketing of the talents of developers who truly want more business (or are the developers and consultants maxed out?)

It seems to me the focus of this thread has been on marketing the A5 product when we have two really great products, the A5 product and the many talented developers and consultants, that should come together with this huge small business market. A periodically marketed webinar and/or a CD with a similar presentation in the style of the AOL free CD, not with a free product but rather application demos and poignant comments about how the best way to utilize A5 is through a local developer. Hmmmmm now that I think about it, why not give the A5 trial version out on a CD to small business owners. It expires anyway and those who have the "huevos" to dive in will get hooked and buy. I think this would generate income for the independent A5 developers and Alpah.

The marketing brochure is a good idea and I would think A5 should be willing to cover this part of the total cost when a developer wants to do a local advertising campaign at his/her own expense.

[jmatienza]

Re: Advice and opinions please

How about a two-page pdf datasheet. All the database and RAD apps out there seem to have one.

And white papers. With point by point comparisons with the competition.

And more success stories. Particularly with big-brand customers.

[Mike Wilson]

Re: Advice and opinions please

...And more success stories. Particularly with big-brand customers.

The mid-cap stocks and the Russell 2000 is where the growth markey is. Big brand customers use Oracle and such.

[jmatienza]

Re: Advice and opinions please

Big brand customers use Oracle and such.

I would have thought so, Mike. But the Alpha Software customers page lists some pretty big names.

Come to think of it, what could a company like Boeing be doing with Alpha Five? It might be interesting to find out!

[Mortie]

Re: Advice and opinions please

I would have thought so, Mike. But the Alpha Software customers page lists some pretty big names.

Come to think of it, what could a company like Boeing be doing with Alpha Five? It might be interesting to find out!

Boeing is most likely the same as my Company, which is on the list. I use A5. Back about A5V5 I suggested that my Company (a wholly owned Company, which is part of the overall Company name) look at the application I developed for use solely in my state. They purcahsed A5, which probably, for advertising purposes classifies them as a "user". In my state nowhere will you find an A5 development version on any computer that is owned by the Company. Recently they rewrote their computer usage guidelines when they went to XP universally. At that time I was still with the Company as an employee. They removed admin privileges from everyone. A5 was not one of the approved programs even though I applied for it to be. Their sole logic was, "Alpha 5 is not an approved software application for our systems." YOu know, of course, that Access is!

So you can see why I am not sure that there is all that much "BIG COMPANY" use out there.

[jmatienza]

Re: Advice and opinions please

Boeing is most likely the same as my Company, which is on the list. I use A5. Back about A5V5 I suggested that my Company (a wholly owned Company, which is part of the overall Company name) look at the application I developed for use solely in my state. They purcahsed A5, which probably, for advertising purposes classifies them as a "user". In my state nowhere will you find an A5 development version on any computer that is owned by the Company. Recently they rewrote their computer usage guidelines when they went to XP universally. At that time I was still with the Company as an employee. They removed admin privileges from everyone. A5 was not one of the approved programs even though I applied for it to be. Their sole logic was, "Alpha 5 is not an approved software application for our systems." YOu know, of course, that Access is!

So you can see why I am not sure that there is all that much "BIG COMPANY" use out there.

:( Ah, too bad.

But big brands aside, there are other big names on the list too. Like education and nonprofit institutions. Take the American Museum of Natural History. Now that's a name. They have a video testimonial on the Alpha web site, a real good one, too. More of that kind of success story could have a lot of persuasive power. It doesn't have to be an enterprise-wide or storefront application. As long as they're getting real work done with it.

[DaveM]

Re: Advice and opinions please

Hi again,

It is wonderful that Alpha has the great testimonials on the site. We all see them. The trick is to get people who never heard of or saw the site to come there, then stay long enough to see those testimonials.

Again I say it(not my idea - was stolen from companies like microsoft and apple), get it in the hands of the kids, teachers, administrators, etc. Appeal to them! They will get it around the worlds quick. We think we can do things with A5?, wait 'til a 17 year old gets into it. That 17 year old will do things we know we can never do.


Dave

[neil_albala]

Re: Advice and opinions please

Thanks to the the Alpha Customer who created the Alpha Listing on the About Us Wiki: http://msgboard.alphasoftware.com/al...ad.php?t=66860

It said, "Without an programming experience, users can develop sophisticated applications using their AlphaFive software."

Richard. I been watching the same show for years now. That's the crux of the problem-- right there. No matter how many Excel programmers you sell A5 to, the vast majority are going to be disappointed. Why? Because that statement is just not true. Non-programmers-- even experienced Excel users are always going to be overwhelmed by the complexity and richness of Alpha Five. They're not programmers. Not only won't they be able to, "develop sophisticated applications," chances are they'll barely be able to develop usable applications.

There's a LOT to consider: Tables, field types, indexes, views, forms, browsers, action scripting-- to say nothing about, combo boxes, list boxes, sub forms, etc. etc. The list goes on and on.

On the other hand you have 100,000's of disenchanted Visual Basic programmers, that know all about those things. They're fed up with all the high cost and sheer bloat of the .NET environment. These are people who could, ""develop sophisticated applications," because they already have the experience and knowledge to appreciate the elegance and genus behind the A5 development environment.

They are the ones who can, "develop sophisticated applications," with little or not coding. They are the ones who would jump for joy, when introduced to the idea that almost anything can be done with Action Scripting AND then instantly converted to Xbasic for their education and amusement. They already know Basic and only they, can appreciate all the many high level Xbasic functions that will make their work easier, and them more productive.

No. Alpha's core customer is the consultant. The small shop developer, creating vertical applications, that can usurp and outbid others, on almost any project, because they have the added productivity of all-in-one A5 RAD environment. So why don't more big corporations use A5?

Because there's absolutely no easy way to hire A5 programmers. You know-- and I know-- they're out there. They just can't be found. Go to any of the places contract programmers can be found, big or small. They can't be found.


http://www.odesk.com/index.php
http://www.elance.com/p/index.html
http://www.monster.com/
http://www.getafreelancer.com
http://www.freelancerchina.com

If you really need to hire an A5 programmer, here's the only place I know:

https://www.alphasoftware.com/professional-services

Richard, Aaron: the least you could to is add a couple of new Forums to the Alpha Software Message board:

Alpha Five Programmers available
Alpha Five Contract Work Offered

At least for now. An A5 Web Application that allowed competitive bidding-- with city filters for full time work, would go a long way to making A5 more respectable in the to corporate system managers.

There. That's my two cents, since you asked.

[jmatienza]

Re: Advice and opinions please

Non-programmers-- even experienced Excel users are always going to be overwhelmed by the complexity and richness of Alpha Five. They're not programmers. Not only won't they be able to, "develop sophisticated applications," chances are they'll barely be able to develop usable applications.

As a non-programmer (and not even an Excel user), I find Neil's statement refreshingly realistic. Sad, but refreshing.

[neil_albala]

Re: Advice and opinions please

My apologies-- I seem to have omitted the main resource for finding A5 programmers:

http://alphasoftware.com/services/consultants.asp