Partnering to Sell a Product

[grumbachr]

How would someone approach trying to partner with an established company to consult on development and sell a product? I feel like this is something I want to look into because I don't have the time or resources to make what I feel is a strong product/idea into what it has the potential of becoming. I know my product would benefit from the experience and expertise others have in these areas. Maybe my product isn't really good enough to them but to me the potential is there.

[Vaughan]

Is the product working yet, has a prototype or proof of concept been made, or is it still at the idea stage?

Try looking at it from the partner's point of view; what's in it for them, other than a lot of work?

If you have real faith in the idea then you might want to pay a developer to do the heavy lifting, so you can get something working. Then try to get a customer.

There are quite a few blogs around about setting up micro ISVs, which is what you're basically doing. Most tend to suggest that success comes from having a working product -- even if it is incomplete -- with real people using it.

[grumbachr]

Yes I have a product and I have several costumers. Its a FileMaker solution that is sold as a starting point, a template that can be customized to meet an organization specific needs. So its not really a canned solution that can't be changed. There are a couple products out there that I would say are my competitors but I'd like to think I offer something different/more. Maybe along the same lines as some of the SeedCode products.

I'd also like to remain as the/a developer of the product just trade off some of my profits for their expertise and clout in marketing the product and getting it into more peoples hands.

[Colin Keefe]

You might want to take a look at Brian Dunning's ToMarket offering:

http://www.briandunning.com/tomarket/

I don't have any personal experience with the offering, but it's worth a look.

I've worked in the past in a consultative/development role for a vertical market product, and the renumeration was a mix of consulting fees and a stake in initial sales over a fixed period (2 years), and first right of refusal for customization work for clients. I doubt I'd try it again, though it was a good fit for me at the time, and might be for someone else.

I have to say that to sell this to another developer, you're going to need to convince them that your business plan is feasible and that you're serious about selling the heck out of the thing, since what's at stake for them is based on how hard you sell the product. You're going to need to give them a compelling reason to break away from a straight up time/materials arrangement.