So, you are putting together a personal "time management" package. I hope for your sake that you are not intending to make a living off this package. </sarcasm>

Seriously, the secret is to know your customer.

I am expecting to market this to smaller organizations first, approaching larger ones when I show it working.
Unless you are intending to produce this code as open source, or want to write the programs for the h___ of it anyway, I would recommend not writing a single line of code until you have confirmed interest from some prospective customers. Do your market research first. Work out what the expectations are, the price, and use this to prepare the requirements proposal.

Once you have this document, you are in a much stronger position to do business. Also, this will have helped focus you on precisely what you are intending to deliver. There have been many instances of people becoming over enthusiastic and unrealistic - then getting totally stitched up by the customer or their lawyers.

Why don't (or do?) hospitals, local governments, law enforcement groups, etc., with smaller user populations individually, band together and collectively ante up a couple of bucks each to have the $25,000 to pay for packages that they would own and use as they see fit?
More homework for you. You need to understand the procurement process and attitudes in the public sector (excuse me, I'm a Brit - I don't know if the term public sector is used in this way in the US).

As zaxo has said, you may find yourself in competition with an IT department, however this need not be the case. If there is an IT department, they need to become your friends if you intend to make any headway.

Another important point is to establish the right contact, at the right level in the customer's hierarchy to act as a sponsor. If you approach somebody too junior, your sale will be lost in the mire of internal politics. Too senior - you just won't get the opening.

In terms of hospitals etc. clubbing together for procurement. This actually happens I believe, but you need to understand their meta-infrastructure, and work out at what level (county, state, federal, etc.) these recommendations are made.

My $0.02. I'm glad to be able to share some experience, as I am working for a consultancy, and some of our clients include local government and national health service.

In reply to Re: software collectives vs. price of organizational license by rinceWind
in thread software collectives vs. price of organizational license by ff

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