Even if it was free – Part 2

So the first part was very focused on the free nature of mobile phones apps. Topical considering the Apprentice on BBC the other night, and the news re Skype. Both in different ways highlight the problem with free technology. The Apprentice was all about developing mobile phone apps and selling them for a few pence, and the acquisition of Skype by Microsoft highlights the world of free internet based telephony and collaboration.

                          

The context here is that even if technology was free ( or a few pennies or dimes ), people would still not deploy it. Lets dig in  a bit.

We all know technology alone doesn’t make everything fine. it is the skill of the people, the environment, the characteristics, the commitment and the desire to make it succeed. This is all well worn territory that people real out every time a major IT project stalls or fails to deliver.

But I see this problem being magnified by the ‘free’ nature of the modern and ubiquitous nature of today’s  technology environment. Everywhere you look you see stories which suggests that all you need to do is switch it on, and you are then connected and totally productive. On the other side of this ‘coin’ we have the cynicism and governance of people who are wiser and responsible around value for money, effort, support and impact to the individual or the business.

Honing in on the corporate world for a minute, this conflict is now a mainstream problem. Cloud of course does have this ‘free’ tag about it, with the media and vendors representing cloud as a commodity like water that you can turn on and off and pay for what you have just used. Of course cloud computing isn’t free, but can you imagine if it was? Would people just say ‘now its free I’m going to use it” Of course not.

So imagine that you are trying to sell cloud. It isn’t going to be easy. Why? Because despite all this hype, there is a real value attached to making a cloud decision. People aren’t going to do it simply because you have a ‘great price’ or ‘story’ to tell. It will help of course, but asks yourself this question.

‘If I made all my products free ( or a few pence ) would people buy them.’

Now track back, and think of all the reasons they would give you to explain why they wouldn’t bite your hand off. Prepare a list of responses. Doing this will be a good tactic and discipline. Remember value is rarely judged by conscious people in the price. They have their eyes wide open and will have a number of subtle and complex reasoning ‘gates’ that they go through. Cost is just going to be one of them. The clue is in the Consciousness. Knowing this can really help you.