As a software company, I get eMail.
A ton of it.

Tech support questions, issues with past downloads, praise for the software, rants about the software
… and sometimes, letters that just make me laugh.

Here are a few letters I’ve received in the past. I try to be nice, but some folks you just can’t please.
I’ve left the letters below intact and uncorrected…

————–
From: “Martin”
Date: November 14, 2006 8:32:09 AM PST
Subject: Re: thelogocreator.com

Hi this sucks i think :

your peace of software has allready a high price but it seams you want to get rish from it fast , because any other modulles has to be paid for …

Shame on you man !!!!

Why not ask $50 for each logo people make ;-(
i were thinking i will buy it for your high price and i thought i may
downloadother modulles for free , but your a leecher you want more and more
money for each modulle you make that sucks so i go forget your cool
software.

you do have nice product but you want to make to mush money of it and of each detail
so

bey

it piss me off ;-(
its ripp off …

————–

From: mickbar@xxxxxxx.com>
Date: October 30, 2005 4:32:23 AM PST
Subject: NO

Mr. logoman.

Can not find the down load on my comptuer. so have not been able to do anything yet, want to find it for me?????? do so.

————–

From: SGhaderi1@xxxxx.com
Date: April 1, 2004 11:39:19 AM PST
Subject: Small Businesses and The Logo Creator software!

Marc, Thanks for thr email. I tried to use the logo creator several times , ut it was not of any use to us . In our view is is very elementry and not as feature rich as we expected it . Socondly – dwe were not able to create any logos , but to view the smaples.

Needless to say that we feel that MS Pain would be suffiecient enough for our needs.

Ceers
Sid

————–

From: JasonH@xxxxx.com
Date: May 1, 2007 10:32:12 AM PST
Subject: Last digits

Marc,
I have tried looking up my order number with your lookup service (www.findmyorder.com)

It is asking me for my last 5 didgits of my card!
My card only has 4 digits at the end.

Get this right and download my software now. I have been patient enoubh.

j

————–

Developing software is easy. Creating the actual content of the software is tough.
Without good content, the software suffers.

I’ve created each and every template found in The Logo Creator.

I suppose I have a certain … style to my images.

Big bold and colorful. Lots of fat fonts.
I need a new pair of eyes sometimes. A pair of eyes connected to a brain with a lighter, less bold of a touch. Where do I get the ideas for the logos?
Everywhere.

I was browsing my iTunes store today and found an image I thought looked very nice. It was a promo for the new CMT Comedy Stage (where you can download stand up performances from comedians).

I wanted to see if I could design the same image in The Logo Creator. My rendition is found below.

If you’re interested in pulling this apart, I’ve attached the full .tlc file for you here. (Any of you using The Logo Creator, the Web Graphics Creator Art Center, or the Stationary ads in The Flash Ad Creator can simply choose “Open” from the FILE menu to view this .tlc file).

I first brought in an image of the Microphone from PhotoObjects.net (if you have The Entertainment Edition, you can find this Microphone in the Elements section as well).

I then found a few ’spot light beams’ from the Entertainment Elements. I duplicated and rotated them to create the background rays.

I created my text, and chose the ‘More Text Effects’ button and then chose the ‘Cool 3D’ effect for the text.

Check out my final rendition below (The image on the Left is the Original image from iTunes).

– Marc

Back in 1999, when I began creating The Logo Creator, there were very few ways of collecting payment from online customers.

I went directly to Visa, Mastercard and American Express and set up accounts with each one.
All three gave me different methods of entering credit card information. I had to place each purchase … manually … into a software application ( that I think I remember purchasing for $400). Each night, we had to submit the credit card information … over a dial up connection! 56k I think it was… then each morning, I’d get an eMail with the cards that went through.

Then I’d send the software to the customer.

This online commerce stuff was new back then, so collecting credit cards without an official signature was very tricky.
It was very easy for the end customer to reverse the charges, or provide stolen Credit Cards.

They (the credit card companies) collected 3 to 4% of each transaction. So not only did I loose the sale if the customer reversed the charges, I’d loose the transaction fees, the bank fees and, of course, the actual sale.

It was nutts I tells ya!

DigitalRiver saves the day

So I went out online to look for a better way. I used Yahoo I remember. Google wasn’t invented yet!
I found a company called DigitalRiver. I looked up their number and gave them a call.
…I’ve been 110% happy with them ever since.

They made it easy to collect any form of currency, in any language.

Sure, they take 20% of sales, but this is WELL worth not having the hassles I mention above!

My initial set up fee with them was $2,000.
(this was 7 years ago. This fee might have changed I have no idea. So don’t hold this against them if you decide to take up their services). $2,000 back then was a lump of money. But I took a chance and paid them. And it paid off.

They’ve not only provided me with eCommerce, but I’ve got many connections to the software world through them. They handle over 30,000 other vendors including Adobe and Microsoft. I’ve been honored to meet people at of some companies I really admire. Symantec, Macromedia, Adobe, and online shops like PhotoOjbects.net and Clipart.com.

Each year (twice a year), DigitalRiver holds a Summit where we all get together and talk about software, sales and how to market everything. I find this invaluable. The connections at these summits are more than worth the trips.

I’ll stop sounding like a commercial for them now.
… But if you’re selling anything online, anything that can be purchased and downloaded through the web, give them a shout.

I’ve always had the ‘entrepreneurial’ spirit.

I remember, being 9 years old, going down to the local pottery shop and buying a dozen un-kilned coffee mugs. I drew cartoons on them (I was a wanna-be cartoonist back in the day) and brought them back to the pottery shop to have them Kilned (baked).

I then took them to the local fire department and my school and tried to sell them. I did sell a few of them … but I never made enough to compensate for the cost of the cups, kilning and paints!

This is the SAME problem I have with the retail world. I’ve been selling The Logo Creator in large retail stores like CompUSA, Fry’s Electronics and Office Max since 2004.

Each box will cost (roughly) $3.00 (USDollars) to design. This includes the actual box, the CD inside, the sleeve the CD is put into, burning the CD and putting in the cardboard to make the box thicker.

A designer may charge upwards of $2,000 to $7,000 to design the box! (I’m lucky enough to be able to design my own boxes). A good rule of thumb is to spend $3,000 for 1000 boxes.

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