Questions

Our software would be deployed for communities. The users would be residents and business owners within the community to use as a way to communicate. It really is a tool for economic development and civic engagement so i think it would be most appealing to municipal leaders. I am concerned because I could imagine it is hard to get ahold of municipal money.

The municipal market (also my primary market) is a real "me too" market and will (especially within a region) always do what their colleagues have found success with. If you can establish a relationship with a muni in your sweet spot and invest some of your time to create a good reference implementation, this will go far for you. However, you really have to be solving a problem that the municipality has because they are very tactically focused. I have spent years in the open government/engagement space here and the value proposition for municipalities is very hard to define in order for them to spend money investing in a tool that will provide this. You may be better served by focusing on a pseudo public sector group such as the Chamber or directly to the Council. If you try to sell a civic engagement tool to municipal staff, even if they are visionary, you will come up with nothing. Frame it in a problem they need to solve, such as how much money is being spent on a process or an activity and how this could reduce this.

Happy to chat further!


Answered 9 years ago

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