I use two really great products from 37signals:
- Backpack – a simple organizer for notes and task lists
- Basecamp – a message board/project management system for small groups
They each start free. You get a ton of use and a ton of value immediately.
Then, when you need a little extra, you pay a little extra. I paid $5 to upgrade Backpack to let me store more pages. I paid $12 to put more projects in Basecamp. The value was proven.
It was such a small amount of money. I was happy to do it. It took 3 minutes.
Now I’m paying them $17/month, $204/year. They have no marketing budget, no salespeople.
Lesson: How easy is it for people to give you more money?