How do I sell my expensive niche software w/ no sales background?
ankeshk: 1. Pricing:If your clients pay for the software from grant money - find out about these grants before deciding on your pricing.  People won't have a lot of hesitation on price if its not their money - but grant money - that they'll be spending.So find out what kind of grants your clients opt for.  Whats the average value of that grant.  Is it a specific purpose grant?  And fix your pricing accordingly.2. Book recommendations:i. How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling - by Frank Bettger
(The best book on selling I've read)ii. Bag the Elephant - by Steve Kaplan
(Book for selling to big clients)Jeffrey Gitomer books on selling are also good.3. Selling IdeasRecord short interviews with your current clients.  Ask them the following questions:i. What was your perception about my product / solution before you bought it?ii. How has that perception changed?(Answer to the above 2 questions gives you the before-and-after scenario.  Powerful testimonial stuff.)iii. What is the biggest benefit you gained from using my product?iv. What are some other benefits you received?v. Do you think the price is reasonable?vi. Would you recommend the solution to others?Obviously - ask for their name and title and stuff too.Record such 10 minute interviews.  Compile all the interviews in 1 DVD.  And you have a very powerful sales tool.Using such tools work wonders for folks who aren't good at personal face-to-face selling.  Let others sell your solution to your target audience.Mail these DVDs with a 1-2 page sales letter to folks in other cities (Let me know if you need help with the sales letter too - I've written a few that have done well).  And follow up by phone after 3-5 days.  And then follow up again.As others have recommended, tradeshows and conferences are very good to get your foot in and raise awareness too.