e-Business-Formula Internet Marketing Discussion Forum

[Bettina1]

Is there an amount you won't exceed?

Do free trial periods made you more or less likely to purchase?

[Keith Winton]

Hi Bettina,

Purchasing software for me is a simple decision...

I ask myself, What will it do for me?
Will I get me investment back through saving time or will it assist me in making a little extra money?

If it passes the above tests them I'm in but I do look for free trial periods to ensure that the software will do what I want.

I also spend a little time at Hot Scripts to check out what freeware they may have on offer that might do the job I'm after, many times they have had exactly what I'm looking for.

Regards

Keith Winton

[tizzle]

I find the free trials really help to sell software to me. As the prices of software are ever increasing, I really like to know what the application is like before I shell out my hard earned cash.

As far as the amount that I will pay for software, I look at what I want software to do, and what are the other pieces of software out there (and their costs) that can preform the function as well. Sometimes a piece of software is just superior to another, and is worth the money.

[Chris (cat)]

Another good free site is - http://cgi.resourceindex.com/


Cheers, Chris

[Thumperfive]

frankly, I look for more reviews than just free trials - word of mouth is what sells me more than just a few hours free!

[crassus]

Provided that all the essentials are included in the trials, I tend to just keep getting the free software.

[tizzle]

One thing that I have to agree about is the power of reviews. One site that I always like to look at when I am looking at software is cnet.com. They tend to have a lot of things reviewed, and it is usually the first place I look.

I also like to glance at user reviews as well. They can be a valuable insight to how good the program is. While you always get the people who are upset about one thing or another in the reviews, you can see general trends. Is the software stable, easy to install? Does it crash all the time, are the menus too complex and confusing?

Reviews in general can be a quick way to pick out which of the software titles I want to look into more closely.

[jilef]

What I need for my computer is security. That's why I'm in constant search for softwares that can give my computer a good protection like firewall, antispyware and antivirus. All of these have very good freewares available. They are not free trials. They can be used as long as you like with regular updates at that. Right now I have Sygate Personal Firewall, Spycatcher, and Antivir PersonalEdition Classic which are all freewares.

[Thumperfive]

reviews are a major source for me in the decision on what to buy - moreso if it's a personal ref rather than a generic person.

[jimmys devoted]

I utilize free downloads of older programs. This advantage is that you get to trty before you shell out bucks, and if the program is still functional on the free version you can upgrade for a few pennies.
and most if you go through a company like ZD net you are assured virus free.

[Jeremy]

I use free trials, and there really isn't a limit. Of course it depends on what it's going to be for. I'll generally search multiple sites of the same category making sure I can find what I want. But I don't have a limit on how much I'll spend, if it happens and I don't have enough, I'll hold off and save up.

[G11-Tech]

I've actually shelled out the full $1500 for Adobe Creative Suite. While I knew that I could download it (and probably get away with it too), I just felt that since I'd be using it almost every day for work, buying it would be the best thing to do.

... and yes, it's worth EVERY cent!