Statistics show that chatbots have become a very popular media for communication (source), and you can sell them to make money. There are many ways you can earn income with a bot. However, in this article, we are going to look at one method specifically – selling your Chatbot.
Can you make money by selling Chatbots? You can make an excellent income by creating and selling chatbots. One way of monetizing your blog is by selling it to a company/business or offering it to them for free, and earning a commission on sales from it. Many businesses are willing to buy chatbots to automate parts of their sales, support, and marketing processes.
In this article, we are going to look at two ways of making money by selling a chatbot. The two main ideas are selling it to a business for a one-time payment, or giving it away for free and earning income in the form of commissions on sales or lead generated by your bot. If you would like to learn more about Chatbots as passive income sources, please read our full chatbot passive income guide. Let’s get started
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Choose an Industry to Serve
Many businesses use bots for customer service, lead acquisition sales and marketing because they are fast, convenient and contain business intelligence. Whether you want to sell your Chatbot or give it away for free and earn commissions on sales or leads, you have to be sure about the industry your bot serves.
There are many industries that your Chatbot can serve like travel, real estate, finance, legal, education etc. It is important that you understand who your target market is, or what types of companies you want your bot to serve. That way, you can identify a niche in the industry, tailor your bot accordingly, and make it more helpful and monetizable. Work with businesses and people in the industry of your choice to better understand their target audience.
What are their questions, fears, and mindset? What do they want to purchase? Are they looking for a service or customer support? The more your bot replies to an actual problem, the more interested businesses will be in what you have to offer.
Identify and Capitalize on a Niche
Once you know the industry you want your bot to serve, it is important that you identify and capitalize on a niche within that industry. This will help you to beat the competition and stand out amongst the many bots already serving the industry.
When you capitalize on a niche, your Chatbot becomes more popular and you can sell or earn higher amounts of money from it. With that in mind, let’s assume your Chatbot is built and ready for sale. Here are the steps you could follow when you decide to sell it to a business or company.
Selling your Chatbot to a Business
There are a couple of ways you can sell a bot to a company. You can either create a bot for a specific industry and then seek out interested companies in that industry, but this may be a bit risky since you are less sure of having a buyer. You can create your bot outline, adapt it to different businesses, and sell it to them. Or you could pitch the benefits of a bot to prospects, and then build it for them. You can sell the bot for a flat, one-time fee, and/or earn recurring revenue for ongoing support, updates, new features, etc. You could also make the bot for free and get paid a commission on generated leads or other.
Here are a few steps to follow when you decide to sell your bot.
- Research about the business/company
- Reach out to potential buyers
- Pitch your idea, the benefits, and your bot outline
- Create it with their business intelligence and needs in mind
- Sell your bot for recurring revenue, flat fee or commissions on generated leads
Let’s have a look at each step in detail
1. Research on the Business
Chose an industry you are interested in and knowledgeable about. It will be much easier for you to put yourself in the shoes of your customers and their clients to reply to their actual needs. If your bot does not solve any real-life problems, it will probably be useless.
Make sure you do extensive research about the company you are selling your chatbot to. Carry out your own due diligence, especially if you are planning on making the bot for free and getting paid commissions on sales. This could be an awesome win, or a huge loss for you depending on the companies success, the contract, percentages, payouts and more.
2. Reach Out to your Potential Buyers
Remember, selling your bot is just like any other business deal. If you impress your prospect, it is likely that they will listen to your offers and consider buying your bot. Provide stats and actual ROI (Return On investment). What is in it for them? How will your bot answer their real-life problem? How will it boost their sales or reduce their costs? How much will it cost them?
If you are a beginner, local businesses are a good place to start because they are easy to find and pitch your idea to. Some ways of knowing what the business needs is by looking at the company’s reputation and finances. Reach out to different businesses through walk-ins, by phone, email, or through social media. Make sure to be interested in their needs and to understand what their specific business is looking for. Businesses are willing to pay for things that provide them value.
3. Pitch Your Chatbot
If you get an interested client after reaching out, your next step should be to pitch your bot to them. You can create a diagram of the discussion that the bot will have to help you demonstrate the value it can bring their business. Make this as personalized as possible so they know how you can help their specific business. You can talk about many benefits of chatbots during your pitch.
For example, chatbots can help eCommerce businesses prevent shopping cart abandonment, receive orders, upsell, and cross-sell, as well as encourage action with special offers. They can also enhance customer engagement and because of time-sensitivity, you can rest knowing that your bot will respond to questions from potential customers 24/7. Moreover, bots make sales automation easier. They can engage site visitors, collect lead information, qualify leads, and connect them to a salesperson.
You must be professional and articulate during this stage because it determines whether they will understand what you have to offer. Demonstrate a bot in action on your website, or on a site that you created for another client. You need to show that your bot can be beneficial and valuable to their business. You should demonstrate how it works and highlight the various features that make it stand out from the rest. If you pitch your product well and demonstrate the return on investment, there is a high chance that the business will consider buying your bot.
4. Create Your Bot
Work with your client to build a powerful bot that replies to their specific business needs. If they like your first bot and see a return on investment, they may be interested in more. You can create a bot for a specific page on their site to get started, or for new visitors. This process can take some time if you are creating your first bot for a business.
Learn How to Make a Chatbot!
5. Sell Your Bot
The pricing model should have been decided before the sale was closed but remember you have a couple of business models to choose from. These include
- Selling the bot for a flat, one-time fee
- Earn recurring revenue for ongoing support, updates, new features, etc.
- Getting paid a commission on generated leads or sales, etc.
You can also follow the above steps but instead of selling your bot, you give away for free. You can then request for commissions on sales if your bot is used to generate leads or sales.
Businesses use effective lead generation methods (like Chatbots) to capture potential customers’ information so they can sell to them. But do not close a deal that you are not comfortable with. If the company requests you make the bot for free and you get paid a commission on leads or sales generated, make sure that the company is trustworthy and pays you out.
Also, sign a contract that determines how long it will be valid for. Work with a qualified lawyer if you have. Many other businesses need your bot. So, if the deal is not right, be patient and listen to other offers before selling your bot. With the money you get, you can create other Chatbots, sell them, and make more money.
How Much Could I Sell my Chatbot For?
An average chatbot designed for small businesses for marketing or sales purposes can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 while some companies spend upwards of $50,000 for a bot (source). However, the price of a bot can be determined by a number of factors like its features, the industry it serves, the required level of interaction, the ROI provides etc. Ultimately, you are the one to decide the price of your bot.
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Related Questions
Can you make a decent income selling Chatbots? Yes, you can make good money creating and selling chatbots. If you build quality bots, you can sell them to businesses at a profit. Some bots sell for thousands of Dollars. It all depends on the features it comes with, the activities it can perform, the level of engagement it offers, the return on investment it can provide the business and more.
How can I boost my income by selling bots? You can make more money selling chatbots by investing your income, to creating other bots and selling them for a profit. The more bots you create and sell, the more income you can make. Once you are financially comfortable, you may be willing to take the risk of making a bot for free and receiving commissions on sales. Carry out your own due diligence in that case and work with a lawyer if necessary.
