"Success Fees" - how do I ensure payout by an acquiring company?

Here's what I don't see so far: executive (buyer) INVOLVEMENT by your target customers. Go to them. Show them what you've got. Get the testimonials from your employee-level advisors to show them the need is legit. (Use these same employees to start going up the chain and finding out who are the decision makers you need to talk to.) Find out if they are interested. If they are, say that you want their help with compliance issues (they already employ highly experienced experts in this department, believe me; and you can leverage this). In return you'll give them a deal in licensing the use of the software. I want you to understand something: User Adoption is key here. Right now, you have nothing. But get ONE user, one client, one recognizable name in your target market using the software, and now you have something. So be prepared to basically give that initial license away--at least for the first year--if you must. That's your Best Alternative To A Negotiated Agreement (time for you to read up on negotiation, I think). Because after that, you can go to the next whale and say, "Yeah, ABC Oil is using our product and they sure like it." If Customer #1 wants a guarantee of exclusivity, like this software is going to give the user a competitive advantage, then guess what, the price goes up. You cannot protect your idea from being stolen. So quit worrying about that (if you are.) Frankly, most firms and their staff are too darn busy with their own daily firefighting and are only too happy to outsource something like this to someone they can delegate out to. If you want further detailed strategy help like this, wording for conversations, and more, book a call.

You need to do two things to get calls. First, optimize your profile so it is clean and professional. Make sure you have a picture of yourself and images to go with each expertise offering. Complete all parts of your profile so potential callers aren't turned away by an incomplete, haphazard appearance. After all, without any reviews, your profile content and images are all they have to go on. Read up on copywriting to understand how to make what you are presenting compelling. Second, spread the word and get your name out there. Answers questions on here for topics you can help people with. Add a link back to your Clarity profile on anywhere you have a presence such as Facebook, Twitter, your website, email signature, etc. Also mention your Clarity profile when you help them with something too so they can follow-up and book a call. If you need help with any of this, I'd be glad to chat further, just shoot me a message.

Hey there, I trust that your CRM is robust enough to trigger some workflows and automated steps. I would recommend you have an automated series of reminders to both your customer AND their respective relationship manager that fire as the client approaches their end of contract. To your internal staff, getting notified that a customer is opening/clicking on resources included in their reminder emails would be recommended, or if a client has NOT taken any action, to notify more than one member of your staff to ensure that these folks are not falling between the cracks. Additionally, monitoring and being notified of actions of the client, such as visiting your FAQ page or pricing page on your website provides helpful context for your sales team when reaching out. Again, I think it is just as important to nurture the client as they approach this date, they should really be able to see the value of working with you and make the decision to continue their partnership with you regardless of the contract. I'd love to help you more with this, let's set up a call if you have specific questions. All the best, -Shaun

Hey there - it would be helpful to learn a little more about the specifics you are looking for. But, as I understand it, you are wanting to contact those who have booked time with you before and request a review? Depending on how long it has been (thus the "depth" of the relationship), you can message them here on Clarity. If you have the time and desire, you can also seek them out on LinkedIn and connect with them there to request a review. I hope this helps! Keep in mind - your goal should be to always strengthen the relationship mutually, not seek them out (or stalk them) for your own benefit. All the best, -Shaun

I am not a lawyer or an attorney and this is not "professional advice." Hire an accountant who is familiar with licensing. Stay away from the franchising route if you can: it's expensive, the lawyers are expensive, and you are open to attack from inside and out (franchisees and customers). I was a senior executive at an Inc. Top 1000 franchise firm and saw this from the inside--though we didn't have an issue with our franchisees, I saw plenty of franchisors who did. Learn about licensing. Figure out how to write the contract so you have control over some measurable variables, eg. customer count, revenues, # of complaints, etc. As long as the licensee remains in tolerance, they're fine, but if they go outside you drop them. You are going to have to invest in an attorney to create the boilerplate contract, and an accountant to manage the process (which you should probably do first.) Don't cheap out. You're protecting yourself here. BTW looks like Jeff Retchman in this thread could help you as well: https://clarity.fm/questions/1258/how-to-license-with-a-revenue-based-model