In the last post I began talking about the key areas where we need to execute. Our product strategy is solid. Our marketing is a challenge and software development will be critical, but we have expert help with those.

The biggest challenge: Sales

Sales is probably our biggest challenge. This involves pitching to political and special interest groups and selling to politicians.

Selling to groups has a number of challenges. They are all busy and they all have full schedules and well-developed plans that don’t (yet) involve PeopleCount. Some have policies of not working with outside groups in the fashion we’re asking. Some have narrow self-definitions that they partner for certain things so our only chance is to work with their partners. Some are simply narrow-minded. One thinks their actions are sufficient. Another thinks one has to have a real movement. The guy I spoke with doesn’t see that partnering with movements can be a substitute.

Selling to politicians has a different set of challenges. The five that I spoke to love what we’re offering. But reaching them is a pain. They rarely answer emails or the phone.

And most politicians don’t even offer their contact information, except a form on a website which they don’t answer. It’s going to be hard to reach them if they don’t answer written requests and there’s no phone number.

The biggest sales challenge is that I’m not cut out for sales. Partly I’m new at this. And partly I have a ton of other stuff on my plate. Every emergency delays sales.

Timing is key. I wish I had committed to build 9 months ago when there was time before the election… But wishful thinking is a waste of time.

Finances is a huge challenge. I’ve spent my savings mainly supporting my home and family while I work on this. And now I’ve borrowed against my home to give us a minimal budget. I’ve asked about twenty wealthy people and they’ve refused to even have a conversation about it. I’ve sent emails to dozens more and there have been almost no replies. That hurts.

So on the one hand, we have a lot of challenges. On the other, the possibility of success remains, and the payoff for humanity is huge. The moral imperative remains.

Is it possible to fix democracy? Absolutely. And, we might fail to overcome all the challenges. Your support could make all the difference.

Please add your name to our announcement list. And while you’re there, you’re welcome to donate a few dollars. Or more!