What is AppSumo?
AppSumo is a business that offers deeply discount, time-limited deals on software as a service (SAAS) and other business productivity tools. The deals change often, although sometimes deals come back periodically. (The link is my affiliate link.)
Are you an AppSumo fan? If you are, you know that it’s very tempting to take advantage of those “one lifetime payment” deals for software tools. I’ve bought deals on AppSumo that were great buys, and I’ve wasted money, too. Browsing AppSumo’s site can kick off your Bright Shiny Object habit. I’m here to tell you that most of what you see you probably don’t need or will never use. On the other hand, you can get some cost-effective “lifetime” deals through AppSumo.
Tips for Buying AppSumo Deals Click To Tweet
Here’s what to expect when you buy:
- Many of the “$59 for life” programs are early launch or light versions of the software. You might have to “stack” several of their “deals” to really get the use of the program you bought. Stacking deals is AppSumo’s term for buying more than one unit of a deal, which typically unlocks a more robust or unbranded version for you to use.
- You can also expect frequent updates to the software programs, which are often launched just as they come out of Beta.
- The tutorials might be thin, poorly written, or missing. If you aren’t somewhat software savvy take this into consideration.
A big consideration with buying new tools is your learning curve. Some of the tools you buy are fairly easy to learn (if you are software savvy) or very similar to what you might already be using. But all of them take some time to get to know. And 
that’s where the rub comes in. I know dozens of business owners who think, “This sounds good, I might use it sometime.” So they buy the deal, download it and never open it. Never learn to use it. Forget they even own it.
Here is how to avoid this waste of money. Before you jump onto an AppSumo deal, ask yourself:
- How is this going to help my bottom line in the next 90 days?
- When am I putting this on my calendar to learn to use, enough at least to hand it off to a team member and understand the strategy behind using it?
Current AppSumo Deal Recommendations
Having said that, here are a few current AppSumo deals that I either personally use or think they are worth checking out. When you click that link you’ll go to AppSumo’s main deals page, scroll down to find these specific offers.
- SendFox if you need a simple, no-nonsense email system that allows you separate lists and gives you a simple, easy to use email system. Also, if your list is less than 5,000 or so and you don’t need fifty different kinds of segments and tags.
- Scribe for customized email signature lines. I don’t use it personally but I hear many compliments about it (the AppSumo deal might be over by the time you get this, though, click through and look for it).
- Missinglettr Curate for getting more shares of your content on social media, and for sharing other people’s curated content that your followers will find useful. (I do use this one myself.)
To find these particular deals use this link and scroll to find each one. You may find that these deals are not offered, as they are time limited. Scroll the AppSumo current deals, but be sure to ask yourself the two questions above before you buy.
If you buy one be sure to make time in your calendar right now for installing it and learning the basics of how to use it. Brainstorm at least 3 ways you can use it to bring more sales in the door for your business, too. That’s smart CEO thinking!
TIP: You can also recommend AppSumo deals to your colleagues and get a little credit with AppSumo. For more tips about affiliate marketing check out this recent article.
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