Don't monetize your skills, monetize your solutions

Hey Map Maker,

I've been pivoting again, and I wanted to share my own process as well as the insights on how I think about monetizing software solutions in our field.

It's a topic that I believe is crucial for the growth and long-term viability of geospatial businesses and location intelligence & software companies. Many of these businesses are not monetizing their offerings effectively—at least, not in a way that maximizes their commercial potential. They often develop incredible technology and provide valuable insights, yet they struggle to convert these assets into consistent and scalable revenue streams. So, why does this happen?

Why Geospatial is stagnating commercially

Firstly, there's often too much emphasis on technical capabilities rather than the business value these technologies can provide. While it's important to have robust technical solutions, it's equally important to communicate how these solutions can solve real-world business problems and deliver tangible value to clients.

Secondly, many companies are targeting the wrong audience. They often focus on selling to end users who may not purchase at scale or may not be willing to pay a premium for the solutions offered. Sure, you can sell to governments and academia, but it depends on the niche how viable this will be. You can land huge contracts, but if you’re with a SME, chances are you may want to leave that to the consultants, construction businesses, etc. and sell to that niche at scale instead. Nevertheless - these niches are always much less predictable than selling business-to-business (B2B). This misalignment can significantly hinder revenue growth.

Lastly, there's often a lack of a structured sales and marketing process. Many businesses rely solely on inbound leads, waiting for potential clients to come to them, rather than proactively reaching out and creating opportunities.

How I approach marketing in Geospatial

The “technical capability focus”-issue is something I also fell into myself. Initially, I was marketing a WebGIS solution as an “anything platform” rather than tailoring it to specific niches. I also built a GIS & AI community aimed at GIS professionals. However, I soon realized that I was trying to speak to everyone in the GIS & related fields without a clear commercial focus. This approach diluted my efforts and made it challenging to achieve the desired impact.

So, I took a step back and asked myself, "What do I really excel at?". The answer was quite clear: sales and marketing for geo-software businesses. I had already been doing this, and it was where my true passion and expertise lay. Instead of building a broad community, I decided to focus on an agency model. The purpose of the community was already implicitly aligned with this direction, so it made sense to formalize it.

Our marketing agency for Geospatial

My agency, Locatix (what a name, right?), is dedicated to helping geospatial software and service businesses land more deals. While the broad community and this newsletter still exist, it will “just exist”. All the information and resources will be available on all my social channels.

However, when it comes to implementation—whether it's outreach, ads, content creation, or referrals—that's where my agency comes in. If you need the work done for you, Locatix is here to help.

Our sales & marketing systems for Geospatial

This pivot also led to the development of our system focused on monetization. It's all about creating a structured growth system that addresses key areas such as:

1. Offer – Clearly defining who you are serving and what value you provide.

2. Market Research – Selling before you build to ensure there's demand for your solution.

3. Marketing – Utilizing outbound strategies, ads, content, and referrals to reach your target audience.

4. Sales – Consistently closing deals and building a reliable revenue stream.

I've put everything into a comprehensive system designed to help software businesses in geospatial & location intelligence land more deals.

And the best part? It's free. You can reach out & we’ll send it over so you can start implementing these strategies.