Several weeks ago, Mindjet announced that it has integrated all of its desktop, web, mobile and desktop mind mapping and collaboration products into a single offering, with a per-user subscription fee to cover its entire tool set. Customers can now utilize Mindjet’s visual collaboration and task management capabilities for brainstorming, creating plans or tracking milestones across teams on whatever device they choose, from wherever they are in the world for US$30 per user per month.
In the past several years, Mindjet has launched Connect, a web-based collaborative tool that helps groups manage project communication, plus mind mapping and collaboration apps for the iPhone and Android mobile platforms. “We don’t want our prospective customers worrying about what to buy and how and where they’re going to use it,” explains Parker Trewin, Mindjet director of global communications. “This radically simplified go-to-market model enables customers to get access to all of our tools for one reasonable monthly fee. We’ve even simplified the provisioning of new users, to help new customers get up to speed faster,” he added.
A tempest in a tea pot?
Is this a controversial move on Mindjet’s part? Several people who have e-mailed me recently seem to think so, and they’re a bit dismayed that I haven’t taken Mindjet to task over this issue. They are very unhappy at the prospect of paying US$360 a year for the latest version of MindManager – plus the whole family of tools that now come with it.
Their main concern is that Mindjet has adopted a single “one-size-fits-all” pricing model, which they say prices MindManager out of their reach. Rather than use the Microsoft Office model, where you can buy an entire suite of software if you need it but also have the option to purchase individual programs like Word, PowerPoint and Publisher if that’s all you need, Mindjet’s “all or nothing” decision leaves them feeling cold and vowing to look at alternate solutions. If you want to read what people are saying, you can read more here.
Do their claims have merit? As an impartial observer of the mind mapping software space, I decided to investigate. Was this a big deal or not? I invested some time looking for evidence that usually accompanies a controversy online:
- Multiple discussion threads in Mindjet’s community forum (there was only one, and it seems to be dying out),
- Screeds from upset bloggers covering the mind mapping space (there were none), and
- Software analysts criticizing Mindjet’s new pricing model (isn’t happening).
I didn’t find anything. Clearly, the people who are complaining are a small group of very vocal Mindjet customers who feel they have been disadvantaged, but who don’t necessarily represent the larger universe of MindManager users.
Advantages to the developer
Mindjet’s decision is consistent with a larger trend in the software market toward subscription-based pricing. It enables customers to receive all software upgrades, helps the software developer achieve more sustainable revenue and makes the software easier to support (more customers using the latest version and fewer users with old versions to support). A steady and growing revenue stream should, in turn, enable the company to increase its pace of development, which will ultimately benefit its customers by delivering even better mind mapping tools.
Advantages to the customer
From the standpoint of corporate customers, subscription-based pricing means their investment in software becomes more predictable (a flat monthly fee per desktop vs. large spikes of investment every few years when a new version is launched) and makes it easier for team members to share files. I’m sure you’ve had to deal with that issue from time to time as you’ve attempted to share Word or PowerPoint files created with new versions of these programs with people who have older versions. We’ve definitely experienced it where I work! Providing incentives to get all customers using the same version of Mindjet’s mind mapping software provides benefits to both developers and customers.
Subscription-based pricing also opens up many new capabilities to people who have never ventured beyond the desktop version of MindManager, such as sharing maps via Mindjet’s Connect environment, managing tasks outside of the program (useful for collaborating with people who don’t currently use mind mapping in their work) and more.
What about the price issue?
MindManager was already a “Cadillac” product in the mind mapping software genre, commanding a price higher than many of its competitors. But that’s OK because it’s an excellent product, clearly aimed at business users who have bigger needs for information and project management. Annualized, $360 isn’t that much more than Mindjet was already charging for the desktop version of MindManager alone – and now you get it along with Connect and all of the mobile apps. Sounds like a good deal to me.
By the way, keep in mind that I’m impartial. I don’t show favoritism to Mindjet or any other software developer. If someone releases a steaming pile of crap or appears to be really off base in terms of how they’re approaching the market, I’m willing to say so. It’s part of my responsibility as the number one blog serving this niche. But that’s not the case here. Mindjet’s business decision is a sound one that benefits most of its customers.
Mindjet’s new direction
Mindjet has clearly communicated that it is focused on helping teams to collaborate, and is assembling tools and resources to enable that. I applaud their move to expand the conversation about mind mapping to include productivity, collaboration and other key business issues, which invite new users to the world of visual thinking. Their blog, for example, doesn’t talk all that much about their product line, but shares a lot of great information about these business topics. It’s a breath of fresh air, and is helping to spur some great conversations on business issues that matter.
If you’re a Lone Ranger who doesn’t collaborate with others much, perhaps it’s time to find a new mind mapping solution. Mindjet is headed in a different direction than you’re going. It’s that simple.
Otherwise, if you do need to improve your collaboration capabilities with others on your internal and extended teams, then Mindjet’s family of visual thinking solutions and its simplified pricing are worth a look. My personal opinion is that US$30 per month is reasonable for what you get for the money. I’m looking at it from the standpoint of use value: How much value can you create with this tool set compared to its cost? Seen in this light, I believe it’s still a good investment. It is, after all, only $30 per user per month – a “sweet spot” that makes it affordable for individuals and corporations alike. They could have easily priced it much higher, based upon its value. But they didn’t.
Please share your opinions in the comments area below. I’d really like to hear from some corporate users of Mindjet’s products. Is this a concern, a move forward or a non-event?
Howard Veit · 646 weeks ago
Roger C. Parker · 646 weeks ago
Congratulations on a strong post; balanced and fair, as you usually are.
Given Mindjet's investment in its feature-laden product, including its interactive PDF's, as well as its attempts to encourage online collaboration and map storage, I think it's move is a fair one.
I only hope that those who are attracted by what may appear to be, at first glance, less expensive solutions will be sure to look at the alternatives from a long-range point of view.
If my experiences with mind mapping are any indication, performance and features that initially appear to be "something I'll never need," usually turn into necessary features within a very short time.
Good job on a difficult topic.
Andy Morris · 646 weeks ago
I think a fundamental point has been missed over here.
Business goes about customers. Period.
Mindjet Vision seems to be throwing out the baby with the bathwater and it might be an Action that might prove disastrous from a strategic point of view.
So let's be impartial. I hope I am wrong.
here might be a lesson to be learned from history and the next 12 to 18 months will be a crucial time for Mindjet to see if their new approach will reap the benefits of being a profitable model.
Mindjet might be well worth considering the wise words of Sultan Kermally the author of Management Ideas...in Brief.
I quote
"According to Professor D. Quinn Mills, today’s status quo is change. The profile of the business world is changing dramatically. The history of enterprise is littered with household names which have gone out of existence. In 1986 IBM was one of the most admired companies. In 1993 IBM made a loss of $48.1 billion. The book In Search of Excellence by Peters and Waterman was published in 1982. It became the all-time business best seller in America. Almost half of the 43 companies selected for the ‘excellence’ class no longer
deserve the classification.
What went wrong?
The following are some of the reasons which contributed to the downfall of some of the ‘excellent’ companies:
Failure to read market signals.
Arrogance.
Rigid organizational culture.
Bureaucracy.
Obsession with analysing own performance to the neglect of customers.
Ego trips
(Mindjet might be wise to consider these sage points.
The software landscape has changed - customer expectation is more functionality for less. Take any functionality provided by Mindjet and you can find a cheaper or free alternative. So question ? Why pay more ? )
Household names like Philips, Digital Equipment, Caterpillar, General Motors, Matsushita and the like had to restructure their organizations in order to survive. Survival in the 1990s means organizations have to be able to adapt. Organizations have to pay attention not only to the changing competitive environment but must also keep an eye on their competitors from all over the world.
Organizational effectiveness depends on how well changes in the micro-environment and macro-environment are
responded to."
Mindjet has fared poorly on both counts.
Walter · 646 weeks ago
but I just received confirmation from their product support that on the Web version, sync is not working. Which means that if you change your map via Connect, those changes will not automatically be available locally.
By their own admission, "That featured got slipped and they will be working to get it in on an upcoming release."
So cross-platform syncing is not working. But wasn't that a big selling point they touted? Furthermore, yesterday I spent 3 hours updating a map via their web client but when I returned to the office and downloaded it locally, the map is corrupted and won't open.
So now that we know crossplatform syncing is broken and the KNOWINGLY shipped it out that way, there's the more important matter involved. Trust.
I can't trust the new MJ version going forward. I can’t trust that if I edit it anywhere off my local PC, that I will be able to use that map again. (cont'd)...
Marcos Alves · 646 weeks ago
Howard Veit · 646 weeks ago
Kevin · 646 weeks ago
Christian Pohle · 646 weeks ago
Francis · 646 weeks ago
However $360 a year is just excessive for me so I shall continue using my existing version for as long as it continues to work with my operating system and then switch to another mind mapping program.
MindJet may think they have developed an offering that will help the company thrive. I am dubious - and there are so many other mind mapping products will be happy to capitalize on any MindJet stumble.
Steve · 646 weeks ago
Pascal Venier · 646 weeks ago
Bob Levy · 646 weeks ago
For some time I have strongly believed that Mindjet had 2 major objectives.
1. Be bought by Microsoft or ???
2. Target market to large enterprise corporate market
Ignore the individual and small business market - to expensive to support
Raise the price to discourage the small user.
I do not recall the last time I "paid" nor what the price was but I do pay the annual renewal support fee which allows the annual upgrade. The 2011 upgrade has only one feature that I will use heavily - the customization for the tool bar.
There are way to many points to justify my opinion, suffice it to say, I gave spent hours on the phone with Mindjet. There is nothing in those conversations or Mindjet's actions that can convince me they want individuals.
Bob Levy
Ian Perry · 646 weeks ago
There have been four or five threads on Mindjet’s Get Satisfaction forum expressing views on this topic and at least three or four discussions started within the MindManager Enthusiasts group on LinkedIn so the statement of "I didn’t find anything" is not quite accurate. One person even went as far as to publish this: http://mindjetalternatives.blogspot.com.br/ again it was removed from the Mindjet forum for obvious reasons but does show the extent to which some people feel, as you say, disadvantaged.
There was also a post yesterday from another Mind Mapping vendor saying they had “been receiving an exceptional amount of inquiries from MindJetTM‘s users looking for an alternative tool” full article here: http://www.mindmeister.com/blog/2012/10/04/mindme...
Secondly you mention that this move has "Advantages to the developer" stating that "It enables customers to receive all software upgrades, helps the software developer achieve more sustainable revenue and makes the software easier to support (more customers using the latest version and fewer users with old versions to support)". If you use MindManager as much as some of these unhappy people, you will know that both the Windows version and Mac version rely on user initiated updating. They do not automatically update in the background due to system changes like the Android, iOS and Web versions so this point is redundant. Interestingly it is also a selling point that Mindjet use in their marketing which is dubious at best.
You then go on to make the comment: "A steady and growing revenue stream should, in turn, enable the company to increase its pace of development, which will ultimately benefit its customers by delivering even better mind mapping tools." For those who don’t know their Mindjet financial history this would be a first since 2004. In the last ten years Mindjet have received somewhere in the region of 15+ Million dollars or more in venture capital. The issue here is that the fundamental product (Desktop) has not changed since MindManager X5 (2004) which was the last time any real significant product innovation took place. Mindjet 11 still contains bugs and feature limitations in core areas such as Topic Notes, Web Export and Outlook synchronisation to name but three, yet all that money did not seem to change that and the basic core product remains unchanged. So I am somewhat sceptical that increased revenues, do in fact, always translate into better products for the users.
The topics you mention under "Advantages to the customer" clearly rely on the use of the Web based and mobile systems. I am sorry to have to say that this again is a non-starter as if you regularly try and use these products you will have experienced many issues that cause sheer frustration and anger. A quick read of the “Report a Problem” list on the Mindjet Get Satisfaction forum will reveal that its pages riddled with user issues around lost data, corrupt maps, lost work, connection errors and such that make these versions almost un-workable for many users.
There is also a much bigger issue here of cross-platform compatibility. Mindjet is projecting the perception that users of their solutions can share maps etc. with colleagues independent of chosen platforms. Well that is a stretch to say the least. As an example, let’s say Johnny from Marketing creates his annual sales forecast in the desktop version and then uploads it to “the cloud”. When the CFO goes to read it on his iPad, 25% of the data is not visible because Johnny has used a feature that is not compatible on an iOS or mobile device….so much for sharing of information. This is a BIG issue because it is almost a case of misrepresentation.
cont...
Ian Perry · 646 weeks ago
The admission also of the Web Sync shipping in a non-working or intermittent state as mentioned by Walter above is simply unacceptable. Does Mindjet really have the best practice of the corporate user in their sights when they design, develop and test? It would seem this is not the case. How can they knowingly ship something that is fundamentally not working as advertised? Perhaps they feel they are “Super Agile” and can deal with it post release.
There is also the fact that there are places in the world where everyone does not have access to a T1 connection as the San Francisco and other West Coast fraternity do. These other areas are restricted to desktop driven solutions for reliability and Mindjet’s move cuts them off from the market or forces them to pay greatly increased costs which brings us nicely onto the price issue.
Under the price issue heading your comments intimate that Mindjet has taken a Star Trek attitude of the "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few"! Unfortunately that kind of stance does actually anger a lot of the individuals and small group users, who let’s face it, have been key in putting Mindjet where they are today. Those people feel there is no real reason why Mindjet could not have offered a single licence, perpetual SKU alongside their Subscription model which would have done two things; firstly it would have given Mindjet more upgrade potential and secondly they would not have this complete PR disaster which is damaging their company reputation and perception in the market. It is interesting to note that this option is available to Education and Government users but not the individual. Strange considering the reason many corporates do eventually adopt Mind Mapping software at some point is largely due to individuals introducing it into the workplace on a personal level first.
Under the heading "Mindjet’s new direction" you mention " their blog, for example, doesn’t talk all that much about their product line, but shares a lot of great information about these business topics. It’s a breath of fresh air, and is helping to spur some great conversations on business issues that matter." I’m going to have to question that because if you actually look at the blog and the articles that are posted you will notice that in 9/10 cases there is NO discussion taking place about the subjects they are publishing. Very rarely does a post receive a single comment so I am not sure where you think all this discussion is taking place. It is certainly not evident on the intended medium.
Finally you make this statement: "It is, after all, only $30 per user per month – a “sweet spot” that makes it affordable for individuals and corporations alike. They could have easily priced it much higher, based upon its value. But they didn’t." Well obviously that is not true because as you mentioned earlier individuals and small groups are the people who have become angry and vocal about this move so 30$/month is not "a sweet spot" by any means for them. Also, many corporates do not like subscription based products, their purchasing systems are not geared to handle them and they prefer Purchase Order based scenarios with 60/90 day credit terms. Some organisations, (large ones too), like Governments, Authorities or Federal Agencies are cut-off from utilising server based solutions which are outside their firewall and therefore cannot use anything other than desktop software. Where is the added value for their 30$/month. Oh yes, for them there is the SharePoint offering which is also dramatically over-priced and a pale comparison of the desktop product.
I think the real problem for Mindjet here is one of Trust which has already been mentioned by Walter above. There will be a lot of businesses that will witness this unrest and what has basically been bad management of the change/release and it will unnerve them from investing in Mindjet and their products because they do not see stability in the vendor itself. Also, with the subscription/perpetual licence market currently being split about 30/70 at this time and expected to become a 50/50 split by 2018, Mindjet has potentially written off 50-70% of their market which is already niche as we know. Why choose to jump on board so fully when other software vendors are maintaining perpetual offerings alongside greatly reduced subscription offerings.
cont...
Ian Perry · 646 weeks ago
Ultimately time will tell but I can understand why there is a vocal objection over this new move and I am hedging my bets that this may not work out as favourably as Mindjet may want it to. The question then will be can they recover from it and maintain credibility within the market.
As a footnote, there was actually a survey created and posted by a Mindjet Get Satisfaction user which asked users about their feeling towards the new model but unfortunately Mindjet removed the post with the link to the survey so I would like to include here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L8WSSW2
The survey was well presented, short and to the point and well balanced and I could see no reason why Mindjet removed it. Their reason was this: “The post has been removed because we are, in fact, collecting our own customer feedback that extends beyond this discussion thread. We look forward to learning the results and sharing them with the broader Mindjet community”. Needless to say these results have yet to be seen.
There were some results recorded during the short period of time the survey link was available which were posted on the Mindjet Get Satisfaction forum here: https://community.mindjet.com/mindjet/topics/_a_n...
As you are impartial, perhaps the Mind Mapping Software Blog could run a survey along similar lines which would then provide feedback that Mindjet could take under consideration? I am sure that with a following as large and varied as yours the results would be worth the time and could help Mindjet either rectify a huge error of judgement or confirm and reinforce the correct decision in moving their company/products forward.
D Dalian · 646 weeks ago
Thomas Wenzl · 646 weeks ago
Regarding pricing:
I've been a MindManager user for many, many years and upgraded to every version. Considering the upgrade prices I would now be able to use the software for only about 40-50% of the time I was able before and even not being required to pay to use the software (considering a new version being released about every two years)
Cloud/Subscription pricing:
If I compare it to Office 365 Mindjet ist a lot more expensive with less value: For about $20 you get an Exchange mailbox, SharePoint sites for collaboration, Lync account, full Office Professional Plus license, Office Web Apps for online collaboration, etc. The $30 Mindjet offering doesn't seem pretty well compared to that.
It's the first version won't upgrade to for now. I also own iMindMap, maybe that's an alternative future for the things I currently sitll use MindManager in the future.
Thomas Wenzl · 646 weeks ago
Additionally Microsoft allows me to buy several different online licenses - so I could buy one subscription for an employee with full Office Pro license, much cheaper online subscriptions for SharePoint and Web Apps collaboration for external project members, etc.
I understand that Mindjet cannot offer licenses as cheap as Microsoft, but their subscription model definitely isn't very good at the moment. Paying a bigger price for a software I don't own and having access to features I may not use...
Mindjet may have a different vision. But as much as I can speak of my customers, colleagues and partners - I mostly met individuals using MindManager to improve their projects, etc., because they liked the approach and often led to other people consider using it as well. I can't think of any customer or partner of mind that is using MindManager in a big way - that means many licenses on the company. I'm sure that's what Mindjet wants, but I'm not sure if the current way is the best thing to achieve that very fast.
Thomas Wenzl · 646 weeks ago
Mick Jones · 646 weeks ago
-The pricing structure going to a different model is less of an issue than the effective Cost which has effectively increased greatly. Mindjet is certainly feature-rich, but there are many viable alternatives which are significantly cheaper.
- Product reliability and quality has not been great of late. Especially if you include the cloud offering.
- There are still incompatibilities in some features and the look/feel of Desktop vs. "Connect on-line" vs the mobile options.
- I suspect that most of the Enterprise accounts are made of of individuals who introduced the product, that is certainly the case at my company and at least 2 others with which I am familiar. I wonder how often a decision is made at corporate level to introduce Mindjet MM acorss the board, alongside Outlook, Sharepoint, Excel etc, as a product they expect employees to use. My observation is that some individuals(myself included) "get it" immediately and see the advantages, but there are the "in-line" thinkers who are very mistrustful.
- MJ have made it increasingly difficult for their Resellers to make money with the product, so I wonder if their strategy is to go to a Direct sales model. An interesting and very bold direction!
So let me state right here that I love the product and have invested a lot of $$ and time with Mindjet, and i am feeling quite guilty as i look around to see what alternatives might exist.
I really hope Mindjet stays on track, maybe as an isolated corporate customer I am missing something. Don't get me wrong I fully understand the increase in income and convenience to the vendor with this model, its more to do with balance.
You may want to dig a little deeper, or then again you may not.
Andy Morris · 646 weeks ago
My greatest concern with the Mindjet Collaborative Suite:
1. PricePoint based on a subscription model .
2. The Suite is deterministic in intent. A number of third party products amalgamated in to one. This makes the process methodology a three stepped process. Go from Platform Step A to Platform Step B to Platform Step A , etc. My question is : Who works in this complex way ?
Why would a company want to invest in an expensive collaboration platform when they can use a boardroom and data show with one copy of MindManager for face to face robust planning and discussion linked to cheaper alternative project management / Collaborative platforms or Outlook. (shudder - people taken away from behind their computers for a face to face meeting) Alternatively a collaborative platform such as GoTo Meeting or Webex (at $US60 for 25 users) can be used to achieve much the same result using the desktop MindManager platform and outlook tasks. The free or nearly free option would be Skype ( or paid Skype) for small to medium business). It's free , it works and it achieves great results.
3. Many unknown variables such as connection speed, connect contributor location, etc. compound the application of Connect to robust business use due to reliability and data integrity issues.
The software landscape has changed and customers expect more for less. Mindjet , alas does not seem to have taken this on board.
Charles Leadbeater ( a business technology strategist that is supported by Mindjet Management) in his Berlin Presentation "What's your Recipe?" cites the following :
Organisations that change and stay stable reflect:
Simplicity and reliability
Efficient and low cost
Limited hierarchy and bureaucracy
But also capable of learning and adapting at all levels
I'm still trying to discover what exactly the Mindjet recipe is = what’s the story as their business and marketing strategy is in a state of constant, confusing (agile?) flux?
Joss · 646 weeks ago
-Long time Mindmanger User, Trainer and Evangelist
Alex · 646 weeks ago
So I thought I'd just reply to some of Chuck's observations about the user response:
"Multiple discussion threads in Mindjet’s community forum (there was only one, and it seems to be dying out)" - not true. There are now 80 responses to my original post on the Mindjet forum, dozens on the LinkedIn forum and now over 30 here.
"Screeds from upset bloggers covering the mind mapping space (there were none)" - well there are plenty here now
"Software analysts criticizing Mindjet’s new pricing model (isn’t happening)." - I can't tell who is an analyst or not but at least dome of the people posting here seem to know what they're talking about.
"Clearly, the people who are complaining are a small group of very vocal Mindjet customers who feel they have been disadvantaged, but who don’t necessarily represent the larger universe of MindManager users." - I think this whole thing had been sprung on the "larger universe of MindManager users" so quickly that most of them aren't aware yet of the changes and especially the really short notice that was given regarding discounted upgrades.
In summary:
- Mindjet botched the launch, which even they have admitted in some posts;
- While the need to move to a subscription approach is understandable, the one size fits all subscription model Mindjet has adopted is inappropriate for many users of this highly specialised software including (and possibly especially) those In major companies. These are the very people who should have been Mindjet's allies. In addition many people have company policies that forbid cloud storage - and lots of others still have poor Internet access;
- The product is nowhere near an integrated product. The changes to MJ11 seem incremental at best, the iPad app is clunky (particularly when compared to iThoughts HD) and the various products still don't have anything like a seamless coherent feel;
- the pricing is outrageous especially when compared to other subscription products. Don't forget that while $39 a month seems like small change for a large company, that company will increasingly be forced to pay for other subscription products as well. I suspect that Mindjet will find itself at the wrong end of the subscription queue.
Ian Perry · 646 weeks ago
Even clicking the "Join the Conversation" link on the website footer reverts back to this social media "tile".
I think that Mindjet must be uncomfortable with the state of that discussion mefium now and look to be trying to restrict access and exposure to this disaster.
On a footnote, there is more comment and discussion on this article of Chuck's than there has been on the Mindjet Conspire Blog for the whole of October.....which in my mind makes this an important issue Mindjet should address.
Marcos Alves · 646 weeks ago
You're the CEO of a company that have only one product (Mindmanager) in two flavors (Windows and Mac). The Windows one is a good product, the Mac one is not that good.
Your product is the most expensive comparing to the few competitors you have; it's not targeted to the mass, in fact it's a niche product, but you claim to be the leader of this market with millions of users.
Despite of all the money you have in the bank (you have recently received a US$15M funding) your development team is not able to improve your products so, at each new version you release, customers simply does not feel the need to upgrade; and your Mac customers continue to complain that their product is quite inferior to the Windows version.
You have grown your company, hired a lot of VPs, directors, managers... the development team ? They're ok.
As you only sell "boxes" you need to keep selling and selling to generate revenue, cover your fixed and variable costs, pay all the salaries and return money to the investors. But you realize your not selling as much as you need and now you investors are complaining too.
You wake up one morning and tell yourself "We need to stop selling boxes, must convert our customer base to a subscription model so we'll have a continuous flow of revenue, at a high profit margin, forever. That's perfect ! Everybody will be happy".
As you're the boss, you ask you marketing VP to deploy your new strategy; product development is not involved as it's not important at this time.
And now we follow the marketing VP....
Reading some old business magazines, you (the VP) discover that the buzzword of the moment is (was ?) "collaboration" and you have your eureka moment "we are not a mind mapping company anymore, we're now a provider of collaboration solutions" and started to work on it...
Hire many people just to blog about collaboration, it doesn't matter if they never talk about Mindjet and its products. Redecorate the Mindjet office. Pay someone to design a new logo. Buy some companies that you believe will complete your product line. Hire someone to redesign you website.
And the most important piece of your marketing strategy: you rename your products. Mindmanager 12 is now Mindjet 11 (of course customers will not see it as a downgrade). There is no Mindmanager anymore - now it's just Mindjet.
And then you announce your new pricing methodology, subscription based, that will be a success for sure.
And then your customers start to complain.
Is there something wrong in this strategy ?
It's basically that Mindjet product line remained the same and customers are absolutely not stimulated to change to Mindjet's subscription model.
Mindmanager 12 for Windows was downgraded to Mindjet 11, will new features (if any) that users don't seem to value. Mindmanager for Mac is the same old version 9, far behind the Windows version. Mindjet for iOS, Android and Web does not have all features of desktop version and don't talk well with each other, so "collaboration" is broken. And the subscription is too expensive, mainly for individuals, non-profits, small businesses and education users.
Can Mindjet fix this ? I think so. In my opinion they should keep this new subscription model (may be attractive to some people), should release a development roadmap for all their products, work hard on integration of all platforms and features parity and should offer individual and standalone products as building blocks of a high level collaboration solution.