My 2 cents is this.
Limited access trial memberships = Good Thing
Pre-checked cross sells = Bad thing.
More than one console = Bad thing
Limited trial memberships are really the only way to counter the professional trial member that's been created over the years by webmasters pushing PPS programs and teaching members how to cancel....or telling them to go download the whole members area for $2.95.
It's a beast that we as an industry created, but limited trials are IMHO an effective solution, so long as the trial is cheap ($1-$3) and the member gets a decent amount of content during the trial without giving away the whole store.
Getting rid of cross sales won't really decrease your $$ per member because your retention will go up when you don't have a member checking out someone else's members area after he signed up to your site.
You'll get less money THIS month, but long term it will even out.
I think it's stupid to ask programs to do away with consoles altogether. It's a great way of filtering traffic and increasing revenue. Most programs have gone way too far with their friggin 12+ console exit chains though.
I get hit with consoles at sites like espn.com, it's part of the internet experience IMHO, just don't overdo it.
