baddog

Klixxx interview

SleazyDream

dr dee's elixer?

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This dog, is dog, a dog, good dog, way dog, to dog, keep dog, an dog, idiot dog, busy dog, for dog, 20 dog, seconds dog!

Now read without the word dog.

baddog

want to buy some? I can get you a great deal on it

JFK

Wow.............Can I have your Autograph?

__________________

FUBAR Webmasters - The FUBAR Times - FUBAR Webmasters Mobile - FUBARTV.XXX
For promo opps contact jfk at fubarwebmasters dot com

reynold

no

baddog

Yes, simply send a check to me, and I will cash it, thus giving you my autograph. The higher the amount of the check, the more personalized and legible the autograph will be.

baddog

guess I will just have to keep on trying then

JFK

I guess I better hurry up before your 15 minutes expire

__________________

FUBAR Webmasters - The FUBAR Times - FUBAR Webmasters Mobile - FUBARTV.XXX
For promo opps contact jfk at fubarwebmasters dot com

baddog

please do

DarkJedi

i'm confused

baddog

The Right Price is the article on that page (if that is what confused you).

foolio

no

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baddog

well rats, I don't know where to go from here then

maxjohan

I put you in the 1% file with Brad Shaw.

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I went from 100 to 313,000 satoshis in 2 days! Lots of daily freerolls...

baddog

Well, you know, there are some that think 1% is the way to go, and the other 99% is NFG.

Has been that way for over 50 years now.

Ross

most likely

GreenBooger

Could someone cut and paste the article for those of us that can not get to the page ?

Please !

baddog

okay . . . why can't you get to to page though?

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The question 'how much is too much?' has been on the minds of American entrepreneurs since the snake oil salesman of over a century ago... Those guys knew something fundamental about human nature - that making money isn't about giving someone a good deal, it's about making them think they got a good deal. Today we call it 'perceived value,' and it's still more important than actual value. This doesn't mean you are tricking customers into buying an inferior product or service, on the contrary - you can still give them their money's worth and then some. The concept is simply an acknowledgement of the important role psychology plays in sales. Hence the word 'perceived.'

"With all the mass marketing in the world today," says Ryan Elizalde, Sales and Marketing specialist at ChiChiClicks.com, "to get the consumer to feel they are saving money, you have to give them the perception that they are getting the best deal. When you are looking at a price point of $30.00 as opposed to $28.95, the consumer feels they are getting a much better deal with the cheaper one; even though it's only a dollar difference to us, it feels like two dollars to them."

Something For Nothing

Consumers have been aware of that kind of basic pricing psychology for some time, but the perceived value approach applies to more complex strategies as well. "Our company started off in October 2002 with a monthly recurring membership fee of $10," says Lloyd Brown, a.k.a. baddog, CEO of Sex Pictures Pass AVS, "which meant that the pay-out to affiliates was only $5 recurring. This pricing structure was somewhat effective in enticing the surfer to join," he explains, "but the low pay-out to affiliates resulted in very few webmasters signing up, and even fewer actually participating by submitting sites to the system."

"When I was asked to take over," Brown continues, "the first thing I did was change the pricing to $4.95 for a lifetime membership, and increased the pay-outs to $20 each. This resulted in an immediate increase of ten times the number of affiliates, and a dramatic increase in the number of sites submitted to the system. It also resulted in significantly higher profits to the company in the last three months than were experienced in the prior 6 months." Which begs the question: is there a magic price?

The Price is Right

The answer is no, there is no magic price, and the reason is simple. It all depends on what you're offering, how you present it, and your target audience or demographic. As is so often the case with adult sites, trial and error is the key. "I would say test your site," says Elizalde, "and see which pricing plans stick, and just scrap the plans that don't bring money. Ultimately, you have to remember when your site is completed, driving traffic to the site is most important. Don't depend solely on search engine submission," he advises. "In addition, cut deals for traffic trades, exit traffic consoles, and articles on your unique site."

Being willing to experiment to see what works and what doesn't is crucial. "I think it goes without saying that this is the case," says Brown. "In our case, I think the addition of a second join option was a good idea, and it appears that webmasters agree, since this option has seemed to help increase the number of affiliates joining, and a higher percentage of them are submitting sites and promoting them. Getting webmasters to join is easy," he explains, "getting them to submit is a little tougher, getting them to actively promote their sites is the toughest."

Available Options
It's a good idea to look at what everyone else is doing periodically, because things change quickly, and there's a reason why some pricing strategies are more popular than others. "The most popular pricing plan I've seen out there is billing on a monthly basis," says Elizalde. "Usually, a free trial is offered, somewhere between 3-7 days. Personally, I think 5 days is more than fair. If your product provides a good value, the member will stay and enjoy all that your site has to offer. If not, then you can try and bank on the idea that they forget about the trial, and you get at least one billing from them." Bear in mind however, that if they pay by credit card, the new 1% rule may take its bite out of you.

Although that strategy has been demonstrated to work for many sites, there are some techniques that are more experimental, and their worth has yet to be proven. "There are many new strategies coming out," says Brown, "like the 30 minute trial. I have yet to try this option, and am not sure that I will in today's climate, especially with VISA seeming to clamp down on the aggressive marketing practices. I think the one and three day trials are pretty effective, which is probably why you see these options available with the more successful programs out there."

You Can't Give it Away

Remember, when trying to convey a great value to the potential customer, you can't just give away the store. In fact, if your site seems like too much of a bargain, the opposite effect will occur. "I went to the $4.95 lifetime join primarily because I know there are surfers that do not trust a free membership," says Brown, "because they figure there must be a catch somewhere. Also, since we are an AVS and a good portion of the revenue available to our affiliates comes from upsells within their sites, I figured the fact that the surfer was actually willing to pony up five bucks proved that not only did he own a credit card, but he was willing to use it to purchase online adult entertainment."

"This resulted in a conversion ratio of 1:1112 at our index page, just using TGP traffic," Brown explains, "with a 1:80 ratio at the join page. In July, we added a second free join option, and the joins did increase significantly. I have looked at some of our affiliate's stats, and while I think most of them are utilizing hubs and search engine traffic, I have seen ratios ranging anywhere from 1:35 to 1:60 at the join page."

But Wait... There's More!

When you do finally make the sale, the age-old technique of upselling comes into play. These days, with consumers more sophisticated than ever, the hard sell is old news. Force feeding upsells to your customers will hurt you in the long run, since their loyalties can easily go elsewhere. Try something that truly is a value, and don't bite the hand that feeds you.

"If you offer a surfer $9.95 for a basic membership, which will give them access to galleries," says Elizalde, "then mention for only $10.00 more, they get the VIP membership which offers a lot more, maybe a personals section, live or video feeds. That would bring your monthly re-bill to $19.95. Make a good offer at the beginning but then make the upsell something they can't refuse."

Another upsell possibility is to offer significant price breaks to those who increase the length of their membership at the time of sign-up. "If you do this, I think you need to be fairly well established," says Brown, "so that the surfer knows you will be around in six months to a year. Of course, they are going to want to know that there are frequent updates to the site as well."

Whatever pricing strategies you choose, keep in mind the two most important things you can offer today's consumer: value and options. If you stick to that formula, you'll never be accused of selling snake oil.