How much?!!!! (You tell me…)
Ok, now EVERYONE seems to be buzzing about the relaunch of the new ISCQC!
I love it! 
Our Tech Team is living on coffee and I have 10 120-watt light bulbs on 24 hours in the office to make everyone think it’s “daytime” even at 2am so we can get this new site launched ASAP!
We’re already 3 hours past the day/time I WANTED to launch (hint, hint techies!) but I’m getting hourly updates and we’re still looking at either a Wed (hopefully) or Thur (probably) launch.
But now, I have to ask you…
…how much do YOU think the new membership should cost?!
Your Input Needed On Membership Pricing:
Ok, here’s the deal…
Our goal with our Association is NOT to fund a new Lamborghini for the Anderson residence. Mini-van is the way I roll!
But frankly, when we offered pricing as low as $9.97 per month in the past, we got a bunch of lame knuckleheads joining that weren’t really serious (and were sometimes just downright obnoxious!)
Our “old” pricing used to be $19.95 per month and included the basics of “weekly videos” and “a monthly webinar” along with a new downloadable ebook each month.
Not much, but the training and interviews were top notch and we’ve had people who stayed on as members for the full 5 years we ran with that service.
But now we’ve GREATLY increased the features and I’d like your input on what you think you would be “fair” and something that would entice you to remain an ACTIVE member for years to come (which is my goal!).
First, here’s what we’re working on for training features:
- Weekly Training Videos (from our exclusive instructor network)
- Instructor Interview Access (1/Month)
- “Gun Talk” Radio Show Access (1/Month)
- “Combat Q&A” Radio Show Access (1/Month)
- “Survival Talk” Radio Show Access (1/Month)
- Member Forum
- Articles
- Member Social Network (Connect with other members)
- Event Calendar
- Local Training Listing
- Bonus Downloads
- Audio Training
As you can see, there’s something new going on EVERY SINGLE WEEK with the new site!
We’ve taken on new administrators within our organization to help with keeping the training fresh and exciting to include a whole string of new instructors we’ve found in all corners of the Earth who you’ve never heard of before.
Anyway, my question to you know is…
Given All Of These Amazing Training Features,
What Would You Say Is A “Fair” Membership Fee?
I realize I’m taking a big risk even asking this question but I’m counting on you to weigh out what you’re getting and what you can afford because yes, I have a team to pay and a site that costs a bundle, but I ALSO want you as a long time member so we can change the face of “reality training” in the future. (Yes…I truly feel this new site will do just that and I want you to say that YOU were on the front lines!)
So please leave your comment below on a “fair” monthly price.
A good gauge is to remember that our old, basic service was $19.95 per month and maybe go from there, ok? But I’ll take into account ANY reasonable suggestions.
Now’s your chance to help us yet again form how the new organization shapes up!
Thank you for your input!
Jeff Anderson
President
International Society Of Close Quarter Combatants
After reading most of the comments, I may be the “odd man out” on this one. Here’s a thought. Charge an indtroductory price of $15-$20 for the first month for people to see what is going to be available. Once the introductory month is over, those who are serious about the training and are happy with what is being offered can choose to sign up for a “full-time” membership. The full-time membership price would be higher, but you would effectively “weed-out” those who are not really serious about true self-defense training.
I do like the idea of being able to pay up front for a whole year at a time. It’s just easier for some of us to do it this way.
I do NOT think you should give it away! Anything of genuine value is worth a fair price. Keep this in mind: People vote with their feet! If they don’t think it is worth the price then they will not pay it. But, if the content is worth the price, then those who are serious about their training will gladly pay for it.
Good points Douglas. I think that’s how we basically see it is that we’re looking for people to join our organization who can truly see the value and benefit of what we provide.
This sets the bar very high for us because we have to deliver on all of these “promises”. I like your idea of a trial (as others have suggested) so I’m talking with our team about this.
Thanks for sharing!
I agree with Douglas, and you Jeff. For those who are serious, a fair price is a fair price. Do not just give your knowledge away; a discounted intro month, followed by a normal price with discounts for paying in advance (6 months or a year). Its Business 101. Looking forward to getting this fine program going again.
Jeff;
Tough call, for the value of the service provided $20.00 is a smokin deal, but like many of the other guys it will present a chalenge working it into the budget, I think a discount for prepayment is a must and perhaps offering different levels of service at a lower price. Be well
Mike Mihelich
Hi Jeff Lee again, It seems that most of the posts are thinking along the same lines of cost, the economy, they really want this. their not deadbeats wanting something for nothing but are just facing reality with their budgets!!! ever heard of Volume, the Numbers Game, hoe can Mcdonalds afford to sell a hamburger for $1???
MAYBE HAVING 1 PERSON @ $20 A MONTH isn’t as Profitable as 10 People @ $5 a month as you Know its a self contain website so if 10 people access it or 50 people its no extra work once its up, you will do the same updates or maintenance for 1 person or a hundred, so I guess its what a previous poster said it all comes down to what profit you want to make
Two follow ups to this Lee…
1. McDonalds does make $1 hamburgers. But do know what’s IN those things?!
I’m not out to create a “McDonalds” of an organization. I want the ISCQC to mean something. 6 years ago, I got a handful of instructors to give me a chance with my vision. These were guys like Bas Rutten, Jim Wagner, Moni Aizik and many other household names in the industry. I proved my worth to them and I’m proud to call all of those in our instructor network “friends”.
Since then, many “associations” have popped up and asked them to join with them. Many of the instructors had turned down other requests simply because they liked what we were doing and believed we held a higher standard. I don’t want to be McDonalds.
2. Trust me, the more members we have then there will be MUCH, MUCH more work! We have an enhanced tech team that has to now stay on top of things plus with the new live events require setup and moderation. I could go on and on but we’ve invested heavily in making sure this is more than “just a website”.
Just wanted you to know there’s some sweat equity over here.
Jeff, please don’t think that I would Diminish in any way what you and your team do!!
You Guys are an inspiration…
To think that you wouldn’t have to be held to a higher standard just because you grow and become very big is crazy, think small, stay small, think big and grow.
Hate to say this but it is “just a website” a very very good website, but non the less “a website”
only time it isn’t is when we would attend a “LIVE” function
I’ll have to disagree on the “just a website” Lee.
But then again, it’s I that has the proving to do and I realize that. There’s been a lot of hype about the new site and that’s exactly what it is (“hype”) until I can prove otherwise.
I’m not worried…I can take the pressure!
So hold on to that thought and force me to hit a higher standard, ok? I wasn’t kidding when I said that I believe this will revolutionize self defense training.
For now, just take a “wait and see” approach.
Thanks again for your comments!
Douglas who cares if their serious or not and weeding them out? its a business and all that counts is the money coming in, charge whats accessible to the mass #s and it will be profitable
what if only 5 people out of 100 is “SERIOUS” U want to throw away 95 subscription because u want to decide whos serious and who isn’t
In a word…
…YES!
If it ends up being 5 dedicated survivalist who ask professional questions and contribute to the ongoing discussion, then that’s fine by me. Growth will come in time once people see and hear about what we’re doing. I firmly believe that.
I’ll happily start out with a grass roots movement and progress from there.
My (our) blog will continue to provide ongoing training at no costs. The ISCQC is for the “next level”.
“In a word…
…YES!
If it ends up being 5 dedicated survivalist who ask professional questions and contribute to the ongoing discussion, then that’s fine by me. Growth will come in time once people see and hear about what we’re doing.”……..I thought part of your TRAINING was not to be NAIVE, What percentage of your group now are dedicated survivalist who ask professional questions and contribute to the ongoing discussion, if u face the facts a small minority actually partake, but thats ok they ask the ??? the rest of us haven’t thought of, but benefit from ur answers, if u do only have 5 out of every 100, and those 5 are “THE REAL DEAL” but then cant continue financially even though they would love to, then u will not grow and ur doomed before u start…
and as a closing ?? why would u want to prevent anyone from attaining the “NEXT LEVEL” aren’t u also in this for “THE GOOD OF THE PEOPLE” “BE ALL U CAN BE” aspect… I notice u dont reply to the many posts from seniors, or others that talk about their restrictive budgets.
“Growth will come in time once people see and hear about what we’re doing. I firmly believe that”….. TOTALLY AGREE with u JEFF……. if they can AFFORD IT not for 1 or 2 months but for a LONG TERM COMMITMENT
i believe different levels would be the way to go as each persons skill/desire increases they pay more for each.that away it doesn’t scare off the beginner but isn’t to easy for the seasoned veteran.
$5 per month is my vote. $60 a year would be a princely price to pay for information that is nice-to-have but certainly not got-to-have. For example, learning to deal with a night stick shove is interesting but, really, what is it worth financially? A dollar? Audio features? Again, interesting sometimes, but it’s a video world. Audio is worth much, much less than video to me.
I understand that you want us to think of the original $19.95 per month as the benchmark, but if the content was worth that much you wouldn’t be asking for our price tolerance now. You would be raising the price to $30-40 per month secure in the knowledge that the kinds of content you intend to provide have a ready market. But judging by these comments that’s clearly not the case.
For perspective, consider that you can get the Wall Street Journal every day for a year for about $120 or half of what you’re currently charging. And less than half of what you want to charge. The only way it can happen, I think, is to drop the broad circulation approach and zero in on real enthusiasts who are willing to pay $750 a year for heavy-duty content, plenty of access to you and other instructors, etc. It works for a lot of specialized newsletters.
Why would u be worried about other people not being serious or not, as long as u get what u want out of this, r u ever going to meet these people, does them not being serious impact u in any way? so just worry about urself and live and let live!!!!
I hate to say it, but here goes. I am thinking in the area of $29.95/month.
What you are offering is probably well worth it.
sorry about the ranting but it just frustrates me when others think their standards should be for all
Hi Jeff and all associated with the website and training.
Firstly I live in Perth Western Australia, Australia so all my training with you would be done via DVD’s, Books, on line lessons etc.
I am also the Chief Instructor of my martial arts school Red Wolf Martial Arts (I know that was a cheap plug, sorry). I have spent the last 10 years of my training in seeking out and training with the best CQC instructors to enhance not only my training but to enhance my school so I can teach a more realistic system. I’m a former Police Officer and current serving Prison Officer so I have dealt with a lot of real life violence and had to use the skills I have attained to control situations whether it has been a planned use of force or just on site incidents.
The going price here in this wonderful state for training usually ranges from, and remember this is Australian Dollars, joinning fees from $40 – $110, then of course you have to buy the Gi, Uniform, or club embrioded shirts, that can vary depending on the club. Normally the monthly fees range from $50 – $120 per month and dont get me started on the Private tuition fees and the compulsory seminar fees. Our payment systems over here our done on DD for a yearly period, so if you dont go training, you still pay.
So to answer your question, I would be willing to pay $70 Australian a month for excellent training and quality, not knowing how I would be receiving it over here in Australia.
I agree with Douglas when he states that you dont give it away for free, you have trained, retrained, created the training system by seeing what works and what doesn’t and then set up a business that will cost you money to keep it running effectively. Those people who are serious will stay with you and pay the required fee’s to get quality and expert advice etc.
Hope this is helpful.
Geoff Callaghan
Perth Western Australia
Australia
Very helpful Geoff and it’s great to get input from “overseas”!
Your training and experience are always welcome on this site!
Hi, Geoff!
Sorry for off-topic but I don’t know the other way to ask you a question: I’m going to come to Sydney next year and may be to stay there for a long time, could you recommend me a good martial arts + active self defense club? I have an experience in self defense and mixed martial arts and even was a self defense instructor in Moscow (Russia), so I would like to find something really worthwhile.
Hi Alex,
If Geoff isn’t able to help you with recommending a place in Sydney then let me know and I’d be more then happy to give you a few names.
Kind Regards,
Paul
Street-Edge Defensive Tactics
Brisbane, Australia
Thanks for your answer, Paul!
I’ll be glad of all the help! So I think that your “names” would not be superfluous in any case =)
My e-mail: latspell@gmail.com
Sorry I didnt get back to u Alex, I recently had major back surgery so I take some pretty serious medication, knocks me around. To answer your question Perth is the other side of the country, so most of my training is done by bringing them here for seminars. I have been over to melbourne to train with Glenn Zwiers a few times. I know that there is Greame Kruschners school, not sure of the name, but I can tell you that Paul Johnstone Street Edge Defensive Tactics school is well known here and Paul is an extremely respected Instructor. I will make the journey to train with him as soon as I know whether my back has healed and if the surgeon allows me to return to training that is.
Hope it helps.
Geoff Callaghan
Perth W.A
Geoff, I’m sorry about your back, I wish you a speedy recovery!
Thanks a lot for the information, it’s very useful!
The $20 per month seems fair. The idea of an intro fee followed by an annual fee as noted above is a good idea.
Unfortunately, many of us older guys just can’t afford $100 per year; much less a higher fee.
I would go with what you deem reasonable and those who can afford it will join.
Thanks for all that you do.
Stay safe, stay alert.
Errol M
again I personally think that Jeff and all his info is worth every $ he seeks, the ? was what is a fair price that people can AFFORD and Stay AFFORDING LONG TERM AGAIN it’s a NUMBERS GAME, I point again to MCDONALDS< BERGER KING< WALMART all have the VOLUME and FOLLOWING coz of LOW PRICES!!!
Jeff is right that there’s nothing really to compare it to which is what makes it so hard for people to place an amount on. It will be interesting to see how the ISCQC organization works progresses as more and more people see what it is you (we) are trying to accomplish.
I like the list of features you’re adding to the new website. It’s again very difficult to assess their worth without anything to compare it to.
Perhaps this will help us all put things in perspective:
If you were to buy a self defense DVD each month, it would cost you between $20 and $67 (for most TRS videos). Some are even higher.
You would maybe find a few very good techniques on the DVDs and be better prepared for it.
However, it looks like the new website will not only be offering ongoing video instruction, but a chance to interact with the same instructors who who put out these same (expensive?) DVDs. This is something that’s not available with the DVDs themselves and I think that this interaction is a great benefit that only makes the training even more effective. I can’t imagine how great it would be to have bought some top level instructor’s DVD and then have the ability to get on the phone with him and ask him to further explain a technique or concept further. As I understand it, this is going to be in the new ISCQC curriculum.
So if we were to base the industry standard off of what’s currently avaialable, it would seem like $20-$67 per month would be a low end price. I don’t think it should be more than the most expensive DVD but I can see how much more valuable the training will be than just buying some video.
This is a very good analogy Michel!
What we’re offering is so much more than even what you’d get with a $30 or #97 DVD. The interaction is what helps program these principles and techniques into the mind. This is one of the reasons that personal instruction works, is that there’s an instructor there to interact with and get feedback.
The same goes for how we’ve built this type of interaction (short of live,in-person instruction – but we’re working on that) into the new member features.
Thanks for adding a great comparison!
Now we are on the way!
While having price discussions we learned something very important:
Most people seem not to understand the idea of this new and unique program. This is not reading a book or watching a DVD sitting on the couch. It is interactive personal training to your purpose.
We have to let them understand this!
I enjoy your instruction very much….As for price, I’m retired on a very limited income…Twebty dollars a month would be streching it out a little too much for me..I might have to drop out…I can say that for an old f–t I very much dedicated to learning this stuff…but have other real life bills to pay……In any case if I cant afford the new prici8ng I will have to go and wish all of you good luck
and will miss the training…
Hello jeff and all your trainers and staff.
First of all let me thank all of you for the hard work and the great job that you do. As far as price, well that’s a tough call. I think that 20 or 30 dollars is not at all unreasonable. Although, I can understand that may be a little hard for some to work into a budget. But, considering the many years or lifetime of hard work and money you guys have invested in acquiring all this knowledge. I wouldn’t be any less than ignorant to try and put a dollar amount on it’s value.
thank’s again,
your friend in training,
william sherwood
Sorry – I just have very little slack in my budget these days. Before reading any price comments, I was going to suggest about 9.95 per month maybe, for my budget. Then I read that used to be the price, and had been raised to closer to $20. Still around $10 would have to be my price-point.
Jeff i am one of the ones facing tough times i work in road construction and its hard to make ends meet right now i would say 20.00 a month would be fair while the economy is down
keep the subscription low and get the member base up.
If i can afford it im in
You’re the backbone of our hardworking country Richard and we’re doing what we can to keep it as low as possible.
Keep up the great work man! Hope to see you in the gang!
I have been around the martial arts since 1969. I believe that you have grouped some terrific instructors together. My guess is that if want people to stay with you that if you chare $25 a month you are topping out. The economy is not good and even at that price I am afraid that you will exclude half of your audience.
Maybe stay at $20 a month and see how it goes and grows. I have taught since 1971 and I know that we are an undera-rated bunch. I also know that if the membership comes down to groceries, groceries are going to win out.
I beleive that the info is worth more but I don’t beleive that pockets and wallets are going to sustain more.
Sincerely in the Martial Way,
CL
Yeah, I know money’s tight. Income is fixed. There is no more room in the budget. I’m a retired electrician, millwright, and machinist. I can tell you, there is no way I’m going to do a project for $9.95 or $19.95, when I have worked all my life to attain the skill level that I have. If I choose, I can do a job for free if i see a need, but when is the last time you saw someone work for free, or very little, when the product offered was worth much more. I can understand not being able to afford something…been there, and I might be again, who knows?
You might not be able to control very much, but with the propper training you just might be able to influence the amount of time that you have left to live. Without it you are just prey for the wolves. I think my life, and the lives of my family are worth $25-$35/MO or more. Will I be able to afford it? I sure will try to.
Why charge anything? The best example I see is to look at what trainer Ross Enamait does. He sells fitness DVD courses and books at reasonable prices, and takes on individual clients. He offers a very large forum at rosstraining.com for FREE. The forums are active and very informative.
His course offerings are prominently displayed at his site so anyone can purchase them. It seems to work for him. Trainer Mark Rippetoe does the same thing.
Believe me, I am as serious as can be about fitness and self defense, but there is no way I am going to pay a monthly fee. Your stuff is good, but Palidin Press also offers great training DVDs. Why not just open up a forum for all at your site where you can advertise your DVDs to the whole internet instead of an “exclusive club.” You could even have occasional podcasts if they are popular.
what about a tiered membership…a certain dollar amount allows you certain access to certain areas of the site, and more access is granted based on the level of membership. or what about granting discounts off the monthly price for individuals who have purchased certain past products?
Hey Jeff,
The best I can tell you is that I’ve hooked up with several monthly payment programs in the past… and eventually dumped every one of them. Why? That damn monthly payment starts to add up! (Especially in today’s unstable economy).
My advice is, if you absolutely must have a monthly fee, keep it as low as you possibly can. Sure, you may provide great content on a regular basis – but I’ll bet even that will NOT be enough to keep members long-term… unless your fee is dirt cheap. Personally, I don’t like the idea of a membership fee at all.
I agree with Doug, would like intro price to be for the first two months to allow people like me (on social insecurity)to work it into our budgets. Different costs for different programs, all that I have seen are well worth watching however my time and funds are limited. I appreciate what you have done to bring my awareness of what I can do for myself and those I love.
Thanks for your comments Maryann! I know that we’re putting in place different levels to accomplish exactly what you stated.
And glad we’ve helped you already!
Stay safe!
$20.00 per month is more than fair, unless you are in my situation. Very ill, one year into a new business venture, no steady income, yet still using every bit of strength and energy I have to still make a difference in peoples lives.
Some of us are at rock bottom looking for resources like yours to add to our arsenal to help us get out of the rut we have been in. But still, some of us have to decide do we eat, buy medicine and keep the electric on, or join much needed memberships.
I wish I could be a member, I just can’t at this time.
Thanks for all you do.
Rick
personaly, I don’t like the different price for different package idea because there seems an inherent privelage for those who have…what about our poorer seniors who need the same ‘tools’ but don’t have the same funds.
As for the 20$ a month, this would be a gift. I think that this is affordable for everyone with a little tweaking of the daily habits. At the same time, if the product lives up to the hype, it is worth twice that amount. what is fair then? split the difference at 30$ a month, thats less than a small coffee a day…And I drink extra larges…so just a small modification to my coffe intake and I’m in.
I also agree that there should be a trial cost for the first month at least…perhaps 1/2 price.
Most importantly, thanks for taking our input.
Jeff like what i see and feel with your organization thus far. I a combative instructor for my newly forming church. Freedom Life Ministries. As for “pricing” Maybe create program levels… those that want it for self defense and those, such as myself, what something that I can utilize in my gym for MMA training A program or a regiment , I feel God’s presents with you and I would like to trust in my church, kids and congregation alike to be lead by the best organization for learning Hand to Hand Brain to Brain Heart to Heart combat that is necessary to protect, attack, or neutralize any enemy both foreign and domestic that I have found out there. Ready to see this blast off….. ISCQC Lead the way!
I love that Scott!
Hand to hand…brain to brain…heart to heart combat!
Priceless!
Thanks for your comments!
I don’t have a website, and I don’tpay anything by visa via the phone or computer. However, I will sent a check for videos, perhaps, every month. I do believe that your training is good, but I rather send you the money via mail and you send me the product after the check has cleared. Or I will send money order. I am not mean (smile) If you are not set up to send disks out I can understand. I bhave taught karate to children for many years, but I have never felt that it would really protect them or me to a certain extent. Your stree-type teaching would be more benefictial.
Sensei Reynolds
Jeff,
Easy – From an economic stand point, you should charge the amount that allows you to bring in the highest net profit. You’re smart, since the real question is, what are we willing to pay? Obviously, you have to charge a rate at which you’ll be able to obtain and keep a strong level of interest. I would agree, since you’re looking for a Netflix type of model, that approx $10/month would probably be reasonable. I wish you the best and look forward to finding out what you’ve decidied. Semper Fidelis!
Glenn
Recommend rather than a charge per month, that you go with a yearly rate ot at least that option. I’m not a fan of auto-charging methods. I like to maintain control over my expenditures at all times. Perhaps even a discount for a year at a time would work? Like Willie above, I agree with staying off that credit card “grid”. SF, Glenn
Only problem with annual options are the renewals. I don’t think our system tracks automatic notification for members to renew. It is set up to be able to automatically charge each year but if the bill is say, $350 or so, that would be a big surprise when someone got their bill and we’d be sure to get a ton of chargebacks from people who forgot about their membership.
Which brings up another point…we want people to interact as much as possible in the site and since we’re offering so much training, there will be something new each week. Keeping the payment affordable and monthly keeps it on members’ mind that there are skills waiting for them inside, you know?
Point taken though Glenn. Thanks!
Hi Jeff,
You know there are two basic models
1) Give the content for free and hope to up-sell
2) Set a fair price for the content
I favour option ’2′ – let’s look at why.
With option ’1′ – giving it away for free.
a) Can you get WAY more people with a free site – heck yes – will most of those people ever buy anything – HECK NO.
b) The more people you have as members the higher your costs – my site has already had to be migrated from shared hosting to a VPS (Virtual private server) and will probably need to move to a dedicated server in due course – all that costs money
c) More members means more bandwidth and that tends to mean more costs for you or potentially reduced quality of service to the users – Of course you can mitigate these problems by using 3rd party video hosting but that has issues too. (mainly security and / or cost ones).
Option ’2′ setting a fair price.
a) You lose all the ‘I want it for FREE’ brigade. WHY should you give it away – it’s your time and effort.
b) You lose the “It’s all out there on YouTube / Wherever for free” brigade too – NO it’s not!!! And what is out there has no quality control whatsoever – so if anyone is good enough to know the difference between the good stuff and the bad – then they don’t need the training anyway!!!
c) We have to make a living – our skills have taken many many years to develop and like any professional we are worthy of the fees we charge. What is it about martial arts and personal safety that makes so many people charge way less than they deserve???
There is I suppose another option – if you could get funding from someone who wanted to bankroll the project so that you could provide all the content for free – like a public service or a charity… Good luck with finding that person…
All the best.
Robert.
Robert:
See my post above. Coaches Ross Enamait and Mark Rippetoe sell plenty of books and DVDs using the free model. They are both popular throughout the net. They can do this because what they sell is reasonably priced. They both prominently display their offerings on their sites.
I’m probably he wrong person to approach for an opinion. For starters, I’m almost 80 and retired, and though I still stick to a fairly demanding exercise routine, adding CQC to my activities would mean I’d be spreading myself rather thin. Like most people, I appreciate the need to have something up one’s sleeve for self-defense in a crisis situation, but that doesn’t give the issue priority status requiring payment of a monthly fee over a period of years. Add to that, I’m from India, a developing country, and the Indian rupee doesn’t have anything like the purchasing power of the US dollar. So, for most of us, $20 per month would be exorbitant. Regarding the 80 minute ‘audio’ featuring Loren Christiansen, it was remarkably clear and one could learn a lot from it, but I feel it was an exception to the usual run of audio items. Those belonging to countries other than the USA might find difficulty with the American accent. Video would be the choice of most people.
Hi Jeff,
Thank you for your question and the integrity conveyed. I sincerely believe Jeff that the price you should charge, can only be decided by you, as the amount charged will directly depend on
1. what precisely are your objectives? Is it only to make the maximum amount of money?
2. who will be your target market?
3. The quality of the information you provide
4. The cost of providing information, the cost of the infrastructure you need to provide this info
5. Of what value is this information to your potential customer? How often will he need it?
6. Are you competing with bs websites providing similar info, that will probably result in someone being killed.
I agree with what Pesi P above (80 years old and I thought 67 was old, not really, I keep extremely fit) here in Sri Lanka too US$ 20/m will be far too much for over 90 of the population. So it will be impossible to seriously answer your question. I do enjoy and assimilate some of the info you provide. But only you can answer this question.
But if you do take a chance on my integrity (of course you run the obvious risk that 95% of the time you will be wrong to do so), if your product is unique and so valuable, I maybe able to arrange our Ministry of Defense personnel to get you down over here for a trial training presentation, which may motivate them to pay very good value, for your expertise.
Best of luck Jeff. But the answer to your question is very far from simple. Tk c
The International Society of Close Quarter Combatants refers to an international society! Thus any price should take that into account as well. As a South African, and for my little travel across the world I learnt that exchange rates really impacts on what (food/clothes) you can buy on any side of an ocean, is quite indicative of what is really the exchange rate. A simple meal is thus closer to $10 than $20 – or even the suggested more than that. Economy of scale surely comes into play here as well – usually more people would prefer to pay less, but that could create a large income.
Alright Jeff. Here is my opinion on this, and I’ll just say it like it is. $19.95 is pretty reasonable. It really is. Hell TFT is charging $30, and in my opinion nobody is doing what they are on the level that they are doing it on. Period. However, these are tough economic times, and I wasn’t able to continue with them at $30 dollars a month. So that should tell you something. Because I don’t think 20 or 30 dollars a month is too much to ask from anybody for self-defense/combat lessons. I’ve seen some websites charging $120 dollars a month for video instruction, and the reality is, I can get live classes for that much.
I can get one on one training with a personal instructor for 20 dollars an hour. SO that is something to consider. In the past I have paid anywhere’s from 65 to 120 dollars for martial arts classes. I think personally that would be way to much to charge for an online course of any kind. No matter how good it is. However, I don’t think 20 dollars a month, or even as high as 45 dollars a month would be too much to ask for a good quality instructional system that you could learn at home. Those that can afford to pay that price will. You can also do something different than what anybody else is in the video world, and offer a free months worth of lessons that you can watch forever if you want for free, and through that, if they are having a hard time coming up with the money they can demonstrate to you somehow that they are serious and privately work out an equitable payment plan, until they are able to pay the full price. You would potentially be getting serious students that may not be able to pay 20 dollars or 30 or 40 but maybe they can pay10 right now, and when they get back on there feet, they can pay the full price and they would be getting self-defense/combat knowledge from somebody that actually gives a shit if they have the knowledge or not. You know what I mean? Just a thought, and something to think about, but you have to decide what you want to do. I here some people saying 5 dollars a month and that is simply not a fair price. Period. The bottom line is this is your business, and we don’t know what your overhead is, and you have to make that decision on what it will cost you to pay your people, do what you want to do with this, and make a profit. You don’t gotta get rich off of every guy but you do gotta make money. Your spending the time and effort, and money to get this thing going, and your the only one that knows where your break even point is, and where your profit piont is. Keep that in mind, because people will break you trying to get something for free dude. No matter what the economic times are. You know what I mean? Good luck with this endeavor, I really hope you get and give what you are planning on. SOunds good, and any business endeavor deserves well wishes.
G’Day Jeff,
I think if people are really serious and committed with thier training and continuing education/enhancement of skillsets etc then they won’t mind paying a fair price that is win-win for everyone. I tend to agree with those that have said its better to have 10 people paying $5 then 2 people paying $20, but at the same time it all goes back to the indidual person…what do they really think the product and service is worth.
You could have a trial period of 3 months at a special rate of $15 per month and then give the option of either a yearly rate of example $250, or monthy rate of $30-$50.
I still think its better to have more “bums on seats” paying say $20 per month instead of 4 paying $50. That way if they have extra funds in thier budget then they may be more inclined to purchase your DVD’s etc. If you are loyal and serious about the members then they are going to be serious and loyal to you!!!….just food for thought.
Either way, I’ll be joining again.
All the very best mate,
Kind Regards,
Paul Johnstone
Street-Edge Defensive Tactics
Brisbane, Queensland
Australia
The $20-$25/month fee is about as high as I would realistically want to go. I would like to see a yearly discount, and might even be interested in a one-time, lifetime membership fee, if you could figure that out. (I have a tendency to over-commit, can you tell?)
I am one of those financially struggling, probably because I don’t don’t mind paying too much for things like this. I figure if I can go on living, I can earn more money. Here are some of my thoughts regarding the post I have just read:
Could we have a senior/student discount? (I am neither, but used to be a student and will hopefully be a senior someday…I sympathize with their plights)
Is there anything a financially challenged person can offer besides $$$ – membership referrals, banner ads on their own site…I really wish I could come up with the right idea here…not to make it free, necessarily, but just to mitigate the cost for someone in need.
Charge the “knuckleheads” an extra $10 for every stupid, derisive comment – a jackass jar. Kidding.
Anyway, keep up the good work. I’m looking forward to the 2nd DVD and CD in your 6-part series.
I think all the information that is going to be offered is well worth $20.00 or more per month but unfortunately I can’t afford that at this time.
Different levels of membership would probably be a good option to help people like myself have at least some access to this excellent training material.
Jeff,
If a subscription, no matter how inexpensive or expensive it is, entails me getting advertisements for other products and services I don’t want or need then I will not subscribe. I dropped my USCCA membership because of this very reason. Just too much advertising! If I subscribe for information and training from your organization, then that is what I want. I don’t need “Special Opportunities” for purchasing other products that someone is hawking.
$20 – $30 per year for a subscription seems fair to me.
Sounds like this may not be for you Norman.
I frankly see it as our RESPONSIBILITY to let you know about additional training that could help you be even better prepared. No one holds any gun to your head to buy anything and sometimes we come up with better deals than you would on your own because we can twist arms.
We see that as a service, not as a “hassle” just as when you’re watching the TV, you don’t turn it off because there are commercials in between show segments.
That being said, our focus is on TRAINING and SURVIVAL and we won’t even have any banner ads planned.
What you WILL find is solid content and if you can’t simply ignore a few offers from those people and services that we feel would benefit you then let me save you the time…unsubscribe now.
No hard feelings, no ill will…just saving you from getting upset brother.
Be safe.
For all the talk about what we would pay or what this is worth, I haven’t seen anything to even start to make those type of judgments about. Just talk about personal interaction, which by definition email and websites are not.
To date I have seen a few acceptable 4 or 5 minute videos and an inbox full of up sells and must buy now great deal type emails.
I am not a member of whatever existed prior to this new incarnation, but whatever I did sign up for, the free content, has been underwhelming and really just smacked of nothing but marketing to get me to buy something, be it the DVDs or a membership.
I signed up for the free content to try and get a sense of what I would get if I paid for a membership and it did nothing but turn me off. No very high quality content and so much all capital letters, <–CLICK NOW type emails that I really just think it would be another monthly charge that I didn't get the value from and would have a hard time canceling and I would be lucky if my email address wasn't sold to other marketers and/or my charge card was charged for stuff I didn't realize I agreed to or some other questionable tactic.
I will never sign up for any monthly type service unless I have had a chance to try the content first, I have too many bad experiences from services that were not worth it in the past, but I still ended up paying the monthly fee a few times extra because canceling was such a pain the behind.
I am not being critical here, I am just trying to let you know my impressions of your site and service over the course of the last year or so being on your mailing list or whatever I signed up for free a year or so ago.
After looking over a few emails I remember signing up for the ‘free-trial’ now. I remember looking for the videos or audio that were members only to see the quality of the content and not being able to find anything instructional on the site available to me as a free-trial member. In looking at my emails this was well over a year ago and closer to 2 years ago so maybe it was just bad site design.
I see the site I was thinking of that was content free still exists:
For example, this great “Articles Main Page” http://survive-the-street.com/articles.php
Further, the mix of domain names and sites is just another thing that puts up red flags for me, ISCQC, Survive the Street, etc.
Sounds like we’re not a good fit for you BG. I’ll go ahead and ask our team to unsubscribe you from our newsletters and we wish you the best with your training.
There’s no need to comment anymore or frequent our videos and articles.
Happy trails and be safe.
Sorry you took offense, at least thats what it sounds like to me. I took the time to write an honest take on the impression your materials left on me. I think you are a good guy and I want you and your stuff to be a success or I wouldn’t have bothered to let you know what I see as issues.
I apologize if honest feedback wasn’t what you were looking for, please ignore it all.
All the best.
No offense taken BG.
The old ISCQC site was on a different domain “survive-the-street” and we are switching over to a new site. This is the only reason for the change of links. When you went to the other site, there weren’t even any articles there because our custom built system kept deleting information (like articles, instructors, etc.) which is why we are switching to begin with.
I just took all of your comments about being “underwhelmed” and suspicious that we we’re little more than a marketing company with no real content (at least that’s how it sounded) to mean that we didn’t have what you were looking for and felt it best to part ways.
I expect nothing less than honest feedback (as I hope is evident from me even daring to ask everyone how much they feel this type of a membership should cost) and I don’t want people to hold back (as is evident from several of the comments made on this blog post!
).
Again, no hurt feelings over here and I realize that our training and content isn’t for everyone.
Best wishes.
Hell man, there’s some good stuff here, I’d put the value at 20-30 bucks, maybe make it a nice even 25.
Sir;
the $19.95 is a good price, but you will get some knuckleheads no matter what the price. God bless…
I subscribe to several fitness forums ranging from $9.95 per month to $49.95 per month ($49.95 is for a limited duration soon to be over), with most of them charging $24.95 to $29.95.
Comparing those forums with the content you have planned, you can definitely charge in the range of $30 to $40 per month; however, given today’s economy, the $25 – $30 range is probably more affordable for most people. Therefore, I would suggest $29.95 per month.
Jeff, considering the economy, I would say $30.00 per mo. max. for elderly. Folks on Medipak Plus at our Gym are covered by their Ins. and pay nothing but others are charged $40.00 per mo. So, I would say anywhere from $25 to $40 would be fair.
I am already scheduled for the 6mo. program and there is no way that I can afford both, so I will not be joining the new program. Vera
Hi Vera!
Thanks for chiming in! It’s good to get your perspective!
Jeff, In many of these blogs I’ve seen wording to the effect of sorting out the serious from the not so serious. I’ve also seen words that reflect the writer’s personal financial situation(s). Please consider this: If a person has ordered from you before, they are probably pretty serious AND they like your material…their price is $9.95/mo. Someone who has NEVER ordered from you before might be a tire kicker…their price for the first 12 months might be the $19.95/mo or whatever other number your marketing advisors tell you to try. After their ‘trial membership’, if they are still with you they then qualify for the ‘previous client’ discount. By doing it this way you build the volume, and you’ll get the referrals. You also don’t shut out those who are truly interested but currently unable to strip $240 out of an already overstretched budget.
Thanks Ro!
We are trying to find ways to reward members more and reward retention beyond.
Thanks for your comment!
A popular music group put their latest cd out on the web and allowed people to pay whatever they felt was fair or could afford. What a revolutionary idea.
When I first found your website I was excited. I think you do provide a great service for serious martial artists and self defense practioners. Also, I am well aware that instructors and trainers really only have their knowledge to sell. With that said, I’m serious about few things but self defense and related topics are one of them. But I wouldn’t pay $19.95 per month for access to a website.
It really is just a website. You can build it up any way you want, but at the end of the day people pay their fee, log on, and view material. Now maybe you have this or that to offer on different days to keep people checking back in but unless I can log on any time and video chat/train with an instructor of my choosing, it is still just a website. But there’s an idea for you!
$5.00 is too little, $20.00 is too much but $10.00 a month is affordable by almost everyone. And that’s how you make money…by putting pants on the asses of the masses! Who cares if they’re hardcore? I’m hardcore and if the info is good then thats great for me, if someone else only watches but doesn’t ever actually train then who cares? Their money spends as good as mine. Your website is a business and you want to make money. Focusing only on “devoted” clientele is elitist-type of thinking and you will find your demographic is finite. By thinking like that I hope you want your profits finite too! How the hell can you tell someone on-line is devoted anyway?
The lower price will attract more people and that works for you. The more people spreading the word, the more subscribers you get. Other than that, its hard to say because no one knows how “great” all these new functions are going to be. Maybe launch it free for 30 days with “take away” marketing. Everyone races to check and use the site for a month and then when its over they’ll realize what they’re missing. If it is that great. No offense.
What you bring to the table is a very important set of skills and in light of the trouble that is undoubtably coming it might mean the difference between surviving or not.
Unfortunately those who probably need it the most are those that can afford it the least. The day to day risks that lower income people, single mother’s, the elderly or those having to live in “rough” areas due to the down turn in the economy are more real and probable than those for the more affluent. The difference is they won’t be able to afford what would be easy for others.
Bottom line is this is a business and as such you have to run it as a business. To be successful and attract and retain talented people you will have to pay them what they are worth, and you will have to pay yourself appropriately as well.
A graduated rate scale based on level of access would allow people to get a basic knowledge of self defense while allowing for an advanced track as interest increases.
Respectfully Yours,
Ed
The idea of trial suggested by Douglas seems to be the better choice.
Down in the southeast, we call a minivan an “escape pod.” Looks like you’re all set for a bug-out. the Net-flix model seems to work: low rare, more people, more income. If the business model is correct than the increased employee load should still pay out. There is a psychological barrier for many people in this economic time to see $20 as a line in the sand. I’m not suggesting using the old trick of pricing at $19.99 to get under that wire; but I think around $15 per month would be do-able for even us on a real tight string. Add it to the expense category of “life insurance”!