What would you use? Need your help.

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GetCarved

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May 30, 2011
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What would you use? Need your help.
I've been reading for ages on here and have so many questions about my membership site! I would REALLY appreciate your opinions on what you would use in my situation. I truly need help, and can't find the answers via the search function.

I am setting up a membership site - this site is basically a Fitness based continuity program. I will charge $4.95 a month, recurring, and will eventually sell a book ($19.95) as a front end and have Online Personal Training ($299 a month) as a back end product. I am using Optimize Press and Wishlist Member on this site.

The site is closed at the moment and I am trying to integrate payment options and autoresponders before launch. Right now I am integrated with a paypal business account and Mail Chimp for an autoresponder.

Here are my questions:

1. Mail Chimp is free for up to 2,000 subscribers, but I have read horror stories on here about lists being blocked etc because of violation of their terms. I am in the fitness business (weekly workouts and recipes etc) and I don't know if I would be in serious danger of this. Also it has "vitamins and supplements" listed as things that aren't allowed to be sold with Mail Chimp - eventually I would probably want to sell these things and maybe have affiliates which also is a no no with them. Should I switch to Aweber before I start to build a list?

2. Paypal seems fine for my purposes, but when I launch my book I will want a one click upsell for my membership along with the sale. Paypal seems to be a long and complicated process for upsells, yet sites like 1shoppingcart etc are expensive and have flaws as well. If I stick with paypal, then decide to switch to another cart with an upsell option later - will those clients paying with paypal be able to continue paying with paypal(recurring), and I can just have clients from the point of the switch onward pay with the new cart? (Remember I have wishlist member, would switching carts in their system effect the customers already signed with paypal?) I would like to start with paypal, but not if I lose all my members up to the point of the switch. Main Question: For my type of site, should I use a payment option besides paypal from the getgo?

I know this is a long post, but I truly need help or I wouldn't ask, any help is appreciated and you will be helping a guy out who has been researching and worrying for weeks.

Look forward to your responses, and thanks in advance.

Jay
 


I've used MailChimp before, but never for those types of offers. I think the real question is "Can I import into Aweber?" The answer is yes, but it requires your opt-ins to re-cofirm. You make the call. If you're going to do something professionally, just bite the bullet and buy aweber. Remember, if you're not paying for a service, you're not the customer, you're the product.

RE: Paypal- If you're set for recurring payments, that happens within PayPal, not in your shopping cart, so changing payment providers won't impact customers that have already signed up. I've never done an upsell with PayPal, but can't imagine it's that hard. Here's a link, but basically if you use their ExpressCheckout API, you can do it easily: https://www.x.com/thread/46273
 
Dossey02 said:
I've used MailChimp before, but never for those types of offers. I think the real question is "Can I import into Aweber?" The answer is yes, but it requires your opt-ins to re-cofirm. You make the call. If you're going to do something professionally, just bite the bullet and buy aweber. Remember, if you're not paying for a service, you're not the customer, you're the product.

RE: Paypal- If you're set for recurring payments, that happens within PayPal, not in your shopping cart, so changing payment providers won't impact customers that have already signed up. I've never done an upsell with PayPal, but can't imagine it's that hard. Here's a link, but basically if you use their ExpressCheckout API, you can do it easily: https://www.x.com/thread/46273
Click to expand...

Thanks Dossey! The first part - I've already decided to go with aweber - its just too risky to put your list in the hands of that little monkey ;) Especially since it says you can't sell nutritional supplements, vitamins or herbal supplements - that is something I may eventually sell.

The second part - That is really what has been worrying me. I was afraid that if I changed payment methods within wishlist member that I would lose all of my customers that signed up using paypal. I guess it would just start new with the new merchant account - and the payments from the "paypal customers" would just keep recurring via that route.

Again thanks, and if anyone else has anything to add, please do - this is my first membership site and I need all the help I can get!

Jay
 
Has anyone tried out iContact? They are a bit cheaper than aWeber, but they try to upsell you on their premium packages, so watch out.
 
A) I would not use mail chimp given the direction your going.

B) Checkout Merchant Warehouse and get a CC Processing account
 
We've used iContact for a ton of stuff and have always liked it. We also had success with newsberry.com.

If you want to upsell other products/services, you're better off getting your own merchant account.
 
I would suggest Aweber or Icontact for marketing emails
A more techy option is Amazon SES (Simple Email Service) but it is API only
 
My question is to the original thread starter, GetCarved:

Did you get your membership site up and going? Did you use Paypal for the recurring payments? I'm looking to start my membership site up and looking for options.
 
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