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[ErnieMitchell]

Hello,

This is my first post on ESF so I hope I'm doing this right.  I searched for previous posts on the subject with no luck so here goes. 

I'm in the process of rewriting AND writing a updated edition of a 100+ year old book on marketing.  Naturally, I intend to do some price point testing but in the meantime, it would be interesting to know if there is a practical price point ceiling on eBooks? All of my previous experience has been with hard products that range from $99. 00 to $499. 00.  Most of the eBooks I see are in the $19, $29, and $39 range.  Why is this??? Why not $98. 00 or $198. 00?

I'd like to get $98. 00 and include a second bonus book at the end of the sales cycle.  Is there a physiological barrier above $39. 00 or $49. 00?

The eBook in question has 15 chapters.  I'm considering giving the first chapter away as a hook to get subscriptions and then charging 7$ each for the remaining 14 chapters and automatically downloading and billing the remainder over 14 weeks.  This would yield a total price of $98.  With the final, 15th chapter download and payment the customer would then receive a master download of all 15 chapters bound in a PDF as well as the 800 page bonus book.  The customer could stop payment at any time he/she chooses and stop receiving future chapters.  There would be no mention of a guarantee.  The sales process would work  like a magazine subscription --- no money back guarantee --- stop any time you choose.  Affiliates would be paid weekly on the 7$ transaction @ 50% & 10%. 

Is this insane??? Would affiliates see the big "14-week . . .  $98. 00 sales price" picture or be put off by the $7. 00 weekly transaction?

Last . . .  does anyone have a guess as to what a "Best Seller" eBook in a big niche like Marketing could equate to in number of copies/downloads sold? I realize this is a wide open question but what, in general, is considered a success?

Thanks in advance for any insight you may have.

[Lisa Preston]

If the content is good, there's no reason such a setup wouldn't work.
The only thing I'd do though, is stop calling it an ebook.
Change it to a "course" or a "system".
Perhaps offer a $77 up-front price, or divide up the amount as you said - $7 a week.
That way you can get both those who love a discount AND those who are cautious...
Also, if you do not plan to have a guarantee, then make sure that is very plainly stated near the order button! People don't mind that, as long as there is no sneakiness involved and you are as upfront as possible. And give them a reason why this is the case.
Good luck!!

Cheers -
Lisa

[ErnieMitchell]

Hello Lisa,

Thank you for your insight. I was about to think that I had asked a question that was either too dumb or too complicated to warrant a response. Believe me when I say I’m capable of doing both  . When you responded I was considering re-posting buy breaking my questions down into two or three separate posts.

I totally agree with you on dropping the eBook moniker. In actuality, the original work that I’m republishing is a series of corporate board room presentations therefore I’ve decided to not only offer the weekly portioned content in PDF format but also in MP3 so the presentations can actually be used as meeting content.

What I’m attempting to do with the $7.00 program is to engineer in an easy entry hurdle PLUS an attainable continuity factor rollover/upgrade at the end of the 14th week sales cycle. As I now see it, each weekly $7.00 installment will also be accompanied by a modern, 100 year update, prospective on the material. When the original 14 weeks are up, if I can convert 5 to 7% of my customers to continuing with the modern prospective monthly report @ $7.00 a month (that’s month, not week), I’ll have a nice stream of continuous income and the launch of another newsletter.  Hopefully, after 14 weeks, 5% plus will elect to carry on with the $7.00 a month program. With 33 years experience in international and domestic industrial high ticket sales and marketing management I have no reservations about being able to offer valuable monthly content.

Now … My concerns: Since I’m going to depend heavily on Affiliates for traffic are prospective Affiliates going to be turned off by getting paid for the small weekly $7.00 transactions (@ 50% & 10%) or can they be persuaded to see the big, $98.00 sale price picture???

One definite benefit to Affiliates is that without a guarantee where would be no charge backs. I should also state that once an Affiliate starts receiving weekly commissions they would continue regardless of whether cookies are erased.

Anyway, how potential Affiliates view the $7.00 weekly factor is of key concern because without affiliates there is no crowd and without a crowd there is no kingdom e.g. “My Kingdom for a Crowd.”

Thanks in advance. Any advice, be it resident or drive-by will be appreciated.

[Lisa Preston]

Yes, they will be put off by such a low payout.
But there IS a way around that.
You could easily set it up so that they get 90% commission for the first 3 weeks maybe, and then 50% for the remainder... then switch to no affiliate commissions on the monthly.
You could switch that around, too. The idea is the initial traffic, so make it worthwhile to the affiliate to generate the intitial contact. Once they have, they'll move on to the next thing. They won't continue to push your course or membership to their list after that initial "push".

Something about what you said regarding chargebacks...
Just because you don't offer a guarantee does NOT mean that they can't get one.
People are notorious for filing a chargeback through PayPal or even their credit card company, and in my experience it makes zero difference what your policy states. It's about 50/50 whether they get it.
Keep this in mind when you have affiliates.
You may not get a lot of refunds, but you will likely get a few.