OK, here's some hard love. Skye over at the MG experience has silver memeber $25.00 a year, and gold members $50.00, they pay him via Paypal, makes it easy, he's got the best MGB forum on the net period. Skye also has google banners, which Basil I know you have long objected to, but the raw fact is most of us don't even notice them, and you never, ever here any complaints about them, if they make money to run the forum, then why the heck not?????
I seriously thought about being a contributing vendor here, but the fact is it kinda expensive, I can advertize with Classic Motorsports Magazine alot cheaper. I think folks not in the business look at folks like me and think I'm making a killing because I build a engine that cost 5,6 7, 8 grand, no about the same profit margin, just more expensive parts. In my little meager business everyone has their hand stuck out for a hundred bucks a month, you have to learn how to say no to survive, you alway looking for a value, defensive advetising if you will, but not at $100 on month. Skye has a good a forum, but he still sucks ant supporting local vendors and giving them low cost advertising, cost effective or not. In these tougher times, I look at it like this you got to do more for less. I'll put a banner up here in a skinny minute Basil if I can do it for say $150 a year, but if you want a $1000+ a year, sorry I can't afford it, I'm trying to survive to, and remember the grass always looks greener over the fence, but guess what it pretty dry over here as well.
A few things have always turned me off about this forum, one being , heavens forbid if I shoud run across a deal on certain part, and want to offer it here, I' can't, if I do it vvry discreetly, I'm skumbag. Basil offer me value, and I'll sign up tommorow, keep imagining me to be millionaire, and I won't.
Superite, a company I work for, yet another company selling a fine product for our cars, fighting for survial in this business, quit being a vindor here, why, cheaper alternatives. Look at another Moss vendor that is a supporting vendor here, look I know the volume fo product he sells and I know his profit range, the math isn't working for hime to be a supporting vendor here, he doing his part vending more for hobby than a living, can he continue to be a supporting vendor here, no he can't.
Persoanlly I think forum advertizing is not even be tapped into yet with LBC forum, ot even close, either like Skye, he not offering it, or like here, it just not a competitively price product, learn your competiton in the advertising choices in this business and you can get amny, many vendor wanting to sign up. I was already to do it, until Tony told me what it cost, and my reaction, was, you're freaking kidding right.
Basil, you're a fine man, but if yu want to ake this thing profitable, you need to change your way, if you make this a pay to post site, it's toast, bury it right now, put a tombstone on the grave, but if you wan to edcuacate your self into the amrket palce of LBC advetising cost and offer a bargin in tough times, you'll probably have more folks than you can handle being here. Kinda like the BMTA, when it was $100 atear, everyone in the industry wanted to be a aprt of it, at $250 a year now, not so much.
Also you have to provide a product and I think there are way to help certain forums here falling under the mark. Let's face MGB are the 800 pound gorilla of the LBC industry, and the they need their own forum, and then one for the MGAs as well, The MG forum here is lame at best, kinda boring if you ask me, but the Spridget forum here rocks, so continue to let the Spridget forum do what it has been doing, but tie to get onto the back of that 800 pound gorilla and make it work for you. The new MGB forum would have moderator or contributor that are experts in their field, thorw them a bone to come here, a forum is only as good as the people who post good information on it, post about about floor mats and carpet colors get old, and don't cause anyone to rush here.
Basil, you've got a awesome product here, you just got to got the funds it needs to make it survive even put some money in your pocket, and you will do that with google banners, and more reasonable vendor advertising, we're all struggling too. Also look at Skye's silver and gold plan members, go over there an look at how may people there do that. Make this site the place a LBC vendor HAS to be because of the traffic here and the low cost of advetising here, I always found it better and more profitable to sell more for less than less for more.
I type lousy, Basil you need to call me sometime, and we can brainstorm I'll share my ideas with you, I've been selling stufff since I was knee high to grasshopper. If this forum isn't atleast breaking even bud, time to change your stratagy, because it can
Hey Guest!
