There comes a time in every business life when policies must change to remain successful. This is our time. Over the last several months, we evaluated out ROI on every aspect of the business and have started to make adjustments in order to remain a viable company.
CHANGES Starting September 1, 2012:
1. Free email help service reduced
2. Customer News Email List removed
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Never in my life had I had so much attention — and not all of it good. It started with blatant plagiarism in May, which was nicely resolved by Amazon, but it hasn’t stopped there.
1. Download Sharing.
Earlier this summer, I discovered many people were sharing the download link for my Kit updates. This was shocking as I thought the download script was secure — it was not. So my first action for the summer, take down the Lifetime Updates download feature.
** UPDATE **
The old download capability is gone; However the policy of free “lifetime” updates remains in tact. We are currently programming a new download capability to make the process of updates easier and smoother.
** **
2. Help Abuse.
I love to help people. I really do, but there is only so much help I can provide. Since the beginning of summer I have spent a minimum of 3 hours every morning answering questions – and the time is increasing every day. While many are basic simple questions — many of which can be found on my blog or on the Internet, others are more detailed.
Another revelation were many people requesting help were, themselves, publishers and freelance ebook formatters. While I have no problem with others moving into a the ebook market, I do have issues with solving formatting issues, some very complicated, for work they are supposed to be providing to their clients. It’s like doing someone’s homework.
I am a stickler when it comes to running a business: If you plan to start a business then you need to learn the business. It came to the point that many “expected” me to fix their formatting issues (as per my open-door help policy) for projects they were being paid to do. This was not only unfair to me, it’s unfair to the customer.
There are many online resources you can utilize to learn CSS and HTML — the best being W3Schools.com. If you are serious about formatting, whether for yourself or as a freelancer, then take the time to learn the process.
So, action #2, limit free help. I am considering paid workshops for those wanting a little more in-depth formatting help but that is in the far future, if at all.
3. AOL spam list.
Every customer has the option to be added to my internal customer mailing list. It is an opt-in/ opt-out list and you are NOT required to be on the list. However, rather than “opting-out” many AOL users have apparently marked my emails as spam. This is unfortunate as it prevents me from emailing ANY AOL account. (Unless I use my GMAIL account, but that is only a temporary solution).
This has happened to me 3 times this summer and I am at a loss as to how to prevent it. My emails comply to the SPAM act offering an opt-out link at the bottom of every email, so why customers are reporting me as spam is beyond me.
The solution: Action #3 — Customer News Email list is now eliminated. I will still be available though my blog, RSS, monthly newsletter or direct email contact.
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Thank you
Every business goes through growing pains and must adjust and change in order for success. This summer was ours.
I want to thank the thousands of you who have not abused the system. You are a credit to your profession. However, there just isn’t enough of me to go around. While I will still be available for help, we will be moving to a FAQ system so you can more easily find your answers.
Thank you again and happy writing,
Suzanne
