Changes to the DealersEdge Forums

[jimmuntz]

Notice to all DealersEdge Forum Participants-

For almost eight years DealersEdge has provided these forums to the dealership community and we have done so free-of-charge. Until this time we have resisted advice that suggested that we should charge for the service. Unfortunately that will soon change.

DealersEdge earns its keep by creating management education opportunities for auto dealership managers. We are best known for our newsletters, but also create learning opportunities via teleseminars, live conference events and through special reports and manuals.

The DealersEdge family of industry newsletters, manuals, seminars, special reports, and online discussion forums is designed to keep dealership managers up to date on developments in automotive retailing, to provide those managers with ideas for improving their business management skills, and to let industry professionals know how their peers in the business are solving common industry problems.

Regardless of how that information is delivered, it has value.

For some time now we have noticed that the information exchanged on the forums has lessened the reliance on our print newsletters. Some have told us directly that they no longer subscribe to the newsletter because the information shared on the DealersEdge forum is so useful.

We, of course, like to think that we provide considerable value beyond what is found on the forum discussion threads, but we do understand the point of view. However, it looks as if we have been hurt by the success of our own creation.

So, the free DealersEdge Forums have become a liability to our business model. As you might imagine, that cannot last indefinitely. Frankly, I am surprised that we have been able to hold out for the past eight years.

As of January 1, 2007, we will institute a new registration system for the DealersEdge Forums. All users will be asked to register again. Any users not subscribing to one of the DealersEdge newsletters will be required to pay for their access to the forums- to read or to post.

Subscribers to any DealersEdge print newsletter will be re-registered automatically, and will not be required to pay for forum access.

(Active subscribers will also be receiving notice of a new members only discount policy for teleseminars, conferences, special reports and manuals- watch for the details.)

Non-subscribers to the DealersEdge print newsletters will be required to pay for access choosing one of the following payment plans:

• $12 per month (payment must be by credit card authorization)
  
• $30 per quarter (again payment must be by credit card authorization)
  
• $99 per year payment by invoice or credit card.
  

To re-register- http://www.dealersedge.com/acatalog/Forums.html


Username and Passwords will be emailed to you before January 1, 2007. Until then, forum access remains as is.

[u]Active subscribers to a DealersEdge newsletter will be notified shortly of your username and password and we will make it easy for you to remember.

We do realize that paying for this service will not be universally applauded by the forum community. We do appreciate your point of view on this question, but feel that this new policy is necessary to guarantee the future of DealersEdge and our ability to continue serving the dealership community in general and you in particular.

We sincerely hope that we do not lose a single member of our forum users and participants. If anyone feels that the fees outlined above represent an unusually difficult hardship for them personally or for their dealership, please do contact me directly and I will see what can be done to accommodate your situation.

Your participation is valued part of the success of the DealersEdge Forums, we only hope that our ability to continue this service in a profitable manner will be likewise valued by forum members.

Thank you for eight great years of forum activity and we sincerely are looking forward to many, many more.

My very best to you all,

Jim Muntz
DealersEdge

P.S.- Again, active subscribers do nothing for now a new username and password will be emailed to you before January 1st. All non-subscribers to any DealersEdge print newsletter, must http://www.dealersedge.com/acatalog/Forums.html re-register before January 1st to retain access to the forums.


[This message has been edited by jimmuntz (edited 11-28-2006).]

[This message has been edited by jimmuntz (edited 11-30-2006).]

[This message has been edited by Forum Admin (edited 11-30-2006).]

[pjpeery]

i would like to thank you for letting us use your forum for all this time for free..

but i also feel that you have benefited from our use and we have benefited from reading these words of wisdom .. i understand that you have a business to run and protect .. but these forums are a wealth of information and if you have to pay to read or post i feel you will loose some or most of the benefits that have come out of this over the years ..

this relationship worked both ways .. and we were all benefiting from the exchange that was going on here

i wish you great success in this project

paul

[jimmuntz]

Thanks Paul-

A lot of what you say is true and this decision was not made without a lot of soul searching and thought.

Time will tell if we have chosen the right path.

Jim

[chashelp]

Dear Jim:

With the utmost respect I do truly understand your current business strategy as to why you must consider charging for your forum usage. Ive personally have learned from many others on this forum and our dealership has profited from it many times, after canceling my subscription to your publication.

When I say profited, I truly mean profited, thousands of dollars.

The problem I foresee is that automotive dealerships dont freely offer managers and support staff the funding to purchase publications and online forum access. (Most of yours publications exceeding $ 200 yearly, correct me if Im wrong) This in turn will cause your membership rooster to drop and close the doors for the younger upcoming to learn from the more experienced forum users.

What happens next? DealersEdge becomes perceived as just another publication selling the information that everyone else is out there selling.

You in turn may than say, We do offer a valid, profitable service, I say, I agree. Dealer principle says, What do we need their service for? Isnt that why we have DealerWorld, Training Courses, Certification Requirements, and Outside Consultants? Why dont you just figure it out, isnt that why Im paying you?.

Once again, thank you for the many years of useful information. I do wish you the best of luck in transforming your business from print publication to e-publications and wish you and your associates many successful years to come.

Charles Schruefer
DealerService@AutomotiveProfit.com

[jimmuntz]

Charles-

First - thank you for your kind words.

We would like nothing better than to continue providing this platform as a free service. But like any other business, our free services must support and not detract from the activities that produce the profits.

Members/Subscribers will be redefined as those that get the best benefits from our activities. Restricting access to the forums to this group will reinforce the value of being part of that group. The fact is that our subscribers are bearing the larger portion of the expense for the efforts here and in other areas of our enterprise. This policy will provide some balance to that inequity.

Along with this change, we are also taking other steps to better define our value to the career development of all dealership managers.

These steps will include broader subscriber benefits and new formats to meet the demands of the market.

Again, thank you for your support,

Jim Muntz

[texaslp]

Of course everybody likes free, but have to realise their is a cost to someone, and why should DealersEdge be expected to do this for us.

Fortunately my dealer is open to new ideas and training from various sources and reads several company newsletters regularly, including DealersEdge.

[jtr8178]

If you think you will have many members pay a fee to simply access the forum system, you are outright crazy. I've been activly involved on the Internet since 1995, and have seen many companies try a fee-based forum system. I have yet to see it work. The information here may or may not be unique, but its not even your information. Its information provided by other people.

I understand that business has to make money, but how do you expect to attract new members if they can't even read it for free? The DealersEdge forum is not the only one of its kind, although I feel it has the strongest base. I believe most of your current users may migrate towards other sites which offer the same type of forums, but are free.

Best of luck to you, as I'm confident you will look at this decision a year from now as a poor one. If you watch your posts per month, I'm guessing you will have a strong decline, thereby lessening the value of your "product", thereby lessening the numbers of subscribers.

Your company is a lot like my service department. I offer a free product (We give our free technical advice all the time), and we offer a charge service (repairing the vehicles). I know exactly what would happen to my reputation, and the feelings my customers would have, if I told them I had to charge for technical advice. Do you?

[Art_Mopar]

Jim,
And another thing...just joking since this thread is still open!!!!!!

[turbo59]

Thanks Jim for the great ride!

I am trying to change careers in the very near future so subscribing won't be an issue for me.

I a very grateful for the dealersedge forum because when I took my first management job, I lived here. The knowledge and real world experience has been tremedous.

If things go my way, I am finished with this man's army...20 years is enough for one industry.

Best wishes to Jim and the dealersedge participants. Thank you again for your assistance.

Habit #5 "Seed first to understand, then to be understood" Stephen Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People



------------------

"the dumbest kid in the smartest row"

turbo59

[flyboy]

I experienced a need to do something similar to what you are doing Jim. Did not work out for me, was a complete bust. But that of course does not mean the same will happen here.

I was wondering if you had considered perhaps charging for new registrations, allowing those of us already participating to be "grandfathered" in so to speak?

We could even perhaps encourage others to subscribe, perhpas thru our service mgr clubs etc.