Premium Content Pricing
July 24th, 2007Before we cover, tomorrow, what premium content will “be”, we thought we’d start with how much it’s going to cost. This probably seems backwards, but we get lots of questions about our site and pricing.
Premium Content will cost $15 per month for everyone.
We’re trying to keep prices as low as we can, to allow ANYONE to subscribe. I think I’ve said it before: “Tiffany advice at Wal-Mart prices.” Our mission is to change the world of management, and we believe reaching more people is critical to our success. Lower pricing serves our mission best.
We’ve answered many questions and heard many comments about Manager Tools being free. The weekly casts, the Members Only casts, the forums, the blog posts, etc…all free. We love it when we hear, “I can’t believe this is free!!” Periodically we get long mails thanking us…and that’s a big reason why we’re doing this. A member recently reviewed our services in an international publication, and one of the criticisms offered was that we clearly couldn’t keep offering this for free, and Mike and I think that the point was that we were “hooking” people into Manager Tools, only to suddenly start charging.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Weekly casts will always be free for individual use. Members Only casts will always be free for individual use. Membership itself will always be free. The Forums will always be free.
Premium Content goes above and beyond our free weekly and Members Only casts. We’re providing it to answer the many requests for written documents, one use of which is to reduce note taking while driving! We want to make it easy for you to review previous casts, and easy to build a management library.
$15 a month, for everyone. Easy.
[Tomorrow: Premium Content details, with examples.]
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July 24th, 2007 at 2:49 am
Mike and Mark,
We always believe in Indian context you need to pay a fee to “Guru” who gives out “Gyan” (Knowledge) so that the knowledge gained is appreciated /cherished and put in to full use. I personally believe, that “manager Tools” podcast is the single most event that has happened to bring in personal development in individuals. So I am glad that you had come out with the premium content segment after more than 120 episodes, this shows that you both are also out there to give your best of the best without commercial consideration. In a way, premium content also gives us a chance to appreciate in tangible /materialistic way what you do for us(Other than just remembering to vote in the podcast alley or refer manager tools in emails to friends or write about it in personal Blog)
While pricing is a very sensitive issue, it has lot of implications when viewed in an international context. 20US$ may be considered Peanuts in some parts of the world where as that would be the days Salary for a junior manager in some other parts of the world, more so in developing countries. In that context, it is a huge relief to see the pricing you have done of 15US$ a month. In my opinion,at this pricing all the international listeners to your podcast will continue to benefit to the premium content.
As culture goes in this part of the world, we will always look for a discount, when ordered in Bulk. (last month, I enrolled a 3 year subscription to Economist Magazine at 60% discount, again thanks to manager tools suggestion to read Economist to widen the knowledge horizon) While it is too early and not being fair to you to talk about bulk / long term subscription pricing, I am sure at some stage in future,you will help us folks in the international audience by working out some plans.
Keep up the great work.
With Relief to pay you back something. I can also assure you that this will be my last post on commercial aspects.
Regards
Karthik
Bangalore, India.
July 24th, 2007 at 4:42 am
Have you thought already about payments methods? Are you going to use PayPal?
Thanks
Javier
July 24th, 2007 at 8:33 am
That sounds like simple BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) Manager Tools to me. I wish more people would put the pricing up front. I only wish I could drop my $15 in “the internets” to you today.
Mark Polino
July 24th, 2007 at 8:47 am
I’m looking forward to hearing more about this. I’m really excited to see what the premium content will be. It will be great if the people, like me, that are just starting out, in management (and in manager-tools) can keep listening and don’t need to worry that there’s better stuff out there that we aren’t getting. But safe in the knowledge that if we want to ’step it up a notch’ there is somewhere to go.
Lincoln
p.s. sorry for disobeying all the rules of effective writing above.
July 24th, 2007 at 8:52 am
Where’s the donate button? I feel like I already owe you guys money for how much I’ve learned. Keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing what is included in premium content.
Carl
July 24th, 2007 at 9:11 am
Coming out of lurkdom to say thank you to Mike & Mark for this wonderful resource.
At €10.00 ish/month this is wonderful value for money. I used to spend much more than this on management books without a fraction of the usefulness that this site offers.
Having just stepped onto the management ladder I really appreciate the practical nature of Manager Tools.
July 24th, 2007 at 10:22 am
$15.00 / month…..PEANUTS! (A bargain indeed!)
Your generosity is astounding!!!
July 24th, 2007 at 11:22 am
Thank you all for the encouraging words … very much appreciated!
Javier, you’ll be able to pay via PayPal or most credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express).
best regards,
Mike
July 24th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
I can’t wait! Session notes will be great since I am usually not able to take notes when I am listening. I am not sure of the details yet, but I will sign up blind…
Thanks for all of your hard work. I hope this pans out so that you can spend even more of your time on helping folks inn this forum.
Like many of the MT community, you two have forever changed my professional life in ways that are hard for non MT folks to understand.
See you at the conference in September.
Sincerely,
Mike Hansen
July 24th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
Allie and all-
Glad we’re on the right track! Premium Content samples later today.
Mark
July 24th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
I agree with Mike Hansen, I’d go in blind.
-Jake
July 24th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
Jake-
Thanks for the encouragement!
Mark
July 24th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Will the premium content cover all the prior podcasts at some point or only cover future podcasts?
Thanks M & M,
Al
July 24th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
A little birdie says that question will be answered tomorrow!
Kate
July 24th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Kate,
I’ve missed a bunch of the last several months on MT
. Just now “reemerging”. 
Will there be a special podcast tomorrow or simply a posting on the MT site?
Thanks,
Al
July 24th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Carl-
You’re too kind. Glad you’re excited… so are we!
Mark
July 24th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
Mark, what *time* tomorrow will you be posting the contents of Premium content.
(Sorry, couldn’t resist).
I agree with the other posters that I’m in blind at double the price. You guys rock.
July 24th, 2007 at 10:39 pm
I’m anxiously poised by the PayPal “send payment” button. I have an important interview on Monday and only wish the content were available now. Being able to see the “interviewing series” page without the ability to access content only teased me more. Count me in. You guys are…truly…changing the world. Thanks from all of us. Jim
July 24th, 2007 at 11:11 pm
I, too, am all-in, blind! Congrats Mark and Mike for getting here, can’t wait to see it!
July 24th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
Sign me up!
I can’t wait to see the Premium content.
Thanks for all that you have taught me - so far
A
July 24th, 2007 at 11:57 pm
Can’t wait to sign up!
I agree, I would pay $15/month for what we already have. Though, I am glad to see it will still be free as I recommend the site to EVERYONE. While it would not be business mindful of me to say I am in blind, I can’t wait to see the premium content descriptions as I know I will be blown away! This is great, I will be getting one month of premium content followed by a trip to the MT Conference in September; I am sure that is better training than most managers get in their entire career.
THANKS!
Mark
July 25th, 2007 at 12:51 am
That’s the news I’ve been waiting for all summer! I can’t wait to see what’s in store tomorrow. The free content has already done wonders for my work relationships; I’m excited to see what else is in store. Thanks guys!
July 25th, 2007 at 1:09 am
Don’t want to be a spoiler but I may have accidentally stumbled on the free content…. and it’s something we’ve been craving for a long time
July 25th, 2007 at 1:27 am
Yes … several folks have (my fault entirely). Thanks for not being a (public) spoiler!
Mike
July 25th, 2007 at 8:24 am
hi,
today IS tomorrow (at least in europe).
Where is the sample, can wait longer
;-)
vadim
July 25th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
Mark - Michael - am hugely grateful for your hard work and for all that I’ve learned from you - I’ll be signing up for the 15 bucks - great value. Hoping there will be an MT conference in Europe before long.
July 25th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Anyone,
I am trying to get my mentor at work hooked on MT. I really want to make a CD of the podcast where Mark talks about the shamoo example. Which podcast is that?
July 25th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
Looking forward to it, guys. Like it was said before, it’s almost like I owe you $15 a month for the past year. Busily banging on the paypal button….
July 26th, 2007 at 10:05 am
Quentin-
What shampoo example? The only one I can think of is “Lather. Rinse. Repeat.”…and I have no idea which cast it was in.
More details?
Mark
July 26th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
Sorry, sorry
The example about the use of Only positive feedback in how they trained the killer whale at Sea World. Basically, the fish and the pole and how the whale learns to swim over the pole to get the fish. Eventually learning to jump out of the water.
I wanted to tell him the story, but Mark tells it better I think.
July 26th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
(LOL!) I think y’all mean SHAMU.
July 26th, 2007 at 7:12 pm
LOL! Allie’s right.
I will look around for the Shamu story.
Mark
July 29th, 2007 at 8:41 am
At last guys; fantastic…sign me up.