Offer a temporary discount for existing members?

#1

I’ve found that one of the top reasons for members leaving my site is that they are trying to save money. A friend who does membership administration for another online community suggested offering a temporary discount to people who request cancellation. For example, my site is $14 per month, and I’d like to offer people who are quitting 3 months for just $5. This offer doesn’t have to be automated, but I would like the price adjustment to go back after the stated period. Does S2Member give me the ability to adjust someone’s monthly charge for a specific amount of time and then have it change back automatically after the 3 month period?

#2

Yes. When creating your button or Pro form shortcode, just choose the option to “offer the first … @ …” to take care of this 3-month period, and then set the regular price for the rest of the period.

#3

Hi Tim, I’m aware that I can offer a free or discounted trial, but I’m
asking something slightly different: A member who has already done the
discounted trial and has transitioned to the full price. After a few months
they ask to leave because it’s too expensive. Can I offer them a retention
bonus of say, 3 months for $5 without them having to cancel/sign up again?

#4

Yes, just use a Billing Modification button/form with the trial option.

#5

Would there be any way for me to make this change on a members behalf? Like when they email me to cancel, and I offer them 3 months for $5 and they say yes, how can I just go in and make the change for them? I have had some members successfully log in to fill out the billing modification form, so the 3 months for $5 is listed as a plan in my Stripe account. However, when I tried changing someone manually over to it it just kept billing them at the normal monthly rate of $5 (I think because it saw that they were out of trial). So, how can I make this billing change on a users behalf?

#6

You can’t do it. You don’t have authority to change someone else’s credit card bills.

#7

I respectfully disagree. Companies do this all the time. Like when you call customer support and they modify their billing for you. If I am emailing with an individual customer and offer them a billing discount and they say OK, I think I should be able to make that change on their behalf.

#8

You can disagree all you like. But answer me these two questions:

  1. When did you obtain your customers’ written authorization to do this?
  2. Have you arranged for this facility with the payment processor or credit card companies?

The companies to which you refer have done these things. You haven’t. Big difference.

#9

Tim, when my customer says via email or chat something along the lines of… “yes, I’d like to update my billing to the plan you have offered- can you change that for me?”. Stripe easily allows me to change the plan that someone is on or cancel their billing all together.