How to help newbies financially?

Yeah....but I just turned over a shopper that I paid to get into the store.....whether it be from a classified ad...Xstreet ad....or group. It cost me money or effort to get that person into the store in the first place....now I'm turning them over to someone else.

I don't see that balance at all.

Sling. I know that the reason you started the thread, and what is being discussed now, are different. The thread has evolved. We aren't now discussing how to help newbies. We are discussing how to help people and help our businesses at the same time.

I know you started the thread and that we're now using it for something a little different, but it's not really derailed - it's evolved but it's in the same vein. If you are really against us pressing on with this idea in a thread that you started for something a little different, we can start another thread for it if that's what you prefer.

We all know, and agree, that the system we're dicsussing can, and no doubt will, be used by some people solely for traffic. We know that. But we don't think that it's a good reason not to use the system at all. The system already exists, and it can be used for traffic right now. Pointing it out over and over isn't going to prevent it. *We* in this discussion have no intention of using it for traffic. For our use of it, it's a win-win all round and it would be exactly the same if traffic didn't exist.

I agree with what Mickey said. Plus the prioritising idea could be done, but I think is overcomplicating it. I'd be happy with a system that I outlined above - where someone starting at my place would get to choose whether to earn the money there or at another place. That way, any customers that I turn over are able to decide whether or not my place is somewhere they want to look round - they can choose to stay at my place for the money if it looks interesting to them. I'd be content with that.

I don't mind giving the creator the cut. I did purchase the cone for 500L, though.

In order for me to continue to use it....part of the work falls on the creator to continue to promote it....and to get more of them into place....to make it effective. They are giving me a network. Sending me people from other locations. You can't do this for nothing. Once I put it into place....I don't have to worry about the network....that responsibility falls on them....and I don't mind paying a tad not to have to deal with it.

If they slack on that....and the cones don't stay in place....then I won't get visitors.....and will lift it, as will others.....then the effectiveness decreases....so the creator has a job and responsibility on this....they need to get paid for that.

Speaking of the "ambiance".....no, the Cone shape doesn't look great in the middle of my High Brow store - LOL Qie! Maybe I should put a pool of water next to it, with a camper mopping the floor.....it's simply a warning cone that the roof is leaking. Oh wait....I don't have a roof. Deception!!!

Here's a tid-bit.....none of the people mine paid out are Newcomers. None of them appear to be alt campers. They all have very complete profiles with personality and suggest SL immersion. That's cool.

But here's something that I did several times which was much more effective....see if you can tweak this into more of a network like the Cone.....and apply it to Newcomers.

For several Fridays....I did cross marketing with some other businesses....to send out a TGIF promotion box. It had a notecard from each business in it.....they weren't all stores...some were venues. Some of the notecards included an "offer"....some were for informational purposes only with a LM.

We all had a copy of the box. We all sent it to our group members. We all set the box up at all our entry points to buy for 0L. All of us pretty much doubled or tripled our traffic and sales from that for 3 days. All of us added new group members because of it. I can look at the other store/venues group lists now....and sure enough they have the same group members as I do, several months later. That promotion was hugely effective.

That was only 6 or 8 store/venues. What if it were 100.

How can you work that type of networking into a simple device.....have it working all week, 24/7.... not just a few days....and gear it toward newcomers. And keep it from being a mad freebie hunt grab and dash style operation. The venue owners involved had no free items to offer...no product....it still worked for them....they got visitors.

And keep it in line with the original topic....helping Newcomers financially.

Yes, you're right there
If it's a genuine shopper who doesn't know what the cone system is, they could just fly out of the place - distracted from the fact that they were just thinking of buying something.

If it's someone arriving just to start following a Cone trail, then it doesn't matter so much.


The obvious question is:

Why does the Cone *have to* perform an immediate payout? It's a design oddity.

Yes, I agree that the creator does need paying for the running of the system. It's just that a third of everying I put in is a huge chunk, and way too much, imo. Rene mentioned that the Hippo person gets 10%. That's much more in keeping with what I consider to be reasonable. Also, in view of the fact that there is a continual collection, I don't see why the cone should cost anything up front. After all, the more cones there are, the more people see them, and the more people start to use them - and tell their friends to use them too.

I don't understand that question. It doesn't pay out until an 11 minute stay has been completed. What it does do immediately is tell the person to go to another place - that's where the 11 minutes, followed by the payout, occurs.

Here's a thought.

If I am "Pointing it out over and over" it's only in response to a slap-down attempt over and over".
Formula:
- Float idea for system.
- We all discuss, and I mention the potential for gaming - in addition to discussing the merits of the idea, as I have clearly done here.
- Leave it like that. Don't start a to-and-fro by trying to slap me down. Just ignore it.

OK. The question is the same.
Why does it *have to* do that. I don't think that it *has to*.
It's a design flaw.

So far, we've all agreed with that. I can't think of a reason why it has to do it that way. Something could come up when writing the system - technical things do become apparent at that time that hadn't occured to us before.

It's a Perception thing with me. One of my shoppers or group members decides to use it. 10 other businesses paid them. I didn't. Looks bad on my part.

Plus...I'm not getting their 11 minutes. Everyone else is. I'm supplying the Value for the others.

Pardon me for having to look at this as a "Value" driven concept. But I don't come in to play as a hobby...(most days).

I would assume as you did....that it was the smallest amount available - 1L - that they could take.

I wouldn't mind paying 5L to 10L for the visitors. I think it would increase the attractiveness of it to a User....and increase the Network. Yeah - that's much more pay off than what campers have been getting.....but geez...it's less than pennies.

But.. If they already know how the system works, there isn't a perception problem.
They know that if they click, they should get a payment 11 minutes later.

So, if the system is fixed so that a payment from a cone can only arise 11 minutes after clicking that cone, the problem goes away.


Add:
They would only get the cue to go somewhere else after the get the payment - which would be 11 minutes after they clicked.

Yes - if that part were fixed.

But the problem of immediately turning over a real customer doesn't go away.

I'm going to fix that problem myself.....and set up an entirely different room for my Cone. The room will be down a long hallway, away from the rest of the store. In the room will be huge billboard type ad boards....and a rack or two of promotional 5L to 10L items....boxed, with LM's inside.

Under all the ad boards will be a TP to that particular room setting. If they get tempted...and TP away from the Cone room, to my product....great. If they buy a few 5L to 10L items - great....they have my product and my LM in their inventory.

The entrance to this long hallway, toward the cone....will not be inviting or tempting from the main store. I'll make an effort to keep it very low key and not noticeable.

You could simply have a phantom wall across the entrance, with a transparent texture on the cone side and an opaque one on the store side.

Good luck with that, btw.

A disadvantage that I see is that it doesn't encourage new people to start using the system, and I think the systems needs more and more people. But then you're working with a less than ideal system.

If it works like this:

1. Person seeing a cone for the first time. They click on it and are told that if they remain in the vicinity for at least 11 minutes, they will get a payment - and an indication of a place to go where they can get another payment for 11 minutes.

2. Person arrives from another cone. The click the cone. 11 minutes - but they know that already.


If there is a customer loss involved, it's due to the presence of the cone distracting them from shopping by introducing the idea of getting payments.
They might have stayed 30 minutes. Now the cone is whispering in their ear.. "Lindenssssssssss, my Preciousssssssss...."

In Fairness to the other network participants....I'm cutting down on contributing to the network....by making it obscure. Although....we're paying the creator to supply us with the network....so maybe I can get over that.

That's why I like the idea of the cross marketing with the TGIF box I mentioned above. That worked because we all very actively promoted it.

You could indeed get over the 'fist-timer' distraction by placing the cone in a special area where realistically, only people coming from other cones will see it.

The problem then is that everybody does that, the Cone system may linger unknown to the majority. And so... much less visitors than would be the case if the cones were highly visible all over the grid.

Add:
And Mickey posted above while I was typing/multi-tasking

That's almost identical to the rough draft that I posted on the previous page. The one difference being that a "starter" would be offered the choice of getting paid here (after 11 mins) or go to another place to get paid (after 11 minutes there).

I'd be content with that because a shopper who clicks the cone, and who has already seen enough of my place, can go to another place. Or the person may decide that my place looks to be worth spending the time in. I'm good with that arrangement. I don't mind sending shoppers away if they've already seen enough, or they don't like the look of my place. They are unlikely to buy anyway, or they've already bought.

Another possibility for a first-time clicker is to ask them if they've finished looking round the place because they can come back and click again when they are ready.

And hey!

[[ This is just good-humoured mischief now, so ignore it. OK? ]]

Hiding the cone so that only cone followers would see it, while other places have it on open view, could be 'gaming' the system.

[[ This is just good-humoured mischief now, so ignore it. OK? ]]

I don't know that the creator is marketing it for users at all, or if it's intended to be self-supporting; i.e. the presence of the cones in various places is the only outreach to new users. I've been assuming that it's self-supporting.

Go to another place??
Are you CRAZY????

I would like to see a LM come out of that Cone and go into their inventory.