
                A Message to a Pay Sysop


I  want to share something with you that I think you will
find  quite interesting. If you are reading this you  are
probably  at  least interested in running a pay  oriented
BBS.  If you already run a pay BBS then you realize  that
the  most  important, and unfortunately  most  difficult,
function of that BBS is to get the user to pay. It gets a
little  easier if they have already paid once  or  twice.
However  the  real  difficulty comes  with  getting  that
caller the pay the very first time.

If I may digress for just a moment, I would like to share
something else with you. In the last twelve years many of
the  billion-dollar enterprises have become so due  to  a
particular group of people and a particular strategy. The
group: people between the age of 12 and 35. The strategy:
low cost, high volume entertainment products. Think about
it.  What is the most successful new product in the  last
12  years? Home entertainment systems, i.e., Nintendo(TM)
and  Sega  Genesis(TM), to name just a couple. Now,  what
was  the  precursor  to the home entertainment  system...
arcade  video games. These alluring  and quite remarkable
machines draw you to them and ask only a quarter  to  see
the rest of what it has in store. Let's say that you come
across  a  video  game  with some  of  the  most  awesome
graphics around and multi-player so you and your buds can
play against one another. You've decided to play, but  in
order  to  you must first mail in a check to the  company
who  own  the video game and keep coming back  until  you
know  that they've received the check at which  time  you
receive a limited amount of time to play. Would you be so
inclined  to pay much attention to that game?  Maybe  so,
now think of everyone else who would read this senerio...
would they? Who knows? The fact of the matter is this, it
would  take  so  long to be able to play that  you  could
quickly  lose interest, or if you have already mailed  in
checks  for your favorite video game, who's to  say  that
you  will  want  to go through to whole process  for  yet
another great new game that you have come across?

If  you  think  about it, this is what your callers  face
each  and  every time they come across a great  new  BBS.
They may like it, and they will easily pay for it, but it
just  takes too much time and trouble to get on-line.  It
may  also  be easier to just stick with the one they  are
already  paying  for  even if it may be  a  long-distance
call.

I  run a BBS and think that I have solved that problem in
much the same way arcade video games entices you to play.
I use a 900 number. This allows the caller to quickly pay
a  small amount of money for a reasonable amount of  time
on-line.  What happens is when a caller connects for  the
first  time  they  get enough time to become  interested.
Once  they are interested in the BBS I give them  my  900
number so they can call and get instant time on-line. The
process is much like paying for an arcade video game! The
process  is  simple. They simply call the 900 number  and
receive  a code. The caller then calls the BBS  back  and
enters that code. He receives instant Membership! I  know
that  they have paid for the code because they could only
get  it  by  calling the 900 number and thereby  charging
their  phone. The 900 number makes a flat charge to their
phone  of $10.00. That gives them $10.00 worth of on-line
time  once  that  code  is  redeemed.  The  response   is
phenomenal! My paid user-ship had gone up nearly 600%  in
just a few months.

  I  am offering BBS Sysops the opportunity to connect  a
900  number to their BBS for just $250.00. It  is  called
The  Connect  900  Service. There are no  hidden  connect
fees.  I  ask  that you call around and ask. Most  people
will  tell you that there is a catch, but there is  none.
For  only $250.00 you can offer your callers the ease and
simplicity of paying for your BBS on the fly.  You  would
effectively remove the time barrier. And, you also reduce
the number of checks and credit card orders to process.

In  conversations with other BBS Sysops running  pay-for-
play  systems we would often get on the topic  of  making
more money with the system or at least making it pay  for
itself.  Usually,  before  the Connect  900  Service  was
available,  we would get on the subject of  instant  pay.
That  would inevitably lead to the discussion  of  credit
card acceptance and then to 900 numbers and would quickly
end   with  sighs  and  groans  about  the  expense   and
complications  of each step. Credit cards  offer  instant
pay,  but,  if you are smart, not instant play.  Fear  of
fraud and misuse generally tend to only shorten the  time
between paying and playing. It still takes awhile.  Also,
some  people,  namely myself, are a bit wary  of  leaving
that  valuable 12 to 14 digit number in the  hands  of  a
stranger. That problem is no more.

