Final Thoughts

The module has been replaced and we have been testing the site over the past few days in earnest – including asking a few of our customers and friends to take a look at the new website and test drive a free trial. One of the issues we are concerned about is being able to provide a quality experience for our mobile users as well as those who read our material on their desktop or laptops. I could use a couple of BlackBerry users to send me an email and volunteer to test both the site and newsletter on their mobile phones. If you would like to volunteer please send me an email: John@SteelMarketUpdate.com

When we brought up our existing website we had (and continue to have) issues with the subscription and renewal process. One of our goals with this site was to make sure we could collect money no matter what and ask questions later should an issue arise. Our existing site made it difficult for expired members to renew (even on the day they expired) and the process was sometimes confusing. We are still tweaking this system as I am not yet 100 percent satisfied that we solved all of our issues.

Our new website will come online between now and the 1st of November.

When we come online one of the first things you might notice is we are changing the pricing of our existing newsletter for new members from $895 for a single membership for one year to $995. Small business and corporate memberships will increase by approximately 10 percent.

For you – our existing members – we will not be implementing our new price structure until January 1, 2014. Existing companies will receive a discount coupon code that they can use on the website when renewing or, you can contact our office: 800-432-3475 and speak with Diana, Brett or John. If by chance an existing company pays the new rate through our website (and does not use the discount coupon) we will refund any overpayment between the time the website comes online and January 1, 2014.

We will have three products when we come live: our Executive Newsletter – which is what we are calling our existing newsletter which you are reading right now. We will also have a Monthly Newsletter which will publish at the beginning of each month and will recap the prior month’s data and discuss keys to watch in the upcoming month. The cost for our Monthly Newsletter will be $300 per year for a single individual. We will also have a Premium Level which essentially will receive our Executive Newsletter with occasional special articles specifically for them. The key to the Premium Level is access to SMU data – such as most of the survey data we collect twice per month (and access to the history). Other economic and steel related data and analysis will also be included.  The Premium Level is anticipated to be focused on those who are data nerds, have forecasting needs or want access to more detail. We do not see this as a mass market product. Pricing for our Premium Level will be $1995 for one person for one year when we first come online.  As we build more data and create more proprietary products we anticipate our pricing will reflect the value of those new products.

At this time – each product is separate from the other and stand on their own. If you would like to receive multiple products you are welcome to purchase them through our new website or contact our office: 800-432-3475.

The new website and newsletter will take a little getting used to. When I was actively selling steel I learned that it was wise to tell a new customer to expect something to go wrong with their first order.  That way, if something did go wrong they took it with a sense of humor. If all went well their expectations were always exceeded. When we make the switch we will do our best to keep you advised as to how to best use our website. The reality is you should expect some bumps and bruises and work through it with us and you should not ultimately be disappointed.

For my SMU teammates – back to work – we still have more long days ahead but there is an end in sight…

For our existing customers I want you to know SMU has been investing our gains from your business to benefit you and not line our pockets. The website is only one of many things we have been working on to increase our value to you and your company.

For those who are not yet associated as members (subscribers) of Steel Market Update we encourage you to do so as quickly as possible.  Our rates will not change until the new website comes online.

As always your business is truly appreciated.