This is me visualizing how to present the idea of paid vendors to our current vendors. I think this will be implemented after we rebrand the website if that gets implemented. If we don't do that, we will simply contact the vendors soon.
Please let me know what should be added or changed. This is mostly for @Malcolm and @Mr. Nobody to worry about.
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Vendor name,
I am reaching out to all of the vendors on Tacoma3G.com to inform you of some plans for the future of the website and some changes to our vendor program.
The website is growing steadily and we have recently made the decision to expand even further into the Toyota 4x4 industry. This decision is a discussion in itself and if you would like to read more into how we are going to execute that expansion, you may do so in this thread: https://tacoma3g.com/expanding/
With that being said, we are expecting even more traffic to the website since we will be open to owners of all Toyota 4x4 vehicles under a new, fitting name. Between the current stable growth of the website and the expected influx of new members, I need to upgrade our server. I will be upgrading from an affordable shared hosting plan to a virtual private server (VPS), which is costly in comparison, but necessary.
In regards to you as a vendor, the vendor program is also going to see some substantial changes. To be honest, I have never liked the current vendor program because it is kind of messy. If you don't remember how it is supposed to work, you can still read that version here: https://tacoma3g.com/vendorpg/
The main problem with that system is vendor inactivity. The system attempts to manage vendors going inactive, but it never works out that way. There are also some decent perks to the higher tier, but they feel almost ignored or forgotten.
I think there is a solution to this: paid and free vendor tiers. Believe it or not, some vendors have actually been surprised that we do not charge vendors and have mentioned that for the customers they have gained from T3G, we should.
After a discussion with Malcolm and Andy (whom you might be familiar with), I agree that we should move to a paid and free system. I think it will ultimately benefit everyone, to include covering some of the server costs, which then helps me make the website even better, which then puts your brand in the eyes of more people in the community.
This is how we are going to implement the new system:
A paid vendor will be the Onyx tier vendor that most vendors currently are. It will cost $5,000,000 a month. It will include:
Thinking into the future, something else I would like to implement is an actual affiliate program. However, the affiliate program is a bit more complicated and I won't be able to start focusing on that until later in the year. And if there is demand for it, there could also be a more expensive vendor tier that has better perks to really get your brand promoted. That would depend on interest.
I hope these changes are something you guys understand and are willing to work with. I really appreciate you being present in the community in the first place and the last thing I would want is for you to think of this as an insult or cash grab. I honestly just want the community and the systems that run it to be as squared away as they can be.
When you have made your decision on which of the two new vendor options you would like to go to, you can reply via email or message me on the forum and I will get your account sorted accordingly.
Thank you,
Tyler
T3G Lead
[email protected]
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We need to agree on a realistic monthly amount. I'm thinking $10.
Please let me know what should be added or changed. This is mostly for @Malcolm and @Mr. Nobody to worry about.
----------
Vendor name,
I am reaching out to all of the vendors on Tacoma3G.com to inform you of some plans for the future of the website and some changes to our vendor program.
The website is growing steadily and we have recently made the decision to expand even further into the Toyota 4x4 industry. This decision is a discussion in itself and if you would like to read more into how we are going to execute that expansion, you may do so in this thread: https://tacoma3g.com/expanding/
With that being said, we are expecting even more traffic to the website since we will be open to owners of all Toyota 4x4 vehicles under a new, fitting name. Between the current stable growth of the website and the expected influx of new members, I need to upgrade our server. I will be upgrading from an affordable shared hosting plan to a virtual private server (VPS), which is costly in comparison, but necessary.
In regards to you as a vendor, the vendor program is also going to see some substantial changes. To be honest, I have never liked the current vendor program because it is kind of messy. If you don't remember how it is supposed to work, you can still read that version here: https://tacoma3g.com/vendorpg/
The main problem with that system is vendor inactivity. The system attempts to manage vendors going inactive, but it never works out that way. There are also some decent perks to the higher tier, but they feel almost ignored or forgotten.
I think there is a solution to this: paid and free vendor tiers. Believe it or not, some vendors have actually been surprised that we do not charge vendors and have mentioned that for the customers they have gained from T3G, we should.
After a discussion with Malcolm and Andy (whom you might be familiar with), I agree that we should move to a paid and free system. I think it will ultimately benefit everyone, to include covering some of the server costs, which then helps me make the website even better, which then puts your brand in the eyes of more people in the community.
This is how we are going to implement the new system:
A paid vendor will be the Onyx tier vendor that most vendors currently are. It will cost $5,000,000 a month. It will include:
- Your own forum where you may advertise your products. The description of your forum will have a link to your website and one to two sentences about your brand.
- You will be listed as a vendor in the vendor drop-down tab at the very top of the website. This will have a link to your forum.
- You will have a bold green username, a vendor badge in your posts, and the URL to your website will display below your name.
- The authorization to advertise your product in our generic vendor forum.
- A vendor badge in your posts.
Thinking into the future, something else I would like to implement is an actual affiliate program. However, the affiliate program is a bit more complicated and I won't be able to start focusing on that until later in the year. And if there is demand for it, there could also be a more expensive vendor tier that has better perks to really get your brand promoted. That would depend on interest.
I hope these changes are something you guys understand and are willing to work with. I really appreciate you being present in the community in the first place and the last thing I would want is for you to think of this as an insult or cash grab. I honestly just want the community and the systems that run it to be as squared away as they can be.
When you have made your decision on which of the two new vendor options you would like to go to, you can reply via email or message me on the forum and I will get your account sorted accordingly.
Thank you,
Tyler
T3G Lead
[email protected]
----------
We need to agree on a realistic monthly amount. I'm thinking $10.
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