Sprout Builders Comments On Pricing

Thank you for responding to the overwhelming questions and comments from me as well as of many users who are, and were concerned with the pricing schedule you had published in the original email. You will note that your current email statement that was received today 1/27/09 is in bold and my thoughts on this new schedule of pricing is below each section.

We have been listening to our users and made some adjustments to our pricing model, in particular raising our # of projects. So now the entry level for our existing users will be $13/month for 5 projects ($2.60 per project). Our entry for new users is $19/month for 5 projects ($3.80 per project).

Ok, $13 a month? Is that for the one year or is it for life? I assume you meant it for the year as a thank you for your testers. Either way, I think we are listening to a separate group of users. The way this price would make somewhat sense to me would be charge the rate on actual products being sold and used. Mock ups excluded. Even then, it would only make sense to me if I could cancel a sprout when the client or myself is done with it. Like a trade in program. That is if I am in the business of selling.

Question: What about the personal users? At $13 a month that is $156 a year. I could not and would not pay this amount for something I do not have complete control over (meaning use it or not; change it or leave it, size, links etc). Again we are talking about a piece of promotional space. My main site is $105 per year with damn near unlimited bandwidth and all the creative control I want.

Question: Why would I pay more for the limited punchy splash ads than I do for my entire site?

Let’s also look at the designer who can sell this: Ok, I have 5 sprouts. Two are going to be a part of the design and will stay with the client’s page for a long duration of time. The other 3 are going to be used by clients who have specials coming up in the next month or so. After that they are yanked and looking for a new home. Will I be limited to the size it was originally created? What about the bandwidth. If this a promotional product I want it everywhere; which by the way this product is designed to do; it goes to 100 more sites for display and promotion.

Question: What happens when your bandwidth is reached? Are we cut off? Charged extra?

My Statement: This also means that I have to keep a monthly tab going to the client for the entire life of that project. I can no longer sell as part of the design package. Which limits me as a seller and costs me more in time and effort to keep books on monthly payment.

Question: What happen if the client defaults? Ok, dumb question – I pull it, I know. Please refer back to the previous paragraphs and questions.

If you purchase an annual license the price per sprout projects drops to $2.16 per project for existing users and $3.16 per project per month.

True, that is if I use all 5 – right. The total still would still be $129.60. Again what I have been hearing from you general audience myself included this would be a fair rate of return if it was a high number or unlimited Sprouts that could be created and used.

For a software as a service model that provides you with a platform we have built for 3 years, we think this makes sense. We have never put ads on our product and this is our way to continue providing a professional grade product that is not hampered by ads.

Not true: Every non-pro account has your name pasted at the bottom of each sprout and it is encouraged to be spread (again that is what it is designed to do). Unless I need to re-educate myself with marketing that is considered advertising.

Please tell me what you think and feel free to email to directly at carnet at sprout domain name.

It may be that I am wrong in my train of thought and if so except my apologies. I can only speak for myself in this, so it is my opinion that your product is still over priced for the market. That market being the home/personal user and the small business user. Again it’s only an opinion.

I just tried posting this on their forum and it appears they now have the moderation screen turned on. They need to approve your posts now before leting the world see it. -hummm.

SPROUT BUILDER NOT FREE ANY MORE - CALL THE DOCTOR! IT'S DYING!

I am sorry to say that I introduced you to Sprout Builder, not because it's a bad program but because the marketing team has gone completely mad. They will start to charge for this service in February which I understood and was expecting- no problem right? Well hold on to your wallets folks! While it is a neat little program with limited use (no coding, framing or customizations that are not built into the sprout model just to name a few); it is no way, good enough to hit the rate they are asking.

Plans start at $599.50 a year for 4-7 builds. For folks already on sprout they have granted us 1 year for $139.50 for up to 3 - Thanks. LINK

I like many was completely shocked for their pricing schedule. While it is a neat tool for quick ups and outs there are still more free based products out there to compete. It was nice while it lasted, but even a large company would have to look at this and Say: "What the @$@@!"

For the small business, a person on the forum gave a good argument. He wants to be able to sell this - right. He does a mock up, shows the product and sells it. Now all well and fine. I pay $600 a year and I can only pitch my product to 7 people?

What if I want to show the client 3 samples of what I can do for them?

Crap now I'm down to 2 sales now. Oh, wait I could use those other 2 to sell to someone else. Man, I hope they want the same size as what I got.

I can see it now:

"No, sorry it has to be this size."
"Please, I really need it to fit in right here"
"Well ok, I guess I could do another one, but that's going to cost ya an extra $1000."
"Are you sure you don't want this $130 one?"

I say this all in fun, but image - it could happen.

I could go to the $3000 a year price and pitch it to 30 people. Hey now I'm down to only $100 per sprout sale. I don't know about you, but this was a tool for quick ins and outs, to be sold with a design for promotion. The key word here is Promotion not my main site.

How many sites could I pump out for that kind of money at my cost? Quite a lot and I own the programs, web space and files. I could also incorporate any type of files I want! Wow!

I would think a flat rate of $50 to $100 a year with unlimited use would encourage me to stick with it. One of their arguments is a super high bandwidth that will be pulled from their server. Fine let me build it, download it and host it on mine. Hell, I'm already paying for bandwidth usage. There problem solved.

They are boosting 99% up time. I do not recall the last time my site was down other than a scheduled move last year that I was notified about 2 months before hand.

I would even go with the bannered widget that promotes Sprout as a freebie. I'm not 100$ sure on this but it looks like now you have to go to the $3000 level before they remove it from existing ones.

Needless to say I will not be going with them as they turn from beta to the major market world. I also expect the large majority of builders now to abandon ship as well.

I have sent emails to them as well as posted on their forums. There has not been one word issued from Sprout so far and I was in a class of 37 post as of tonight. Crickets are chirping as feet are walking.

I will link to the other free sites at a later date.

Bye Sprout builder, Sorry everyone who just came on board.