I need an autoresponder. That's the first statement I was confronted with as I began my daily research into the online business scene. I needed an autoresponder, and it was unlikely I would succeed in business without one. Ok then, Let's go get one mI told myself. I began to dial in my research. I was met with an array of choices, each offering up a tasty tidbit the others didn't have. One thing most of them had were free trials. At least seemingly free trials, which I was about to find out.
Not Everything is as it Seems
So I began to narrow my research. Some companies offered free trials, others did not. Out of the ones that did offer free trials, most were a standard thirty days, although a few had ridiculously short trial times. I think I'm gonna need more than three days to check out your product Bub! So I sifted through the sites that had piled up, and I pared my list down. Now I had four or five solid choices. Time to really dissect the information and find the best offer I could. I dialed it down to two. One had a standard thirty day trial. But the other one product seemed to shine above the others. So, I decided to go with them, a company called Constant Contact.
I signed up for an account and went through the process. The same process I had gone through countless times in the last few weeks. Name, address, rank and serial number. Those of you who already have an online business know the drill. I began answering questions and giving out my information. As per the drill I saved my personal information, and a company profile. I couldn't wait, this was surely my ticket to financial healing.
I finished setting up my account, and verifying my email address. I then began to build my profile and customize my page. The first template I crafted was for an automated process called an autoresponder. This handy dandy tool routes your emails while saving the information to a list and then generating a reply email welcoming the subscriber to the list. There are other tasks automation could accomplish, but this was the one I was most interested in. Ok cool, I finished the template and set about to start my email collecting.
And BAM!!! My screen suddenly pops up with the message "Your mailing privileges have been suspended. Contact our support team before setting a campaign". Great, I thought. Though this wasn't the first time this had happened. It wasn't even the second! I have had a total of four new accounts suspended within the last two weeks!! This was beginning to get more and more complex. Nobody mentioned any of this in the videos. All they said was to log in, set up an account, and start pulling in 50Gs a month!
Things Began to Move Further South
I wasn't even mad about the whole thing either. Just resigned to the fact that we have entered a new age of information. An age where computer programs control what we do online, and eventually, in real life. This is the Skynet we've been warned about. So, I contacted customer support, which was honestly very simple. I was able to get right through and explain my problem, and get an actual caring human being on the other end of the line.
I was offered an apology, and told there was no reason my account should be flagged. The young man then asked me what I was trying to accomplish for my business. I explained that I was setting up an autoresponder to build my email list, and thus, my business. That's when the stark reality of the seemingly generous free trial was brought to life. The function I needed was only available with one of their premium plans. In fact, only on their standard plan, and up.
There it was. The hook. The extremely generous "Free Trial", and "Lite" plans were basically worthless to me. As I explained my situation, the associate I was talking to began to see his commission slip away. He countered by throwing out a new deal, one which, even though it was just for one month, was still a good price. I passed on his offer, and he threw out a new one, being even slightly cheaper. Still I passed as I'm not quite committed to investing in the business yet, and if I do, I want to investigate my options a little more thoroughly.
The Growing Pains of a Bouncing Baby Business
So, for my fellow travelers who are on the same trail, struggling to start an online business, or find a side hustle, this is an invaluable tool if you are looking to start an email list. Just be prepared, and realize that this is going to take considerable time to set up, with the possibility of several pitfalls along the way. Make sure you are prepared to spend at least $35 a month for this service. But wait, there's more! I also found out that in order to run most autoresponders, you need a mail service as well as a few other platforms.
If you are still determined to set up an autoresponder make sure you do due diligence on your research. Be prepared to commit to several subscriptions such as a domain and web hosting. If you have successfully set up your own autoresponder, or if you're on the same thick, overgrown path as I am, comment below and tell us about your experience.
~Kakes
#WorkFromHome #WFH
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