In this episode, I give you a transparent, behind-the-scenes look at a major shift at Membership Academy. I explain why I chose to discontinue our lowest-priced membership tier.

I dive into the challenges, member feedback, and business data that led to this decision. You’ll hear what we learned, the impact on our community and sales, and how simplifying our offerings benefits both our members and our business going forward.

If you’re weighing multiple membership tiers or rethinking your pricing strategy, this episode will guide you through the lessons we learned.

In this episode:

• What prompted our move to a two-tier membership strategy at Membership Academy, and what those tiers included
• What challenges and downsides the lower-priced tier created for both the business and members
• How multiple tiers influenced member retention, sales performance, and customer experience over time
• Why I decided to return to a single-tier membership and how I communicated the transition to existing members

Key Quotes & Takeaways:

“They join on the lesser membership tier so they don't get all the great things that will ensure that they are as successful as they can be. And then they look at their membership and say, oh, well, I haven't had the success I wanted, so why would I upgrade?”

“As the membership industry, and indeed the online education industry, changes and evolves, with the proliferation of AI, with the shift away from search engines to answer engines that are powered by AI, as all these new challenges face us coming into the next five, ten years and beyond, then memberships are going to need an entirely different level, an entirely different kind of support.”

“But what it's done is it's created that clarity, it's removed that friction, it's taking confusion out of the joining process because a confused mind doesn't buy.”

“Making that pivot, making that change has been a big decision, but a one that I'm extremely confident is the right one for where we want to take the academy going forward.”

You might also find useful:

• The Hidden Costs of Legacy Pricing (And What to Do About It)
• Inside Look: Pivoting the Membership Academy
• 11 Signs That it's Time to Increase the Price of Your Membership
• How Perceived Value Impacts Your Membership Pricing Strategy

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