Hi Terry,
Thanks for the feedback.
I'm not sure how I have restricted Newbies in any way which would effect you. Newbies no longer see Layouts & Design, Logo Design, Sales, Marketing & Pricing or Tips and Tricks. Other than that their view has not changed. The new Merchant Directory is a work in progress and front page advertising will help members and visitors find it once we get to adding that. Your name and your products now show up when searched which was not the case under the old setup. And you are free to post or bump merchant announcements to increase your exposure.
It will bring you more exposure to the more than 2000 unique members and visitors that come to Signs 101 everyday. But whether or not enough of them click on your website more than once I cannot address except to say that if you are experiencing better results with other advertising, then it would be reasonable for you to spend them where you get the best return on your advertising dollar.
My view is that the value of your software is perceived by only a very small percentage of our traffic. I don't see where having a small banner in our footers in the midst of several dozen others serves you better than being findable at Signs 101 and having a better presentation of what you have to offer shown to those who view it. I would also point out to you that many people in the industry are experiencing a hard time financially. My clipart business is less than half of what it was six months ago. Some of our customers are telling us that they have never experienced anything like the current conditions with no one calling or coming in for days at a time. Everyone is tightening their belts because business is bad.
Your subscription expires on July 28th. I hope by then you may feel better about the changes we are introducing. Whether you decide to stay or leave, I wish you the best going into the future.
Fred