Originally Posted by slpollett From SM's business standpoint, there needs to be SOMETHING people want in the higher price level to justify moving to it so I understand that I can't have everything I wanted.

So I guess these features aren't enough to set Pro apart from Portfolio?

Allow clients to pick and choose Favorites.
Add Thank You Prints, branded stickers and your logo in the shopping cart.
Create custom coupons for promotions.
Create custom single and multi-image packages.
Boutique Packaging.
Personal Delivery.
Event marketing tools.

The new Portfolio level comes pretty darned close though.

Sorry, no. With a single price list option it's not close enough, it's just a bad joke.

Well, "I" don't use those other features you listed and I 'probably' won't need to implement them any time soon so I ignored them. The only feature(s) in the Business level that "I" want is either the ability to have more than one pricelist or lacking that, the ability to offer a discount. For me, that is the one (OK, two features but I only need/want one of them) thing that even gets me thinking about Business level. With just either one of these, Portfolio would be perfect for me. As is, it is just 'nearly perfect.'

The items that 'really' matter to me (set prices, sell for a profit, watermarks, printmarks, proof delay, pro lab) are now present in Portfolio. I am pleased with this change. Nothing in life is ever perfect though, including this, sooo.....I just need to decide if the ability to offer a discount to other band parents is worth the extra price to upgrade to Business. For me, the answer is probably 'no'. Band parents will just have to pay the same as everyone else once I renew in January. I hate that for them, but don't really get enough sales from them to cover the additional cost.

I know everyone has different wants and needs, but this is how it is for me. I was so disappointed in the disparity between Portfolio and Business after the price change (plus the price hike is rather severe). I was seriously looking elsewhere, but now will stay put. I feel like SM listened to what their customers had to say and then added in the most requested or most important features. No, we didn't get everything we wanted, but we got most of it. It's just hard for me to complain about the one thing we didn't get. I'd like to have the option for a second price list, but I'm thrilled to get what we got and I can probably live without what we didn't get. Perfect? No, but still satisfactory.

Just my $.02.

Sherry

Originally Posted by slpollett All in all, it isn't a bad trade-off. From SM's business standpoint, there needs to be SOMETHING people want in the higher price level to justify moving to it so I understand that I can't have everything I wanted. Sherry

Really? I'm supposed to pay $150 more to be able to have multiple pricelists?

Didn't we just go through the hassle of converting our pricelists to the new system? A new system that's supposed to make life easier for you and for us? A new system that will allow new great things to come to all? A new system that makes it more apparent to some of us that some pricelists should be merged?

If SM didn't update the pricelists to the new system, we'd still be able to customize all of our galleries to a unique pricelist if we wanted. So, why is SmugMug trying to confine us to one pricelist at the Portfolio level?

Great first effort SM in modifying the PRO (Portfolio) features but it definitely needs unlimited pricelists.

As for the PRO (Business) level... it needs more features to entice us to upgrade (at least for me, since there's nothing else there I really care about since I don't use them at the moment).

How about:

• more gallery levels
• less CSS custom code involvement
• automatic time sensitive galleries with various functions (new password or higher prices, etc.)
• galleries searchable to only those that visit my site (that is not a SmugIsland)
• searchable unlisted and password protected galleries
• category and sub-category descriptions (as easy as editing a gallery description)
• custom rights management for licensing photos
• more products to sell
• and a greater discount on prints and products, etc.

Worth elaborating on:

• Why can't SM take 10% or less from the PRO (Business) tier and 15% from the PRO (Portfolio) tier?

That, in and of itself, would be great and the only selling point worth mentioning to some of us. All other features would just be gravy and something to tinker with. Chances are it would increase the number of people upgrading as people would be looking at the possibility of the bottom line (more profit) and not what the reality may actually be.

So, how about it? Come on SmugMug, what are you waiting for? Give us some real hope of increasing the money in our pockets before they get pick-pocketed by the current administrations (National, State and Local). Give us a PRO (Portfolio) tier with unlimited pricelists and give us a PRO (Business) tier with more features and a smaller commission for SM.

Originally Posted by Pure Energy So, how about it? Come on SmugMug, what are you waiting for? Give us some real hope of increasing the money in our pockets before they get pick-pocketed by the current administrations (National, State and Local). Give us a PRO (Portfolio) tier with unlimited pricelists and give us a PRO (Business) tier with more features and a smaller commission for SM.

The $120 Zenfolio account (Premium, $120/yr) is 12% for orders they fulfill, 8% for digital fulfillment and 4% for self-fulfilled orders (an often asked for feature here). Even better, if you opt for the highest account level (Premium Business, $250/yr) they take 0% commission on self-fulfilled orders.

Some other simple features that they have implemented that have been requested here for a long time...

Upload PDF files and link to them from your site menu
E-mail Shopping Cart to photographer or friend
Printing of nicely formatted pricelists
Control the order of products presented to clients

Originally Posted by Pure Energy Really? I'm supposed to pay $150 more to be able to have multiple pricelists?

I'm struggling to understand how someone who doesn't sell enough photos in a year to justify the extra $150 needs multiple pricelists. Why not just have your one list for your pro work, and then sell at-cost to your friends and family?

Originally Posted by jmphotocraft I'm struggling to understand how someone who doesn't sell enough photos in a year to justify the extra $150 needs multiple pricelists. Why not just have your one list for your pro work, and then sell at-cost to your friends and family?

Plus you can add as many customized Paypal buttons and Google Checkout buttons as you need to the Portfolio level account.

Originally Posted by McQ I hope that SM's level and standards of communication improve in the near future.

I've been on the hunt for someone we can dedicate to dgrin and some other photography forums and I think....Baldy knocks very hard on wood....we're close.

The thing is we're looking for someone quite technical because the complexity of the questions being asked is deeper each year. And they have to work at our HQ because they need to have face-to-face with engineers & QA. And they need to know SmugMug cold and have been a working, successful photographer. And a nice person who can take a punch.

Where does one find so mythical a person? If you know someone who would fit the bill, let us know because we're close to making an offer.

It's harder now for Don and I to post as often as we used to because of the size of our customer base and the other channels we work like facebook, Google+, Twitter, our help desk, yada. We won't go away, but all of us will be helped if the person we hire is really on it.

Originally Posted by Baldy Where does one find so mythical a person? If you know someone who would fit the bill, let us know because we're close to making an offer.

I assume Art Scott already declined the offer?

Dave

Originally Posted by pilotdave I assume Art Scott already declined the offer? Dave

Originally Posted by Baldy I've been on the hunt for someone we can dedicate to dgrin and some other photography forums and I think....Baldy knocks very hard on wood....we're close. The thing is we're looking for someone quite technical because the complexity of the questions being asked is deeper each year. And they have to work at our HQ because they need to have face-to-face with engineers & QA. And they need to know SmugMug cold and have been a working, successful photographer. And a nice person who can take a punch. Where does one find so mythical a person? If you know someone who would fit the bill, let us know because we're close to making an offer. It's harder now for Don and I to post as often as we used to because of the size of our customer base and the other channels we work like facebook, Google+, Twitter, our help desk, yada. We won't go away, but all of us will be helped if the person we hire is really on it.

Great news, lookig forward to meeting this new person and wish them all the best!


Caolne

Originally Posted by pilotdave I assume Art Scott already declined the offer? Dave

I can think of one person who'd be perfect for the job, but he just left SM.

Originally Posted by pilotdave I assume Art Scott already declined the offer? Dave

... ... ... ... ... ... ...Nope never even crossed my mind and I saw the posting within 1 minute of it being posted... ... ... ... ... ... I am doing what I love and so I am extremely happy.

Originally Posted by Baldy I've been on the hunt for someone we can dedicate to dgrin and some other photography forums and I think....Baldy knocks very hard on wood....we're close. The thing is we're looking for someone quite technical because the complexity of the questions being asked is deeper each year. And they have to work at our HQ because they need to have face-to-face with engineers & QA. And they need to know SmugMug cold and have been a working, successful photographer. And a nice person who can take a punch. Where does one find so mythical a person? If you know someone who would fit the bill, let us know because we're close to making an offer. It's harder now for Don and I to post as often as we used to because of the size of our customer base and the other channels we work like facebook, Google+, Twitter, our help desk, yada. We won't go away, but all of us will be helped if the person we hire is really on it.

Wouldn't that be Andy-I-don't-work-for-Smugmug?

Originally Posted by MarkR Wouldn't that be Andy-I-don't-work-for-Smugmug?

No, his name is Andy-I'm-Sorry-I-don't-work-for-Smugmug-Anymore.

And if that's the kind of communicator Baldy is looking for...