Update News for January 2015

Here is a quick run-down on what you will find in this bulletin:

• • Happy New Year

     

     

  • FAIR NOTICE – Zip Code D-Day

     

     

  • Price Reductions and Changes

     

     

  • Improved Multi-Year Discounts

     

     

  • New Limitations and Conditions For Personal Use

     

     

  • Other Pricing Changes

     

     

  • Term4Sale Agent Edition – DISCONTINUED

     

     

  • Bulk Buying Discounts – Partner Price

     

     

  • Bulk Buying Discounts – Adding To a Standard License

     

     

  • More Proof Agents Don’t Read These Bulletins

     

     

  • ROP Factors – New Data Format

     

     

  • Renewal Premiums Next

     

     

These topics will be dealt with in more detail throughout this bulletin.

Happy New YearWe would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy New Year. Compulife is coming off the best year in our 32 year history and it is our subscribers who are the reason for that success. From all of us here at Compulife, our sincere thanks; our families thank you too.

We know that you are not buying Compulife to contribute to a charity, you are buying our software and services because they make a positive contribution to your bottom line. That means our business relationship is a win-win for us all. With that in mind we hope that 2015 leads to greater mutual success and prosperity.

Have a safe and Happy New Year.

FAIR NOTICE – Zip Code D-DayUnpaid zip codes will be removed from the Compulife customer lists on Saturday, January 10, 2015. Once that purge has been completed, the new zip code list will be posted to our sites.

Zip codes previously used by subscribers, but abandoned because they were not renewed, will become available on a first come, first served basis. This is the time when we encourage subscribers who want to either buy or trade for better zip codes to get involved. Once again, first come, first served. I recommend you email changes that you want, ASAP after January 10th, to:

service@compulife.com

The date and time of your email request will set the date and time if there are two requesting the same code. If you send a request dated before January 10th, we will respond to it on January 12th to confirm if you still want those changes. If someone sent a request on January 10th or 11th, we will take their request over your’s if it was before January 10th. No one gets to jump the starting gun.

Therefore, on January 10th you need to visit the Zip Code Analyzer to see what has become available in your area. Here is a link to the analyzer:

www.term4sale.com/zipcode

If you don’t have a complete list of your current zip codes (following January 10, 2015), send us an email at:

service@compulife.com

and ask for a list of your current zip codes. We’ll email it to you.

Price Reductions and ChangesI should note that in reducing some of our prices, some of the other folks here at Compulife think I am sending the wrong message, that somehow we are having a financial problem. Let me be clear, I have already said that we have just had our best year in the 32 year history of Compulife. The big change is a lowering of the price for our personal use subscription. I am doing it because I believe that will lead to more sales to individual agents, and that is an area where I think we can grow our company substantially. The new price, combined with 3 free zip codes, should be a no-brainer for new agent/subscribers to Compulife.

The old personal use subscription price was $199 per year. That price is being cut to $180 per year (that’s $15 average/month). And don’t forget, that personal use subscription now includes 3 free zip code listings at www.term4sale.com (which would otherwise cost $45) and it also includes a FREE mobile edition of Compulife which will work on your Smart Phone or pad, regardless of the operating system. That’s a great package for only $15 per month.

As a side note, while we do not permit monthly payments (with one exception for our largest bulk buying customers) we are changing prices to better underscore the effective average price per month. You will notice that $180 divides very nicely by 12 giving an average price of $15 per month. All the other changes to prices follow that logic.

Once again, at $15 average per month, it is hard to imagine an agent who thinks our software is not worth it.

But to be clear, I am expecting a growth in the number of individual agents buying our software, to more than make up for the revenue reduction from the lower price. If I have guessed wrong, we might revise that price upward for 2016. With that in mind, you should pay attention to the new pre-paid discounts and the opportunity to save 10% and 20% by paying more than one year at a time. That let’s you lock in this price reduction. I should also note that I see no reason to lower the personal use price further, simply as it was my goal to get that price backed far enough from $200 so it wasn’t perceived as $200. There will be no need to drop it further.

Improved Multi-Year DiscountsWe are now offering deeper discounts for pre-paying more than one year at a time, and a simpler more universal calculation that applies to virtually all our software subscription fees.

NOTE: The discounts will not apply to additional zip codes purchased for www.term4sale.com

The new prepaid discounts are a simple 10% total invoice reduction for those paying 2 years in advance, and 20% of total invoice for 3 years paid in advance.

For a subscriber who elects to pay their subscription for 2 years, they can take 10% off the total price. Here’s how it works for a personal use subscription.:

Two year

•  subscription: $180 X 2 = $360 less 10% is

$324

 (old price was $349; a saving of $25)

A subscriber who elects to pay their subscription for 3 years, can take 20% off the total price. Here’s how it works:

Three year

•  subscription: $180 X 3 = $540 less 20% is

$432

 (old price was $449; a saving of $17)

Invoices that were sent in December, for a February renewal, were modified to the new $180 per year price.

You can retroactively take advantage of the new price if you paid $199 after July 1, 2014. The way you do that is to buy another 12 months by paying the difference between the new 2 year price, and the old one year price of $199. For example, assume that you paid $199 in October 2014 (your current subscription ends October 31, 2015). You can now take the difference between $324 and $199 which is $125. For $125 you can add 12 more months to your subscription. Of course this special offer assumes that you read this bulletin and act to “top up” your current subscription sometime before the March 1st deadline.

And yes, if you want to pay the difference between $432 and $199 (which is $233) you can add 24 months to your current subscription. That’s an average of $116.50 per year or only $9.71 per month.

Most important, those extensions to your subscription INCLUDE your 3 free zip codes which are normally, if you had to buy them, $3.75 per month.

Once again, Compulife will not be offering discounts to pre-pay zip code listings for more than a year. The only zip codes you effectively can get a prepaid discount for, are the three that are free with your software subscription.

New Limitations and Conditions For Personal UseThe personal use software is being modified in two specific ways, to help us cut down on support issues and to make it difficult to use that version on network servers.

First, the “multi-user” login option will no longer be offered in the personal use edition.

Agents who were using that option, and who want to continue to use that option, will need to upgrade to a standard license edition. Of course the standard license edition is more expensive but it you want to upgrade to get the multi-user login we will allow you to do so for FREE for the balance of your current personal use subscription. Further, if you want to add additional time to your current personal use subscription, to preserve that option longer (at personal use prices) you can add up to 3 more years by paying the new personal use fees. Once again, those prices are:

One year

•  personal use subscription

$180

•  ($15 avg/month)

Two year

•  personal use subscription

$324

•  ($13.50 avg/month)

Three year

•  personal use subscription

$432

 ($12 avg/month)

The ability to add further years at these prices will be available for two months following the removal of the option from our software. As most people don’t read these bulletins, personal use subscribers who use the multi-user log in will first become aware that it is not available when we actually take it out of the software. At that point we expect to get a call, and that person will be upgraded for free to a Standard License edition for the balance of the current subscription. We will also advise that up to 3 years can be added at the personal use prices, after which standard license pricing will apply.

The second limitation being imposed on the personal use edition of Compulife will be that it must be run from the C: drive of the computer. Drives other than C: will no longer permit the personal use software to run.

Personal use subscribers will still be able to use the feature in Compulife that allows the program to be copied to a flash drive or memory card, but the program will have to be copied back to the C: drive of a computer in order to function.

If you need to run on something other than a C: drive, you will need to upgrade to a standard license. The FREE upgrade opportunity is available to you as already described, and you can extend that by up to 3 years at personal use prices, as already explained.

The point of all this is to cut down on support issues that generally flow from people using the multi-user login or running the software on a network. If you are currently placing a personal use copy of Compulife on a network, and permitting your non-licensed associates to run it, you will now need to install that personal use edition on each person’s C: drive. It’s completely OK to do that, and it is authorized under the personal use software license agreement. If you have some other reason that requires you to run Compulife on a network, you will need to upgrade to the standard license.

Other Pricing ChangesThe price for a standard license of Compulife is changing from $299 to $300 per year. That gives us a nice average price of $25 per month, which we will begin emphasizing in our website pricing.

While the price is increasing $1 per year for those who pay annually, the new 10% and 20% price discounts for 2 and 3 year purchases are now deeper than before.

One year

•  subscription

$300

•  ($25 avg/month)

Two year

•  subscription

$540

•  ($22.50 avg/month) (old price $549)

 

• personal use subscription

$720

 ($20 avg/month) (old price $749)

The price for the website quote option is being raised to $120 per year ($10 average per month) but the multi-year discounts can actually lower the price:

One year

•  subscription

$120

•  ($10 avg/month)

Two year

•  subscription

$216

•  ($9 avg/month) (old price $200)

Three year

•  subscription

$288

 ($8 avg/month) (old price $300)

To take advantage of the multi-year discount on the website quote option, you will need to pre-pay the basic subscription to Compulife. We want ALL subscription renewals for software coming due at the same time.

NOTE: As before, a subscription to the website quote option is ONLY available to subscribers to the basic Compulife program. The basic minimum price for Compulife is $180 per year, and so the “all in costs” of a personal use subscription and website quotes will now be:

One year

•  subscription

$300

•  ($25 avg/month) (old price $298)

Two year

•  subscription

$540

•  ($22.50 avg/month) (old price $549)

Three year

•  subscription

$720

 ($20 avg/month) (old price $749)

Prices for website quote “options” are being lowered. As noted, you can now take the 10% and 20% discount is you pay 2 or 3 years in advance. The new prices are:

Consumer ID

•  –

$48

•  per year ($4 avg/month) (old price $50)

Health Analyzer

•  –

$72

•  per year ($6 avg/month) (old price $80)

Forms

•  –

$84

 per year ($7 avg/month) (old price $120)

IMPORTANT: You can bring those prices down further by paying 2 or 3 years in advance.

The calculator options (income and retirement) will remain a one time setup fee of $50. You must have the basic quote system for your website in order for those to continue to work.

The internet engine price is being reduced:

One year

•  subscription

$960

•  ($80 avg/month) (old price $995)

Two year

•  subscription

$1,728

•  ($72 avg/month) (old price $1,990)

Three year

•  subscription

$2,304

 ($64 avg/month) (old price $2,985)

NOTE: Prepaid 2 and 3 year discounts are non-refundable. Subscriptions can be transferred to a new licensee, but that is something you have to do yourself. What you charge for the balance of an unused subscription is between you and the person/company you sell your subscription to.

Term4Sale Agent Edition – DISCONTINUEDWe recently increased the price of a Term4Sale agent edition subscription to $99 pear year from $79 per year. After further evaluation, and because we have less than 50 of these left, and because the cost of a personal use edition to Compulife has been reduced, the Term4sale Agent edition is being discontinued. Those who currently have Term4Sale – Agent edition will be upgraded to a personal use subscription for FREE for the balance of their current subscription.

Those wishing to do so can add and extend their subscription up to 3 more years by paying $99 per year for each year being added. Once that extended or current subscription ends, the Term4Sale Agent Edition subscriber will be invoiced for the personal use edition at the new price of $180 per year.

Bulk Buying Discounts – Partner PriceEach personal use subscriber to Compulife is entited to add ONE, and ONE only, personal use sub-user to their license. The cost of the second personal use sublicense will be $120 ($10 avg/month) bringing the total annual cost, for two personal use sub-licenses to $300. This is referred to as “partner” pricing and is superior to attempting to share a standard license between 2 agents.

IMPORTANT: A personal use license (discount) is given to agents who have agreed NOT to provide copies of the software, or quotes from the software, to other agents.

The reason the personal use is better than a Standard License is that both agents get all the benefits of a personal use license, INCLUDING 3 FREE ZIP CODE LISTING – EACH! While a standard license is the same total price, it only provide a total of 3 FREE zip codes, NOT 6.

Personal use editions of Compulife can be loaded on ANY computer that the agent uses, and run from multiple locations by either that agent or their un-licensed support people. So, if you have a secretary, both you and they can have a copy of the software on their computers. And the agent can put it on a laptop which goes anywhere or everywhere, and the computer at home, and the computer at the cottage, etc., etc., etc.

Standard licenses are limited to 5 machine in one location, or 5 computer sharing Compulife on a network. None of those can be at a different location.

If a subscriber needs to buy more than one additional personal use subscription, they must first have a Standard License.

Bulk Buying Discounts – Adding To a Standard LicenseA personal use license can be added to a Standard License for only $120 ($10 average/month).

Once a standard license subscriber has 10 or more sub-licenses, prices for each personal use sub-license drop further:

10 or more

•  total sub-licenses –

$96

•  per year ($8 avg/month)

30 or more

•  total sub-licenses –

$78

•  per year ($6.50 avg/month)

60 or more

•  total sub-licenses –

$60

 per year ($5 avg/month)

And yes, prepaid discounts apply. So if the standard license user want to buy 60 personal use editions, the total price would be $3,000 per year, but if paid 2 or 3 years in advance, those prices drop further. A subscriber who buys 60 personal use sub-licenses, and pays for those 3 years in advance, can see the price drop to an average of $4 per month.

For sub-license purchasers who buy 100 or more, they have the option to pay those licenses on a monthly basis. 100 personal use sub-licenses would be invoiced at $500 per month.

Standard License buyers can also bulk purchase additional standard licenses. The prices to add one additional sub-license will be $210 (17.50 avg/month) with further discounts for volume:

10 or more

•  total sub-licenses –

$180

•  per year ($15 avg/month)

30 or more

•  total sub-licenses –

$156

•  per year ($13 avg/month)

60 or more

•  total sub-licenses –

$120

 per year ($10 avg/month)

NOTE: Total number of personal use and standard use sub-licenses are used to determine volume discounts. If you have 25 personal use sub-licenses, and 5 standard use sub-licenses, then the 30 level pricing applies.

Those subscribers who purchase the internet engine can purchase an additional sub-license at the 10 or more discount level.

ROP Factors – New Data FormatDuring December we completed the work of transferring the old ROP tables to the new ROP table. We are now working on modifying our software to use the new data files instead of the old. We hope to have that ready to introduce some time in January or February.

As we mentioned in the previous bulletin, we will continue to support the old ROP factors for a transitional time period. This means that Compulife Internet Engine Users will not have to do an upgrade until we elect to abandon the old ROPF rate format. We intend to bundle that upgrade with other changes and so Internet engine users can anticipate this to occur in or about April 2015.

Compulife will NOT be upgrading the old Palm or Windows handheld software and so after the upgrade to the engine becomes available, we will be abandoning support for the old equipment. We believe that most subscribers no longer use these devices and that most have graduated to smart phones. We have several hundred subscribers current using our Mobile edition of Compulife, which is free to subscribers.

Renewal Premiums NextOnce the work on ROP is completed, we will be moving to breaking out the renewal premiums from individual products into a new renewal premium table/file. This will be used for products that share the same renewals and will cut down on significant duplication that exists in our current data format.

We have found a way to do this that will not affect the majority of Internet engine users simply as our internet engine does not require renewal information unless you are using the Pick 12 spreadsheet option (most do not). If you do use that option, then we will need to get you a new engine before we make a general release to the majority of engine users.

Ultimately we don’t want to burden our internet engine users with too much transitional work during 2015. The fewer the number of engine upgrades the easier it is for us all.