X-Message-Number: 13920
From: 
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 17:00:18 EDT
Subject: ease of joining cryonics societies

 Greetings all!  Dave Pizer commented-

>Alcor is getting  many people inquiring.  There must be reasons why all these

>people are not buying.

my thoughts are:

high prices, and difficulty in actually getting a price quote.

lots of confusing paperwork..

no clear easy choice of insurance purchase..

the necessity to "join" instead of just buying the service..

no clear price per month available..

and the constant urging to purchase more insurance than the minimum Alcor/CI 
price, so you'll have more chances to win win win-- uhh, sorry...

Again, I say post an insurance schedule online.  Don't structure it as a 
member/ fee/ joining the church and having to go to the damn bake sale every 
saturday kinda thing.

Do online signups, with menu driven software, and let these people sign up, 
let them know the monthly price in 30 sec, fold the insurance and member fee 
into a monthly statement, and let them pay by check debit card/ automatic 
bank withdrawal.  Make it so damn simple I can log on, answer 5-10 questions, 
and get a quote to pop up on my screen with a request for credit card / bank 
debit info.   Don't ask for ANY large fees up front, amortize everything into 
monthly payments.  On the first page of the website should be a LARGE "click 
here to get a price quote and join ALCOR/CI".  

Frankly, if you MAKE IT EASY, without the reams of text, you'll get more 
signups.. the explanation can come later, but if someone goes to your site, 
and finds out at that for $40 or $60 or $80 they can be done signing up with 
all that remains is to overnight them their bracelet, and then partner them 
with someone local in the next week or so, it will make life much easier for 
the would-be signup.   

Don't you understand that if someone goes to your site, or calls you, you 
HAVE THEM.  Why do you lose them? Because you make it sound like they are not 
gaining their life, but losing it.  

When someone CALLS Alcor/CI, they should be given a price quote OVER THE 
PHONE THEN- not just, its so many dollars, but, for x dollars per month I can 
sign you up with our fees and insurance right now over the phone.  Can I ask 
you 5-10 questions now so I can give you an exact monthly price?  would you 
like this on your automatic deduction or credit card?
Okay, you'll get your bracelet in the mail tomorrow by 11am, and we'll mail 
you a list of people to choose a partner from so you can have a person to 
call in time of need!  (Alcor still does this yes?)   From time to time we 
have special sign up offers for family members and friends, would you like to 
be informed of these?

You can even have them print out a temporary membership card to put in their 
wallet.  

I perceive that there is a group thought that if its too easy, then someone 
might be "GETTING AWAY" with something.  I'm not sure what.  But that's what 
I sense.

And why when I recently enquired via email was the response that this was all 
to difficult to do, so call the insurance agent, etc..  

BTW, I've seen the Alcor sign up package, years ago, and it seemed designed 
to make me despair I could ever successfully be suspended.

Well, I could go on, but I won't for now, I'm interested in your comments...

And thanks everyone for listening, and thanks Kennita for the info on brain 
preservation.

Mike Donahue

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