Membership websites can be a very profitable business. Success is a numbers game based on how many members subscribe to the site. Frank Bettger, that legendary American success story, knew all about numbers. An ex-baseball player, forced to retire through injury, he rose to become the pre-eminent life insurance salesman in the 1930s. Bettger simply referred to the numbers game as ?seeing the people?. A humble man of humble origins, he considered himself to be of only average ability. So, for Frank, one of the key factors in helping him achieve above-average sales was to put himself in front of as many people as possible.

Getting in front of the people was Frank's first building block to success. The second was finding out what the customer wanted, and helping him find the best way to get it. The two were not a winning combination on their own. He knew that the third building block, keeping detailed records to improve his closing ratio, was just as crucial as the other two. So, there you have it ? Frank Bettger's pitch to hit a sales ?home run?: seeing the people, giving them exactly what they want, and keeping good records.

It should be yours as well if you aim to be a big hitter in creating and running a membership website. You can bring Frank's principles into the 21st. century by using software which will attract more traffic to your site, make your site more user-friendly, and allow you, as site manager, to keep track of all site activity. Do you want to be the Frank Bettger of membership site managers? You betcha, and a fully-automated membership software program will help you raise your game.

You betcha want to be the best, but...(there is always a but, isn't there?)... you're thinking it will not come cheap. And you would be right. There are many smaller solutions on the market, but then there is the inevitable trade-off between price and degree of automation. Still, I sense compromise is in the air. Perhaps you have an email list, and are not sold on the benefits of fully-integrated software for your site? Or you don't see the point of paying for ?add-ons?? Or you are targeting a niche market and are busy concentrating on the content of your articles and marketing the site, not on running it.

I get the picture. But I have an idea: I'll stop trying to convince you of the enormous benefits to be had from buying the best in membership software programs and let Frank do it instead. He can be the Home Plate Umpire, and decide whether the objections and criticisms you are hurling at me thick and fast are in the strike zone. I'll be the ordinary guy batting to get ?home runs? for my best-in-class software. So pitch into the attack, and Frank will judge each delivery according to how far it meets his three-point-plan.

Right, fire down the first delivery:

Why not create a membership site using a simple, password-protected directory, or some other basic method? I know I'll have to devote more time in keeping track of memberships, but, then, I'm time-rich and cash-poor. I'll just have to spend the time operating the processes manually.

Well, you've made a slow start. Basic methods like a password-protected directory are not the most secure, and you owe your members security and privacy. You say you'll spend the time needed to keep track of memberships. With cheaper options, though, the actual design and implementation of the site are not likely to be highly automated. You are likely to lose time, and get a great deal of aggravation trying to get different solutions to work. And, all this time, you're losing potential sign-ups.

Frank's verdict: Not ?in the zone?. Batter makes a home run, and really needs to up his game.

OK. Let's see if you can get up to speed with your next delivery.

Some smaller solutions I've come across do allow you to centralize payment. You don't have to create two different avenues, one for the membership site and a second for payment processing. Everything, then, is integrated, and can easily be automated. The same goes for automatic delivery of prepared packages at stated schedules. Upload the product once and the membership software program would take care of the rest.

That was a quicker ball. Some middle-of-the-range solutions do seem to be the answer to your prayers. However, when your business grows beyond a few hundred members, and the software has to cope with a major billing cycle and increased access by members to the database, you could easily find your site crawling to a halt. The worst of it is that this can happen just when your site is starting to do really well. We're in the numbers game and you can't afford false economy.

Frank's verdict: He's ?in the zone? this time but the batter makes third base.

That was better. Let's see what you can do with your next ball.

Before I do, I'd just like to make a point about the last delivery. I'm not a corporation, and am busy establishing myself in a niche market. Smaller solutions, I'm sure, will meet my needs. I know I can get good graphics, personalization options and technical support from many smaller solutions. What do I need with ?add-ons? like automated content management? I can easily tweak pages, put in new links, and realign the order articles appear in myself. Likewise, I can't see the benefit to my business of extras like shopping cart affiliate programs.

A good ball: there is some mileage in your arguments. No doubt you can have a site that looks good and is user-friendly using mid-range software. If the content of your articles is good, and you market your site effectively, then you might think you've done very well. But...let's look at automated content management, first. The best programs put the newest articles at the top of the page and, a real bonus, link related articles as you add new content. User-friendliness like that means more profits for your site. Really important, though, is that by putting lots of new stuff out there you are attracting the search engines who just love ?sticky sites?!

Shopping cart affiliate programs are not really ?extras?. They are a good example of how the best technology creates a virtuous circle: affiliates are attracted by the program's extreme ease of use and prompt payment. Your business grows quickly, gets a good name and attracts more affiliates, and so on. By using the shopping cart ?in reverse?, not as a shopping bill for your members but as a list of commissions to pay your affiliates, you can substantially increase your site's profitability.

Frank's verdict: He's right ?in the zone? this time. Not a strike, though, but batter only gets to first base. I have to practise here what I preach and acknowledge people's specific needs.

Let's see if you can catch him out with a clinching argument.

I appreciate why Frank Bettger wanted to keep good records, but he only saw four or five people a day. I just can't afford expensive membership software programs, and wouldn't have the time anyway keep track of the tracking! Detailed breakdown of daily reports, ?Google Tracks?, referrals, membership tracking, custom reports...the list seems endless. Convince me.

I go back to Frank Bettger's desire to increase the value of his calls by improving his closing ratio. You are in a numbers game, but, of course, numbers can increase at different rates. Stick to your views on ?add-ons?, particularly full reporting, and you can expect to see smaller, regular additions to your site profits month on month.

Think instead like Frank and your closing ratio, that is, the conversion of your site visitors to site members, and you will see the multiplying effect the best programs will have on the value of your sign-ups. A program that features comprehensive reporting is crucial to increase dramatically the value added.

Frank's verdict: Outside the zone ? home run scored. Needs to pitch in and change his coach.

One of the lessons Frank Bettger shows in his self-help classic ?How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling? is how the power of enthusiasm increased his income by 700% in 10 days. Harness your enthusiasm to the power of the best membership software program, and you will find running your membership website becomes a whole new ball game.