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dande

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I think Epik is building the best ever Domain Lander in the history of domaining, and it really needs to be talked about extensively. That's why I am creating this discussion thread. A lot of thought process really goes into the project. And I can see (for the first time) a landing page that is built from the stand point of domainers rather than for just the marketplace itself.

Everything you have ever dreamt of getting or seeing in a professional landing page can be found in the new Epik marketplace landing page design.

Some of my Favorites Features:


1. The ability to optimize your "domain for sale" landing page to actually rank on Google, displaying your sales pitch/domain description. I just did that with few of my generic domain names such as ASAP.TV, targeting certain keywords, and they are showing pretty well on Google. That's a huge plus in my marketing effort.

2. Being able to change background image is another huge one for me. If you are good with pictures and images, you will surely find this very useful. I did that with Nagasaki.org and the result was truly amazing, showing the city of Nagasaki right at the background.

There are too many positive features and I don't want to mention all of them, all alone :xf.grin::xf.grin:

So I am leaving you guys to share and discuss what you loves most or dislike about the new Epik marketplace and the landing pages.


The only negative for me is the checkout process. There are too many terms and conditions buttons to tick before checking out. It will be nice if they can streamline those into one beautiful big button :xf.cool:

They also need to place the checkout button directly under the payment options. Right now it is awkwardly place somewhere below at the sidebar, which I don't find cool at all.

Sales experience is also welcomed in this discussion. I haven't had any sells so far at Epik because I started using the marketplace just recently, but the future is looking so bright.
 
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The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
Looks good. Interesting that Albert E is interested but he seems to not have made an offer yet. btw, who is this Minnie person? :xf.smile:

On a serious note, the one thing I would like to see are email notices once a domain has been unlocked (or relocked). It would add a great deal to my peace of mind and I would not mind the extra emails.

That is obviously dummy data -- we are a few weeks from production but on track. The big thing I have asked for is the AI functionality for managing inquiry response.

As for the unlock notices, or general changes in domain state, that's a reasonable thing to add to the "Notifications" area of the system where you opt in or out. Will discuss with @Ala Dadan and @vitigo.
 
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That is obviously dummy data -- we are a few weeks from production but on track. The big thing I have asked for is the AI functionality for managing inquiry response.

As for the unlock notices, or general changes in domain state, that's a reasonable thing to add to the "Notifications" area of the system where you opt in or out. Will discuss with @Ala Dadan and @vitigo.

Thanks...yes, I knew it was dummy data but the pic of reminded me of someone I used to know!
 
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.ca domains dont show registrar or NS
How can i manage my portfolio at epik not knowing 1/3 of my portfolio’s registrar or nameservers
You dont need direct accreditation to pull these from whois
 
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.ca domains dont show registrar or NS
How can i manage my portfolio at epik not knowing 1/3 of my portfolio’s registrar or nameservers
You dont need direct accreditation to pull these from whois

Will check with @Sufyan Alani and @vitigo.

We are making progress on direct .CA accreditation. We had to navigate a build vs. buy decision there.
 
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Response management CRM from Epik is coming soon. Preview.

Show attachment 136093


The next step is Smart CRM features for automating responses. For people who get a lot of offers, this will be pretty cool -- our first step towards integrating some serious AI tools into Epik. Looking forward to that!

What, you rejected an offer from Enrico Fermi? He is one of my favourite physicists! Rejecting his offer is just rude.(n) He has a ton of important prizes - Nobel Prize, Franklin Medal, Rumford Prize, Planck Medal. Cut the guy some slack, OK? How can you possibly not accept an offer from a guy who said this?
"Before I came here I was confused about this subject. Having listened to your lecture I am still confused. But on a higher level."
I think a lot of us sometimes feel exactly that way in some NamePros threads (not yours, Rob, just speaking generally :xf.grin:).

Glad that the Caroline Herschel one is pending. Her valuable work in astronomy has too often been overlooked. :xf.smile: And she was the first woman to ever receive a salary as a scientist, clearly she can afford to buy a domain name.

That Albert Einstein guy, I have a good feeling about his prospects. Why not accept and let him have the domain name at a good price? :xf.wink:

Seriously interesting project that will be helpful to those juggling numerous offers. The Smart CRM will be helpful for those with lots of offers (that is not me currently:xf.frown: but hopefully some day :xf.smile:). Thanks for sharing details about it. And I do like your choices of names for the image capture mockup! (y)

Have a nice day!

Bob
 
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Response management CRM from Epik is coming soon.
The next step is Smart CRM features for automating responses. For people who get a lot of offers, this will be pretty cool -- our first step towards integrating some serious AI tools into Epik. Looking forward to that!
Rob, the AI sounds good, but could you also have a set of standardised responses which we would have the option of selecting manually? What I mean is - a seller could have the option of entering a bunch of different responses for possible scenarios, then depending on the situation select the required response from a drop-down. As much as AI is cool for the automation, I would most likely prefer to review possible responses prior to sending manually. For me the response can vary depending on quite a number of variables - but being able to select the response which I have set earlier would be great. Though of course it would also be best to be able to edit the standardised response prior to sending as well (e.g. to add a $ value, etc).
 
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Rob, the AI sounds good, but could you also have a set of standardised responses which we would have the option of selecting manually? What I mean is - a seller could have the option of entering a bunch of different responses for possible scenarios, then depending on the situation select the required response from a drop-down. As much as AI is cool for the automation, I would most likely prefer to review possible responses prior to sending manually. For me the response can vary depending on quite a number of variables - but being able to select the response which I have set earlier would be great. Though of course it would also be best to be able to edit the standardised response prior to sending as well (e.g. to add a $ value, etc).
It makes me think of the Gmail fast reply function.
Shouldn't be too complicated to add, I will check with the team on that project :)

upload_2019-11-19_19-35-49.png


Gube
 
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Rob, the AI sounds good, but could you also have a set of standardised responses which we would have the option of selecting manually? What I mean is - a seller could have the option of entering a bunch of different responses for possible scenarios, then depending on the situation select the required response from a drop-down. As much as AI is cool for the automation, I would most likely prefer to review possible responses prior to sending manually. For me the response can vary depending on quite a number of variables - but being able to select the response which I have set earlier would be great. Though of course it would also be best to be able to edit the standardised response prior to sending as well (e.g. to add a $ value, etc).

Yes, that is part of the CRM engine -- custom templates in multiple languages. The point that I am referencing is more for the sanity of folks who have really large portfolios who get a lot of tire-kickers, and who need an intelligent way to response promptly to separate the tire-kickers from the qualified buyers while still being able to have a life away from their inbox. Many of the guys with large portfolios are also very busy reviewing expiry auctions, etc. and often neglect their offer stream. It sounds crazy, I know.
 
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Thanks @Raj V and @Gube for putting this together. More improvements coming but for all the folks who wanted granular authoritative traffic data on their SSL landers, here you go.

+1

...

On another, but relevant to SSL landers, I want discuss the wording used for payment plans...eg.

Notice the below example states "Start a payment plan for $152.52." 👇

upload_2019-11-21_0-35-10.png


However, upon opening details, a buyer might learn two new things

upload_2019-11-21_0-48-59.png

  • They can't start a payment plan for $151.52
  • $151.52 x 12 = $1,818.24, thus explaining the $833.34 first installment + (11 monthly x $151.52) 1666.72 equating to $2,500.06 (only a $0.06 surcharge to opt for a payment plan?)
After discussing with a friend, a friend I might add that is not a domainer, but is impressed with the professional visual design and payment options of these epik landers, we feel the initially quoted, "Start a payment plan for $151.52 + own in 11 months" is misleading, in that as bolded above, it actually costs $833.34 (not $151.52) to start a payment plan.

In the example where 33% isn't taken in an upfront installment, $2,500 dispersed in 12 payments would calculate to $208.34 per month = $2,500.08. As seen correctly stated below, you can start a payment plan for $208.34 👇

upload_2019-11-21_1-5-7.png


upload_2019-11-21_1-5-40.png


To summarize, I propose:
  • For installment plans where 33% is requested up front, that the initial installment price is reflected in the landing page "Start a payment plan for [insert 33% installment fee here].
  • Consider changing or adding the wording of "Down Payment" instead of "First Installment"
...

Lastly, if it's not reflected in my exploration of epiks products, and services, I am thoroughly impressed with the services, support, and features being offered at epik. Despite any current (or future) reported feedback, bugs, or comparative criticism. 🙏
 
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"Start a payment plan for $151.52 + own in 11 months" is misleading,
Good pickup @Grilled. I haven't looked at all these options yet, but I definitely wouldn't be keen on selling with misleading wording like that.
 
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Good pickup @Grilled. I haven't looked at all these options yet, but I definitely wouldn't be keen on selling with misleading wording like that.

I'm looking at it from the buyers perspective. A buyer might think:

It should be straight forward. None of this, I thought it was $151.52 to start, why is it now telling me the first installment is $833.34?!

Can I trust these guys to a 12 month contract, with seemingly misleading pricing statements?

IDK.

And while the difference between $151.52 to $833.34 may be miniscule to some, to others wanting to start a business, $151.52 might even be a stretch, for those living pay check to pay check, aspiring to build a business, with a suitable domain, to hopefully, one day not have to worry, or at least feel such a gut punch, when they are mispriced from a $151.52 start to instead a whopping $833.34 to start.

...

Yeah-yeah, it may not mean much to most here. But the the penny pinching entrepreneur, or aspiring college student, every little bit can matter, hence why words, and specifically words referring to pricing, matter.
 
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I'm looking at it from the buyers perspective. A buyer might think:

It should be straight forward. None of this, I thought it was $151.52 to start, why is it now telling me the first installment is $833.34?!

Can I trust these guys to a 12 month contract, with seemingly misleading pricing statements?

IDK.

And while the difference between $151.52 to $833.34 may be miniscule to some, to others wanting to start a business, $151.52 might even be a stretch, for those living pay check to pay check, aspiring to build a business, with a suitable domain, to hopefully, one day not have to worry, or at least feel such a gut punch, when they are mispriced from a $151.52 start to instead a whopping $833.34 to start.

...

Yeah-yeah, it may not mean much to most here. But the the penny pinching entrepreneur, or aspiring college student, every little bit can matter, hence why words, and specifically words referring to pricing, matter.
We will check to implement this on the landers. But it's already present on the marketplace ;)

As for the trust part, We are fully transparent on the Details page.
All details are there, and in case the buyer, the seller or both would like to add any other custom contract term, they can by contacting us prior to the transaction.

Gube
 
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Epik was a registrar I wanted to like. There is a lot that is great about them. Honestly the one thing that has turned me off to them is renewal pricing for non .com's. Some even the initial registeration fee too. Take .io for example a great ccTLD on fire (imo) but $50/yr just put me off when others offer it for under $35. Also .net and .org prices seem find on initial registration but jump on subsequent renewal to $35! I like how accessible @Rob Monster is but $35 for .net and .org renewals....at that price you're making Godaddy's non discount club pricing look good.
 
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Epik was a registrar I wanted to like. There is a lot that is great about them. Honestly the one thing that has turned me off to them is renewal pricing for non .com's. Some even the initial registeration fee too. Take .io for example a great ccTLD on fire (imo) but $50/yr just put me off when others offer it for under $35. Also .net and .org prices seem find on initial registration but jump on subsequent renewal to $35! I like how accessible @Rob Monster is but $35 for .net and .org renewals....at that price you're making Godaddy's non discount club pricing look good.
It's a lot cheaper for namepros members..
Can you PM your account username so I can enable you NP renewals ?

Thanks,
Gube
 
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As for the trust part, We are fully transparent on the Details page.
All details are there, and in case the buyer, the seller or both would like to add any other custom contract term, they can by contacting us prior to the transaction.

Gube

Granted, the trust part might have sounded piercing, and may have seemingly warranted a defensive response, it was meant as feedback. Not meant for an opportunity to explain why epik is trustworthy, or why my proposed feeling, and exact reason of untrust was stated (albeit hypothetically from a customer perspective) to be invalid.

Respectfully, please process feedback accordingly, and don't try to twist everything as being fully transparent, when in fact, it was written in detail how the landing page and pricing wasn't transparent by opening statement. It might have held factual if it read, start a payment plan for XXX/month, if it strategically wanted to leave out the down payment (or first installment for those who don't like layman terms) and show a monthly price, it needs to be more transparently stated, or at the very least better wording. Why allow improper or misleading wording give our potential buyers a weary (or caught off guard) first impression?

With respect, some things are defensible. Other times, it's best to just acknowledge the feedback, and not risk insulting the intelligence of the person by responding to feedback in such a way that might seemingly attempt to admonish responsibility.

I trust the team will look into it. And despite any above piercing nature, please don't take it personally. I like you, and feel you are an asset to namePros. But I wasn't too fond of the response, given the time it took me to articulate in a way I thought would be best understand.

Thank you.
 
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It's a lot cheaper for namepros members..
Can you PM your account username so I can enable you NP renewals ?

Thanks,
Gube

Thanks. I PM'd you. I'm interested to see how this changes things. But quick replays like this are another thing I've always heard about Epik, great support so I have been kind of keen to try until I saw that pricing.

EDIT: thanks is for the change. Actually impressed with the namepros pricing. .net and .org are even better than my current choice of registrar. .io still a little bit higher but better than previously. I'm going to definitely move forward with transferring some domains over to epik now and see how things go. Also interested to try your marketplace lenders, as I've yet to find any I really like.
 
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Granted, the trust part might have sounded piercing, and may have seemingly warranted a defensive response, it was meant as feedback. Not meant for an opportunity to explain why they are trustworthy, why a feeling, and exact reason of untrust was stated (albeit hypothetically from a customer perspective)

Respectfully, please process feedback accordingly, and not try to twist everything as being fully transparent, when in fact, it was written in detail how the landing page and pricing wasn't transparent by opening statement. It might have held factual if it read, start a payment plan for XXX/month, if it strategically wanted to leave out the down payment (or first installment for those who don't like layman terms) and show a monthly price, it needs to be more transparently stated, or at the very least better wording. Why allow improper or misleading wording give our potential buyers a weary (or caught off guard) first impression?

With respect, some things are defensible. Other times, it's best to just acknowledge the feedback, and not insulting the intelligence of the person by responding to feedback in such a way that might seemingly attempt to admonish responsibility brought up proposed wording mistake.

I trust the team will look into it. And despite any above piercing nature, please don't take it personally. I like you, and feel you are an asset to namePros. But I wasn't too fond of the response, given the time it took me to articulate in a way I thought would be best understand.

Thank you.
We appreciate your feedback.

And actually, what I was trying to say in my last reply was that on the Epik marketplace, when a name has a payment plan set with a different First payment, it's showed :
upload_2019-11-21_17-34-42.png

(Example with one of mine)

Adding the First payment + monthly payment on the landers is entirely possible.
Ala, our designer, will review it as soon as he have the time.

Sorry for the misunderstandings, on the details page, is there anything you would like to add?

Gube
 
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We appreciate your feedback.

Thank you.

And actually, what I was trying to say in my last reply was that on the Epik marketplace, when a name has a payment plan set with a different First payment, it's showed :
153626_035779c8fe1345aba696c2e084d10cb3.png

(Example with one of mine)

With more respect, and even limited patience due to lack of sleep, I'm referring to the ever so marketed LANDING PAGES. I could give a rats ass about epik marketplace. Selling to domainers, ummm cool. But, why do I need epik marketplace, when there is larger sedo, afternic, etc. I need LANDING PAGES for inbound with accurately advertised payment options.

Your screenshot is much more transparent than mine...

Adding the First payment + monthly payment on the landers is entirely possible.
Ala, our designer, will review it as soon as he have the time.

And again, not to be too piercing, but to reiterate, not only is it entirely possible, but the current (hopefully unintended) pricing is very misleading to somebody who is under the impression they can start a payment plan without a 33% down payment (which is possible in the example I showed where it was 12 equal payments, instead of a larger down payment, followed by smaller payments) but not possible when the seller states a 33% down payment.

Without knowing what went behind the thought of the coding, this seems like an easy to make, yet ripple effect glitch in wording or code, that may not have any technical error, is misleading in nature, and can, as demonstrated above, cause uncertainty for somebody attempting to make a large purchase from a company they might not have heard of before. Should this be a glitch, or simple easily fixable error, we are wasting time over addressing this.

I assume this will be the last of this exchange, until hopefully, the glitch is patched, or it is worded better, For now, I bid you ado, and wish the best to your Thursday.
 
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  • They can't start a payment plan for $151.52
  • $151.52 x 12 = $1,818.24, thus explaining the $833.34 first installment + (11 monthly x $151.52) 1666.72 equating to $2,500.06 (only a $0.06 surcharge to opt for a payment plan?)
@Grilled .. sometimes it's not so much about conspiracies (lol) and trying to be misleading, as it is a miscommunication between various teams in a company.

In this case, the page developers were probably quite innocently told "Make a box for BIN and a box for Monthly Payment Plans". The developer building the page sees "monthly payment" as a field in the database and pulls that info instead of the "down-payment" amount. Fairly innocent mistake and likely unavoidable when things are rushed and build quickly.

These are the types of things (communication bugs more than technical bugs) that can be found all over the place on new systems. Communication bugs are the hardest to find because things still work properly, however the wrong information is displayed.

The good thing here is that you noticed it and reported it. With Epik it could take a day or two, but they usually correct the issue. I've found a few things like that and mentioned them to @Rob Monster and it usually wasn't long before he forwarded the info to the correct person on the team and corrected soon enough.

This type of problem is far and away the most overlooked problem or platforms/websites. But they are far and away the sources of biggest problems and frustrations. Giving wrong information can suck up a ton of support man-hours and be a huge problem with overall customer satisfaction. As much as I complain about GoDaddy's platform being full of bugs, GoDaddy is probably worse when it comes to communication errors.

These sorts of "information integrity" issues are unavoidable when developing new systems and platforms .. even worse when modifying existing systems as usually development teams focus on changing and improving usability, but then nobody ever thinks of changing the FAQ or pop-up help/info.

The real difference that matters is how companies handle it .. 2 hour fixes is only usually possible in tiny companies where there is only one-two people who are both owners and developers ... lol. 2 day fixes is a sign of a good company that looks into the issue and corrects it. 2 months-years unfortunately is the usual standard (looking at you GoDaddy .. lol). Epik's not perfect .. like every ever registrar they will never be .. but they're usually pretty quick to fix issues like this when they are discovered.
 
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@Grilled .. sometimes it's not so much about conspiracies (lol) and trying to be misleading, as it is a miscommunication between various teams in a company.

In this case, the page developers were probably quite innocently told "Make a box for BIN and a box for Monthly Payment Plans". The developer building the page sees "monthly payment" as a field in the database and pulls that info instead of the "down-payment" amount. Fairly innocent mistake and likely unavoidable when things are rushed and build quickly.

These are the types of things (communication bugs more than technical bugs) that can be found all over the place on new systems. Communication bugs are the hardest to find because things still work properly, however the wrong information is displayed.

The good thing here is that you noticed it and reported it. With Epik it could take a day or two, but they usually correct the issue. I've found a few things like that and mentioned them to @Rob Monster and it usually wasn't long before he forwarded the info to the correct person on the team and corrected soon enough.

This type of problem is far and away the most overlooked problem or platforms/websites. But they are far and away the sources of biggest problems and frustrations. Giving wrong information can suck up a ton of support man-hours and be a huge problem with overall customer satisfaction. As much as I complain about GoDaddy's platform being full of bugs, GoDaddy is probably worse when it comes to communication errors.

These sorts of "information integrity" issues are unavoidable when developing new systems and platforms .. even worse when modifying existing systems as usually development teams focus on changing and improving usability, but then nobody ever thinks of changing the FAQ or pop-up help/info.

The real difference that matters is how companies handle it .. 2 hour fixes is only usually possible in tiny companies where there is only one-two people who are both owners and developers ... lol. 2 day fixes is a sign of a good company that looks into the issue and corrects it. 2 months-years unfortunately is the usual standard (looking at you GoDaddy .. lol). Epik's not perfect .. like every ever registrar they will never be .. but they're usually pretty quick to fix issues like this when they are discovered.

Too tired to read all those words... Now I know how it feels when I do it to others ;)

Anyways, I assume what you wrote was in good intention, so I'll read it after some rest, and leave you with a thank you.
 
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Thanks for you kind comment Ategy
@Grilled - I forwarded the issue to the right person, it shouldn't take very long to be fixed :)

Have a great Thursday

Gube
 
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I'm looking at it from the buyers perspective. A buyer might think:

It should be straight forward. None of this, I thought it was $151.52 to start, why is it now telling me the first installment is $833.34?!

Can I trust these guys to a 12 month contract, with seemingly misleading pricing statements?

IDK.

And while the difference between $151.52 to $833.34 may be miniscule to some, to others wanting to start a business, $151.52 might even be a stretch, for those living pay check to pay check, aspiring to build a business, with a suitable domain, to hopefully, one day not have to worry, or at least feel such a gut punch, when they are mispriced from a $151.52 start to instead a whopping $833.34 to start.

...

Yeah-yeah, it may not mean much to most here. But the the penny pinching entrepreneur, or aspiring college student, every little bit can matter, hence why words, and specifically words referring to pricing, matter.
I agree entirely.
 
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I agree entirely.

I have no doubt Epik will address this quickly. Ategy is right about their response to bugs and feedback. Always best to give the benefit of the doubt. Nonetheless, I will continue to push Epik as hard as they'll allow me to push, to try and encourage, or at least point out areas I think might need extra attention.

Maybe, I'm jumping the gun a little bit, but it's kinda nice to deal with a communicative registrar, where you don't feel lost in an overwhelmingly large customer base, a registrar that listens, considers, and attempts to improve through feature inclusion and service innovation. I mean, these simplistic financing options are great, just a little buggy. Same with a few other features. Not sure how willing, obviously depending on the sensitivity, Epik will be to have it dished publicly, but thus far they've been mighty transparent, and something tells me they'd welcome most lemony feedback, even the really sour ones, if it ultimately helped their lemonade taste better.
 
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@Dan
I have no doubt Epik will address this quickly. Ategy is right about their response to bugs and feedback. Always best to give the benefit of the doubt. Nonetheless, I will continue to push Epik as hard as they'll allow me to push, to try and encourage, or at least point out areas I think might need extra attention.

Maybe, I'm jumping the gun a little bit, but it's kinda nice to deal with a communicative registrar, where you don't feel lost in an overwhelmingly large customer base, a registrar that listens, considers, and attempts to improve through feature inclusion and service innovation. I mean, these simplistic financing options are great, just a little buggy. Same with a few other features. Not sure how willing, obviously depending on the sensitivity, Epik will be to have it dished publicly, but thus far they've been mighty transparent, and something tells me they'd welcome most lemony feedback, even the really sour ones, if it ultimately helped their lemonade taste better.

Will review with @Ala Dadan about the page layout.

When we first designed that page, we assumed fixed payments, starting with payment #1. However, since then some folks started to do exotic things with higher first payments and annual increases, etc. It has become versatile but this edge case still needs to be reflected in the landers.

All that said, you guys should seriously consider doing these as Make Offer pricing and shooting the moon assuming you don't mind reviewing inquiries. Or do what some folks do and just show a low lease price, e.g. like this guy does:

upload_2019-11-21_15-27-6.png


He also includes a phone number, which you are welcome to do if you don't mind fielding calls from prospects. I do believe that consultative selling is an essential skill when shooting the moon, i.e. you have to be prepared to make your business case for why the investment is logical and will bring them ROI.
 
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