The Automatic Customer: Creating a Subscription Business in Any Industry

What if a company, no matter the size or industry, could attract repeat customers and recurring sales without having to resell its goods or services every single time? SellabilityScore.com founder Warrillow (Built to Sell) successfully empowers readers with this primer on transforming any business into a subscription business. He explores the move by companies like Apple and Amazon into this area and shows how subscribers increase value, smooth out demand, generate automatic payments, and stay recession-proof. Warrillow doesn’t neglect the inherent challenges, but where most readers will want to focus is on the nine subscription business models he provides. These different approaches, which include membership websites, private clubs, and subscription-based e-commerce, each come with advice from insiders and tips on the types of business best suited for that particular model. The book’s final section offers shortcuts for setting up and building a subscription-based revenue stream, along with solid guidance for measuring progress, viability, and performance. Warrillow also deals with funding growth, the psychology behind selling a subscription, and scaling a business. Full of valuable advice that will smooth the way for more predictable income, this book will help ease the transition to a subscription model. (Feb.)