Is upgrade from Scholars Platinum to Portfolio worth it?

I recently upgraded from platinum to portfolio and have personally benefitted a lot from the texts on ancient cultures. That was at the time the area that was most lacking in my studies so it fit nicely. Personally I wish I had gone portfolio right from the beginning.

  That being said, there is a lot that I am probably not going to use in the portfolio package and it was possibly the easy option to add a lot more weight to my library without having to put work into picking individual titles and then calculating prices - checking discounts etc.

  My personal circumstances are such that I could afford to do this without affecting anyone else through the extra output of cash - guess that that needs to be a big factor in making the jump... that or the desire to see the outside world again!

I'm staying on Platinum right now at least until it's paid off or I win Publisher's Clearing House. I added enough other things so I think I'm pretty well off. If I was going for a doctorate, that would make it justifiable. You really need to be discerning as a steward. The value is there, it's just a question of its value to you.

I remember before I went for L4, I downloaded the beta of L4M and discovered a resource I had in my MacArthur Library that was really terrific. I never knew I had it. I keep finding things in my library that are almost like that because I simply never looked at them before. 

I've tossed the Portfolio idea around before. I went from Scholar to Platinum--it was a no-brainer.  I think there are other items from the Logos library that look more useful to me. I still feel like a spoiled kid in a candy store.  

I did much like Nannette, purchasing Silver and then quickly upgrading to Platinum three days later.

Here is the catch22.  I've been with Logos for over a year and would say I've spent the better part of the first year familiarizing myself with all of Logos' resources.  I've also found what I'll use and what I tend to leave behind when studying using Logos.  This information would do you well when choosing your base package.  However as time passes, resources included in Portfolio begin to be bought piece by piece until the purchase almost isn't justifiable anymore.

Don't get me wrong, it is a great deal.  I would really study the list and see which resources from Portfolio you could see yourself using.  You may even want to map out your resource spending with the purchase of Portfolio down the road in mind, so it's bundled price advantage will still be available should you decide to purchase.

Michael Childs said:

Or is the Portfolio too good a bargain to pass up?

Only if you can afford to save that much. [:D] I can't, but I would if I could. My experience so far after upgrading to Platinum is that if I HAVE the resources, Logos makes it easy to discover usefulness in them that I'd never have anticipated or planned in advance.

Blessings on your decision.

Dan DeVilder said:

• or, conversely, assuming you might not need or want resources, but really have no clue how beneficial they might be, especially for searching on topics, and wanting specialized articles and such.

Great point: I would love to hear from Portfolio upgraders -- what were you "surprised" by? 

Mike S. said:

I've done a little analysis on my own contained in the attached spreadsheet that identifies all the Portfolio package unique items, then provides a column where I identify what I will someday buy with or without portfolio (the "y" value in the wanted column), what I would use but questionable if I would buy (the "?" value), and I also identify what I already own.

Excellent analysis Mike.  I did the same kind when contemplating the upgrade from Silver to Platinum.  For me, it just makes sense to add individual titles vs. a base pkg upgrade bursting with exotic resources I'm unlikely to receive any value from.

Edwin Bowden said:

If a person is considering ever upgrading to a higher base pkg, they would be wise (financially) to delay buying titles that would later be acquired in the upgraded pkg. Although you receive "credit" for the titles you already have, my understanding is that it is always cheaper to add those titles through an upgrade than the credit from buying individually. 

Great advice Edwin.  Yes, you get credit but it isn't as significant as the discount in the base pkg upgrade, as you stated.  After my cost analysis, I'd determined that it was unlikely that I'd ever upgrade my base pkg, and was unwilling to wait (or never get) resources that fit my particular needs.

Dan Pritchett said:

Payment plans currently max out at 12 months, but we have had many requests for longer payments, specifically so people could buy/upgrade to Portfolio. So far, we have turned these requests down, but have recently been receiving a lot more interest in them.

Should we open up 18 month payment plans as an option?

While I'm not likely to jump on it this year (EEC!)  I would vote in favor of it.  

Paul Newsome said:

Dan I would say yes to the 18 month plan option

 

[Y]

An 18-month payment plan would be necessary were I to upgrade from Platinum to Portfolio, but I fail to see that the additional resources would be worth the $2340 plus another $90 in fees for my needs and interests. I've looked it over several times to see if I could justify the upgrade, but each time I'm further convinced that Platinum is the top package for me. (My biggest regret is that I didn't take advantage of the NICOT/NICNT when I had an opportunity to buy it at the prepub price on the payment plan, a really gracious offer at the time, but I couldn't really swing it. If that offer were made again, . . . [;)] Oh well, I've got Welwyn to pay for, and I'm really looking forward to that. Okay, enough rambling.) If you determine that Portfolio works for you, it's a great buy.

Andrew McKenzie said:

Dan Pritchett said:

Should we open up 18 month payment plans as an option?

I think so, it would put the more expensive sets in the reach of more people.

I agree...I think sales of Portfolio would definitely increase...and those users would be blessed. But when you open that door...you will have more requests for purchases or payment plans over say $2000 to have the same extension also.  Logos will have to weigh the cost of such an offering, but since you are asking you must be considering it. I think it will definitely create more sales (but only you know how that would affect your royalty payments and whatever else it would affect).  Maybe a limited time testing window to see if it works well for Logos (would it work better for Logos on a limited scale or unlimited scale~ would being flooded with orders severely affect Logos cashflow due to royalties due)?  If unlimited then I pray you will find yourselves flooded with orders.

I have Portfolio (upgraded soon after it appeared) and appreciate the abundance of quality resources it contains.  Extending the payment schedule on it would open the door for more users to make that purchase!  

Longer payment terms would be a plus for me as well.  I used the 12 month option to move from Gold to Platinum (almost immediately).  This would be particularly attractive as I consider resources such as NICOT/NICNT or portfolio in preparation for doctoral studies.

Dan DeVilder said:

J. A. Brown said:

to move from Gold to Platinum (almost immediately)

 

that was such a terrific upgrade, wasn't it?!  it was a no-brainer for me . . .

Same here. [Y][8-|]

Dan Pritchett said:

Payment plans currently max out at 12 months, but we have had many requests for longer payments, specifically so people could buy/upgrade to Portfolio. So far, we have turned these requests down, but have recently been receiving a lot more interest in them.

Should we open up 18 month payment plans as an option?

I would prefer having an intermediate pkg that many could move up to with a 12 month plan. If a user wanted to move up to Portfolio later, it wouldn't be such a huge jump.

I'm still not convinced that I would be interested in the full Portfolio pkg.

Logos might consider a 2 track system--more technical  original languages, etc. pkgs and a more general usage pkgs.l I like having a lot of dictionaries, commentaries, etc. without adding all the original language resources.

Dan Pritchett said:

Should we open up 18 month payment plans as an option?

Dan, it's the total dollars I can't afford... I need upgrades in smaller chunks--about $300 is what I can swing in any given year. Small church. Small salary. No book budget., only professional expenses that have to cover all expenses, not just Logos books.

I'm just sayin'...

Dan Pritchett said:

Payment plans currently max out at 12 months, but we have had many requests for longer payments, specifically so people could buy/upgrade to Portfolio. So far, we have turned these requests down, but have recently been receiving a lot more interest in them.

Should we open up 18 month payment plans as an option?

I actually think everyone (including Logos) would be better served with a different package at a lower price point with a definitive point to the package. Portfolio has some great stuff from where I sit, but if feels more like what I would call "the shotgun approach" collection.

Platinum, when I bought it, was also highly distributed, was an upgrade that clearly improved my state in commentary sets (not so today and I would have instead purchased Gold if I were making the same decision today).  

If you take a look at the jump from Platinum to Portfolio, you're basically looking at a significant % jump in price, but there's not really a USP for this package. 

I'd really love to see you move to a kind of "Plus" package model, or emphasis model that pulls in collections from different publishers, positions, etc. that you could add on to anything from Scholar Silver and up. What about a super-collection for  the Lutherans? (I'm not Lutheran) What about a super-collection for Cultural background? What about a systematic theology super-collection? A JPS/Jewish super-collection?

Dan Pritchett said:

Payment plans currently max out at 12 months, but we have had many requests for longer payments, specifically so people could buy/upgrade to Portfolio. So far, we have turned these requests down, but have recently been receiving a lot more interest in them.

Should we open up 18 month payment plans as an option?

Yes.;       18 months and even 24 months.

There are several big-ticket items that, even with generous discounts and a 12 month payment plan, exhaust all the  expendable income many users have.  Anchor Yale Bible, AYB Reference Libraries, Zondervan Collections, ICC, Hermeneia, NICOT/NICNT and the 2010 Master Collection are all desirable yet out of reach for many. And if a user buys one of these on a 12 month plan, they probably have to quit looking at the Community Pricing & Pre-Pub pages.

 I wish you would consider extended payment plans for more than just Portfolio Edition purchases.

You have access to payment plan statistics and probably see the patterns easily. I'm guessing you know you could sell more if we could only afford to purchase more. Even if you offerd a great resource at hefty (and more than fair) discount, We can't buy it without the money.    But you already know that.

I thank you for your creative ideas (EEC plans. etc.) to help us obtain resources that would otherwise slip away  And kudos to the fine folk in Sales (Dave Kaplan, for me) and Bookkeeping (Donna Bryant & team.) They seem to juggle chainsaws & kittens to help me get the most for my money.

Mark Smith said:

Honestly I think you can do better on your own. At least that way you'll have what you want rather than what Logos wants to give you. There is not enough in Portfolio to interest me in spending over $2,000 to get it. Other will feel differently, but I've been through it an item at a time and it would be a waste of money for me.

I fully agree with Mark. I purchased the NICOT and NICNT instead of upgrading to Portfolio, and I still saved a bundle of money.