The Machine using Keap / Infusionsoft

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Have you read the book, The Machine by Ryan Deiss? Are you looking to implement The Machine using Keap / Infusionsoft?

If you are an Keap / Infusionsoft user then I strongly suggest that you buy a copy and read it – it could transform your business!

The book covers some advanced thinking that most marketers are blissfully unaware off. If you want to be in the top 1% of marketers then this is a must read.

Here is the link to Amazon ( not an affiliate link). Click here

If you already have the book and are looking for help with implementation of The Machine using Keap / Infusionsoft then feel free to get in touch.

Cheers

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Julian

Julian is amazing as a person... .

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🎓 HighLevel Live Training Workshop #11 : eCommerce & Ad Manager Training : 9 February 2027

HighLevel can help you do much more than capture leads and automate follow-up. You can also use it to sell products and services online, take payments, sell gift cards and manage paid advertising campaigns through HighLevel Ad Manager. That gives us two very different but closely related marketing activities: eCommerce – turning visitors into customers and taking payment; Ad Manager – driving the right people towards your offers, landing pages and funnels. And because both can sit alongside your HighLevel CRM, workflows, forms, websites, pipelines and customer data, you can potentially create a much more joined-up sales system. For example: Advert → Landing page → Product or offer → Checkout → Payment → CRM updated → Follow-up workflow → Repeat purchase or upsell That’s what we’ll explore in our free HighLevel eCommerce & Ad Manager training workshop. This workshop is part of MarketerM8’s rolling programme of 13 free live HighLevel training workshops. Want to Sell Online and Run Ads With HighLevel? Join our free live HighLevel eCommerce & Ad Manager workshop and learn how to sell products, take payments, offer gift cards and manage advertising from inside HighLevel. Register for the next Free HighLevel eCommerce & Ad Manager Training Workshop What Can You Sell With HighLevel? HighLevel’s Payments area lets you create products and sell them through several different checkout experiences. HighLevel currently supports products including: physical products; digital products; one-time offers; services; recurring subscriptions; and gift cards. You don’t necessarily need a traditional eCommerce business to find this useful. A consultant might sell a paid strategy session. A training company might sell a workshop. A membership organisation might sell recurring access. A salon, restaurant or leisure business might sell gift cards. An online retailer might build a complete product store. The first question should therefore be: “What are we actually selling, and what is the simplest customer journey for buying it?” HighLevel Products Are the Foundation of eCommerce Before somebody can buy something, HighLevel needs to understand what the product is and how it is priced. Products are managed inside the Payments area. Depending on what you’re selling, you may need to define: product name; description; price; one-time or recurring billing; variants; images; tax treatment; and where the product should be available for purchase. Once the product exists, you can decide how the customer should buy it. HighLevel Online Stores HighLevel includes a dedicated eCommerce store builder. A typical store can include: product listings; product detail pages; a shopping cart; checkout; and an order confirmation or thank-you page. Customers can browse products, add items to their cart and complete the purchase online. HighLevel can then track orders and transactions inside the Payments area. Physical Products vs Digital Products The customer journey may look very different depending on what you’re selling. A physical product needs to be delivered. A digital product may need immediate access. A service may involve a booking. A subscription may create an ongoing relationship. So don’t think only about the checkout. Think about what should happen after the payment succeeds. HighLevel Can Track Orders and Fulfilment For physical products, HighLevel allows businesses to track orders and manage fulfilment information. This means the customer journey can extend beyond payment into the fulfilment process itself. Sell Without Building a Full Online Store Not every business needs a shopping cart. Sometimes you simply need to take payment for one particular product or service. HighLevel supports several ways to do this. For example: payment links; order forms; forms with payment; sales funnels; calendars and services; course offers; invoices; or a complete online store. HighLevel’s payment links are particularly useful where you simply want to send somebody a link and let them pay without building a complete webpage. HighLevel Payment Links A payment link gives you a simple hosted checkout page. You create the product and price, generate the payment link and share it with the customer. That could be useful in: emails; SMS messages; WhatsApp; sales conversations; quotations; or follow-up after a call. This can be considerably simpler than asking somebody to navigate through a complete online store for a purchase they have already decided to make. Sell Gift Cards With HighLevel HighLevel also includes dedicated Gift Cards functionality inside the Payments area. This gives businesses another way to generate revenue, attract new customers and encourage repeat purchases. You can create branded digital gift cards with: your own artwork and branding; different denominations; expiry dates; terms and conditions; and different delivery options. Customers can buy a gift card for themselves or send it to somebody else. You can even allow the gift card to be delivered immediately or scheduled for a future date. Customer buys gift card → Gift card delivered → Recipient becomes a customer → Gift card redeemed → Remaining balance tracked Different Ways to Sell HighLevel Gift Cards HighLevel gives you several ways to sell gift cards. Depending on your setup, you can use: a dedicated gift card checkout page; an embedded checkout on your website; a QR code; HighLevel Forms; Funnels; Stores; Payment Links; Invoices; Websites; and supported Calendars. This means gift cards can fit naturally into the way customers already buy from your business. For example, a salon, clinic, restaurant, leisure business, training company, consultant or service business could sell gift cards without needing a completely separate gift-card platform. Use QR Codes to Sell Gift Cards Offline One particularly interesting option is using a QR code. Imagine a restaurant putting a gift card QR code on the bill. A salon could put one at reception. A leisure attraction could include one on printed material. A business could even put one on a Christmas promotion. The customer scans the code on their phone and is taken directly to the gift card purchase experience. This creates a useful bridge between offline and online marketing. HighLevel Gift Cards Aren’t Only for Gifting Gift cards can also be used as a marketing and customer-retention tool. HighLevel allows businesses to issue gift cards directly to contacts without requiring them Read more…
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🎓 HighLevel Live Training Workshop #10 : Events & Courses Workshop : 2 February 2027

HighLevel isn’t only a CRM, marketing automation and sales platform. You can also use it to create and sell online courses, deliver training, run events and manage ticketing and create Communities. That opens up a completely different range of possibilities for businesses, consultants, training providers, membership organisations and event organisers. You could potentially use HighLevel to: create an online course; sell paid training; deliver free customer education; provide onboarding or staff training; offer recurring membership-based learning; run workshops and seminars; manage conferences; host webinars and online events; sell event tickets; run free RSVP events; issue QR-code tickets; check attendees in at the venue; and automate communication before and after an event. And because your courses and events can sit alongside your CRM, payments, email, SMS, workflows and customer data, you can create a much more joined-up experience. That’s what we’ll explore in our free HighLevel Events & Courses training workshop. This workshop is part of MarketerM8’s rolling programme of 13 free live HighLevel training workshops. Want to Build Courses, Run Events or build Communities in HighLevel? Join our free live HighLevel Courses, Events & Ticketing workshop and learn how to create training, sell access, run events and manage attendees inside HighLevel. Register for the next Free HighLevel Courses, Events & Ticketing Training Workshop Can You Build Online Courses in HighLevel? Yes. HighLevel includes dedicated course functionality that lets you create, organise and deliver online learning. A course can contain structured content that learners work through over time. That might include: video lessons; written content; training modules; supporting resources; downloadable material; and other learning content. HighLevel’s current course system allows you to create the course, organise the content, create an offer, configure pricing and then make the course available to learners. Who Could Use HighLevel Courses? The obvious use case is somebody selling online training. But that’s far from the only one. HighLevel courses could potentially be useful for: coaches; consultants; training businesses; membership organisations; professional services firms; software companies; franchises; customer onboarding; internal staff training; partner education; and lead-generation programmes. A course doesn’t necessarily need to be something you sell. It could simply be the most effective way of delivering repeatable information. Free Courses vs Paid Courses in HighLevel HighLevel can support both free and paid course models. You might create a free course to: generate leads; educate prospects; support customer onboarding; teach customers how to use your service; or demonstrate your expertise. Alternatively, the course itself may be the product. HighLevel currently allows course pricing structures including free, one-time payment and recurring payment. This means the platform can potentially support both straightforward course sales and ongoing membership-style training. Start With the Learning Outcome, Not the Course Builder This follows exactly the same philosophy we’ve used throughout these HighLevel workshops. Don’t start with: “How do I create a course in HighLevel?” Start with: “What should somebody know or be able to do when they’ve completed the course?” Then work backwards. What modules do they need? What lessons? What examples? What supporting resources? What order should everything be taught in? Learning objective → Course structure → Lessons → Delivery → HighLevel setup HighLevel is the delivery platform. It doesn’t replace good training design. Structure Your HighLevel Course Properly A common mistake when building online courses is simply uploading a collection of videos and calling it a course. A useful course should guide the learner through a logical journey. Think about: what they need to understand first; what can be taught later; how long lessons should be; where examples will help; what practical action they should take; and how each lesson builds on the previous one. The technology is easy compared with designing a genuinely useful learning experience. HighLevel Courses Can Be Sold as Offers Creating the course content is only one part of selling online training. You also need to decide how somebody gets access to it. HighLevel uses offers as part of this process. This lets you package and sell access to your course with an appropriate pricing structure. For example: free access; one-off course payment; recurring membership; or another suitable offer structure. The commercial model should reflect the value you’re providing rather than simply copying what another course creator does. Courses Can Become Part of a Wider Customer Journey This is where using HighLevel becomes particularly interesting. Imagine somebody purchases a course. You may want the process to look something like this: Customer buys course → Contact updated → Course access granted → Welcome email sent → Onboarding workflow begins → Follow-up communication scheduled Now your online course isn’t isolated from your CRM. It becomes part of the wider customer relationship. Use Courses for Customer Onboarding One of my favourite non-traditional uses of online courses is customer onboarding. If every new customer needs to learn the same things, ask whether some of that education could be delivered systematically. For example, an onboarding course could explain: how your service works; what happens next; what information you need; how customers should communicate with you; how to use a portal or software platform; common questions; and how to get the best result from working with you. This doesn’t necessarily replace personal service. It can remove repetitive explanation so your team has more time for higher-value conversations. Use HighLevel Courses for Staff Training The same principle can apply internally. Perhaps every new employee needs training on: company processes; systems; customer service standards; sales procedures; compliance; or specific job responsibilities. Instead of relying entirely on one employee repeatedly delivering the same training, structured course content can create consistency. That can be particularly valuable when a business is growing. What About HighLevel Communities? HighLevel also includes Communities. This allows you to create a private or branded space where members can interact, access content and engage with each other. A community could potentially sit alongside your course. For example: Course delivers structured learning → Community provides discussion, support and interaction HighLevel also allows courses to be made available within communities, including paid-course models. But for Read more…
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🎓 HighLevel Live Training Workshop #9 : Social Media & Reputation Management Workshop : 19 January 2027

HighLevel isn’t only a CRM and automation platform. It can also help you manage two areas that have a major influence on how prospects see your business: your social media presence; and your online reputation. With HighLevel’s Social Planner, you can plan, create, schedule and publish social media content from one place. And with HighLevel Reputation Management, you can build processes around requesting, monitoring and making better use of customer reviews and testimonials. Those two things are closely connected. Social media helps people discover and understand your business. Reviews and testimonials help provide the social proof that gives them confidence to choose you. Our free HighLevel Social Media & Reputation training workshop is designed to show you how both areas work inside HighLevel and how they can support your wider marketing. This workshop is part of MarketerM8’s rolling programme of 13 free live HighLevel training workshops. Want to Get More From HighLevel Social Media & Reviews? Join our free live HighLevel Social Media & Reputation workshop and learn how to plan content, schedule posts, request reviews, collect video testimonials and build stronger social proof. Register for the next Free HighLevel Social Media & Reputation Management Training Workshop What Is HighLevel Social Planner? HighLevel Social Planner is designed to let you manage social content from one central place. You can connect supported social accounts, create content, schedule posts and view planned activity through a social media calendar. HighLevel currently supports Social Planner connections across platforms including: Facebook; Instagram; Threads; Google Business Profile; LinkedIn; TikTok; YouTube; Pinterest; HighLevel Community; and Bluesky. The available post formats and analytics vary by platform, but the central idea is straightforward: Create once → Adapt where necessary → Schedule → Publish → Review performance Why Manage Social Media From HighLevel? The obvious benefit is convenience. Instead of jumping between several social platforms simply to schedule content, you can manage much of the process from HighLevel. But there’s another benefit. Your social media activity is sitting inside the same wider platform as your: CRM; email marketing; forms; websites; sales pipelines; reputation management; and automation. That means social media stops feeling like a completely separate marketing activity. Don’t Start With “What Should We Post?” This is one of the most common social media questions. But I’d start one step earlier. Ask: “What role should social media play in our marketing?” Are you trying to: build awareness? demonstrate expertise? show proof and results? educate prospects? drive people to your website? promote events? support recruitment? generate enquiries? stay front of mind with existing customers? Once you know the objective, deciding what to post becomes much easier. Marketing objective first. Content second. HighLevel scheduling third. Plan Social Media Content Instead of Posting Randomly One of the biggest benefits of a social planner is being able to think ahead. Rather than realising at 4pm that you haven’t posted anything this week, you can build a content plan in advance. For example, your content might include a mixture of: educational posts; case studies; customer stories; reviews; video testimonials; behind-the-scenes content; FAQs; blog content; offers; events; team content; and opinion or commentary. The exact mix depends on your business and audience. The important thing is that your social media becomes intentional rather than accidental. Schedule Social Media Posts in Advance HighLevel Social Planner allows you to schedule content for future publication. This can be useful if you want to batch your social media activity. For example, you might spend an hour creating several posts and then schedule them across the next few weeks. That doesn’t mean your social media should become completely automated or robotic. There will still be opportunities to respond to current events, conversations and comments. But scheduling the core content can remove the pressure of constantly having to think of something new to publish. HighLevel Social Planner Supports Post Approvals This can be particularly useful if several people are involved in your marketing. HighLevel supports social post approval workflows. That means content can be prepared and then reviewed before publication. HighLevel also supports an external approval process using a secure link, allowing somebody such as a client or stakeholder to approve or reject posts without needing to log into HighLevel. This is useful for: marketing teams; agencies; business owners reviewing staff content; regulated businesses; and organisations where several people need visibility before something goes live. You Can Manage Social Comments From HighLevel Social media isn’t only about publishing. It’s about conversations too. HighLevel’s Social Planner supports comment management for several major platforms, allowing users to view and respond to comments from one dashboard. This can help reduce the need to constantly jump between different social applications. But the principle remains the same: Don’t simply broadcast. Pay attention to the conversation. HighLevel Social Media Analytics Scheduling content is only one part of the process. You also need to learn what is actually working. HighLevel includes Social Planner analytics across supported social platforms. That can help you review social performance and understand which types of content are generating attention or engagement. But don’t become obsessed with vanity metrics. A post getting 5,000 views isn’t necessarily more commercially useful than a post getting 200 views from exactly the right people. Think about what the business objective is. What Is HighLevel Reputation Management? The second major part of this workshop is Reputation Management. For many businesses, online reviews and testimonials influence whether a prospect decides to contact you. People want reassurance. They want to know: Have other people used you? Were they happy? Can they trust you? Do you deliver what you promise? A strong collection of genuine reviews and customer testimonials helps answer those questions. Why Google Reviews Matter Google reviews can influence both trust and local visibility. If somebody searches for a local business and sees one company with dozens or hundreds of positive reviews while another has very few, that difference can influence which business gets the enquiry. Reviews also provide something marketers have relied on for decades: social proof. It’s one Read more…
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HighLevel for Removals Companies: CRM, Marketing and Business Growth

HighLevel, also known as GoHighLevel, can be used as a CRM and marketing automation platform for removals companies. It can help organise enquiries, follow up quotations, share WhatsApp conversations across a team, answer calls using Voice AI, collect payments and request reviews. But rather than start with a software demonstration, let me explain how a furniture move sparked a conversation about growing a removals business. A furniture move from Stockport to West Didsbury Today I needed some furniture moving from Stockport to West Didsbury, Greater Manchester. LG Movers came highly recommended, and that is how I encountered Liam Gilmore, the owner. From the outset, he was responsive, helpful and happy to answer our questions. On the day, he delivered a great service. If you need furniture moving in the Manchester area, I can personally recommend Liam and LG Movers. Being fairly hands-on, I jumped in to help carry the furniture. During the move, I noticed Liam recording a video on his phone. He explained that it was for social media. That made me suspect he was the owner. Here was someone doing the physical work while also thinking about how to promote the business. As the morning progressed, we got chatting. Sure enough, Liam was the boss. I mentioned that I work in marketing automation. That description did not mean much to him initially. Fair enough. When you are busy running a removals company, “marketing automation” probably sounds less immediately useful than another pair of hands. But when we started talking about leads, WhatsApp and missed calls, the conversation became much more relevant. Great service generates referrals. Growth needs a consistent flow of enquiries Liam explained that referrals bring him work. That is a good starting point. My own booking was evidence that recommendations were working. But he wants more leads to grow the business. This is a familiar situation for small business owners. You deliver a good service. Customers recommend you. Yet the flow of new enquiries can still feel unpredictable. For a removals company, several questions are connected: How do more people discover you? What happens when they enquire? Who responds if the owner is busy? Are quotations followed up? Does each completed job create an opportunity for a review or referral? How do you coordinate more work as the team grows? How quickly do you collect payment? A well-configured CRM can help organise these activities. HighLevel goes further by bringing customer management together with marketing, communications and automation. However, the starting point should always be what the business needs. Already using removals software? A quick note before we continue If you are researching a CRM for a removals company, you may also encounter specialist moving and storage software. Examples include: Software What it focuses on MoveMan Removals management, with options covering customer management, move administration, storage and crew apps. Moveware CRM and operational management for moving, relocation and storage businesses. Supermove Moving and storage software covering sales, jobs and people. MoveBoard by Elromco Moving company software covering enquiries, quotations, booking, customer communication and crew tools. These are examples of specialist platforms rather than a ranking. Some already include CRM, follow-up and marketing features. If your existing software handles your operation well, there may be good reasons to keep it. We would look at what it already does, identify any gaps and assess whether HighLevel would add enough value. Any connection between systems would need checking. There is no assumption that a ready-made integration exists. For a smaller business, HighLevel may provide the customer management and marketing foundation it needs. For a more complex operator, it may have a role alongside specialist operational software. Back to Liam, and the opportunities we discussed while moving furniture… Turn social media posting into a system with HighLevel Social Planner Liam was already creating content while doing his everyday work. That is valuable. Real footage shows the people, care and effort behind the service. It gives prospective customers something more convincing than a generic photograph of a removal van. The opportunity is to organise that content so posting becomes a manageable routine. HighLevel’s Social Planner lets a business connect supported social accounts, prepare content and schedule posts through a shared calendar. Content can be prepared in batches and scheduled ahead, rather than relying on Liam finding time to publish between jobs. For a removals company, that could include: Videos from recent moves, with customer permission. Packing and furniture protection tips. Answers to common moving questions. Introductions to the team. Customer feedback and testimonials. Advice about access, parking and moving-day preparation. Liam could continue capturing the raw material. Another team member could help prepare and schedule the posts. That turns an occasional activity into a systematic, scalable marketing process. The business can maintain a consistent presence even when everyone is busy delivering the service. Give that content a longer life on the website Social media is useful, but a busy feed moves quickly. A post can continue reaching people after publication. However, relying entirely on social media means relying on what the platform chooses to show people. But having a website with useful website content creates another opportunity: being discovered when someone is actively looking for help. Liam felt his website could be better. My suggestion was to make more use of the experience and content he was already collecting. Our furniture move from Stockport to West Didsbury could become a short job story explaining what needed moving, how the team approached it and what the customer thought afterwards. That gives the business something specific and credible to publish, supported by its own experience. Build a new removals website with HighLevel AI Studio Creating a better website does not necessarily mean commissioning an expensive development project. Using AI Studio in HighLevel, Liam could describe the website he wants and use AI to build it himself. That could include a blog or content section for content, advice and job stories. He would still need to check the details, wording, photographs and finished pages. Read more…
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HighLevel for Paintball Venues: More Group Bookings, Repeat Players and Less Chasing

Running a successful paintball venue involves much more than delivering a great day on the field. Someone has to answer enquiries, help organisers choose a package, follow up with undecided groups and make sure players know what to expect. Then, once the day is over, there is another opportunity: getting those players back. HighLevel can help paintball venues build a marketing and follow-up system around their business, turning enquiries into group bookings and first-time players into returning customers. That includes WhatsApp enquiries, an AI receptionist for out-of-hours calls, corporate event follow-up, player communications, video testimonials and an evergreen marketing programme throughout the year. I have previously worked with a UK nationwide paintball business, so the opportunities around group organisers, enquiries and repeat visits are familiar to me. Keep your paintball booking system. Build the marketing around it. Your venue may already have software managing session availability, group sizes, deposits, packages, waivers and check-in. If it works well, there may be no reason to replace it. Booking and venue management platforms serving paintball businesses include: Resova: activity booking software serving paintball operators, with scheduling, payments, automated messages, promotions and marketing integrations. RecTech: recreation venue software serving paintball fields, with reservations, digital waivers, check-in and built-in marketing campaigns. SkirmOps: software aimed at UK paintball, airsoft and laser tag venues, with bookings, digital waivers, equipment management and automated communications. These are examples of relevant platforms, rather than a ranking of the most widely used systems. Do paintball booking platforms already include marketing? Yes. Their capabilities vary, but some go well beyond taking reservations. Resova lists promotional codes, abandoned booking recovery, feedback requests and Mailchimp integration. RecTech advertises player segmentation and multi-step email campaigns. SkirmOps describes automated confirmations, reminders and follow-up. The question is whether your current setup delivers the complete marketing and sales process your venue needs. Do WhatsApp enquiries receive consistent follow-up? Are corporate proposals tracked? Are previous players encouraged to organise their own groups? Are out-of-hours calls answered? Does someone maintain your marketing throughout the year? HighLevel can provide a central CRM, communication and automation system around those requirements. We would review your existing capabilities first, decide which system should handle each task and check the available integration options. Let your booking platform handle the operational tasks it does well, then use HighLevel to build the wider marketing and sales process. A direct HighLevel connection to Resova, RecTech, SkirmOps or any other booking platform should not be assumed. Available integrations, accessible data and subscription requirements need checking individually. 1. Turn WhatsApp questions into paintball bookings Booking paintball often starts with a conversation. “How many people do we need?” “What does the package include?” “Do you offer junior or low-impact paintball?” “Can you accommodate our work team?” A WhatsApp button on your website gives potential customers an easy way to ask those questions while discussing plans with their group. With WhatsApp connected to HighLevel, you can build a process around the enquiry: Capture the organiser’s details. Ask about group size, preferred date and the occasion. Send information about suitable packages. Explain what is included and any additional costs. Direct them to the appropriate booking page. Follow up while they confirm numbers with their group. The aim is to help the organiser get their event booked, rather than leave them to work everything out alone. Someone arranging a junior birthday party needs different information from someone organising a corporate event. Your conversations and follow-up should reflect that. You can read more about adding a WhatsApp option alongside your website enquiry form. 2. Follow up while the organiser gathers the group A paintball enquiry may come from someone who is interested but still needs to persuade everyone else. They might be arranging a birthday, stag or hen party, corporate event or weekend with friends. One reply is not always enough. HighLevel can help you create a follow-up process that provides useful information, prompts staff when personal attention is needed and stops when the booking is confirmed. For example, you could send the organiser a simple package summary they can share with their group. That summary might explain the session length, equipment provided, paintball allowance, available extras and how to reserve places. WhatsApp can carry quick questions and replies. Email can provide more detailed information. Clear information makes it easier for the organiser to turn a tentative idea into a confirmed event. 3. Keep players informed, not just the booker The person making the booking is only one member of the group. If all communication goes to that person, they become responsible for passing on arrival instructions, clothing advice and registration links. Instead, you could invite the organiser to share a player registration link. Each participant enters their own details and is associated with the booking. In HighLevel, each person you want to message would have a contact record. A Booking custom object could hold the date, venue, session, package and booking status. Contacts can be linked as Booker or Player, with the organiser having both roles where appropriate. There is no need to create a duplicate contact when a player later becomes a booker. If more detailed attendance history is needed, a Player Participation custom object could link each person to each visit and record visit-specific information. Custom objects organise the booking and player relationships. Messages are sent to the associated contact records. With the appropriate setup and communication permissions, practical messages could be sent by email, text or WhatsApp covering: Where to go and when to arrive. Suitable clothing and footwear. What the chosen package includes. Links to your existing registration or waiver process. Food arrangements and other venue-specific information. Relevant changes to the booking. For junior bookings, communications should be designed around the parent or guardian and your venue’s existing procedures. Your booking and waiver software should continue handling the operational requirements it already manages well. We would also check which messages it sends to avoid duplicate reminders. 4. Turn previous players into future organisers Someone who attends a friend’s birthday Read more…
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HighLevel Subscriptions vs HighLevel Recurring Invoices: Which Should You Use?

If you want to charge a customer every month in HighLevel, you have two options: subscriptions and recurring invoices.Both can collect payment automatically. Both can work well for ongoing services. So which should you choose?For me, the decision goes beyond getting this month’s payment collected. I also want to know what happens to the billing if the business or its software changes in the future. That is where an important difference becomes apparent. What is a subscription in HighLevel? A subscription is an individual customer’s ongoing purchase of a product or service, billed at an agreed interval. For example, you might sell website support for £150 per month. Each customer who signs up has their own subscription to that service. Other examples include: £49 per month for a membership. £200 per month for a coaching programme. An annual subscription for access to online training. What does HighLevel mean by a “recurring product”? This terminology can cause confusion. You hear “recurring product”, “subscription” and “recurring invoice”, and it sounds as though there are three different billing options. For the purposes of this article, we are looking at two ways to collect repeating payments in HighLevel: subscriptions and recurring invoices. A recurring product is the offer you sell, with a repeating price. When setting up your product in HighLevel, you choose whether its price is one-time or recurring. For website support, that could mean: Price setting What the customer buys One-time: £150 Website support for a single payment of £150 Recurring: £150 per month Website support paid monthly HighLevel calls the second option a recurring product. The setting tells the system how much to charge and how often, but creating the product alone does not start collecting payments. When a customer purchases it through a supported checkout or payment link, their subscription is created using that price. You can also create a subscription manually using supported payment options. So you have: The product: Website support. Its recurring price: £150 per month. The customer’s subscription: Their ongoing billing arrangement for that service. You do not need an additional “repeating product” or a separate recurring invoice schedule to collect the same subscription payment. HighLevel’s recurring pricing settings can also include trial periods and setup fees, where supported. How does a Stripe subscription work? With a genuine Stripe-backed subscription, the recurring billing arrangement exists in Stripe. The subscription contains the customer, recurring price, billing interval and payment method. Stripe then generates subscription invoices and attempts to collect payment each billing cycle. Take our website support example. The customer signs up for £150 per month through a supported HighLevel checkout. Their subscription is created in Stripe, and Stripe runs the monthly billing schedule. HighLevel connects the purchase to the customer’s CRM record and can receive payment and subscription status information from Stripe. You can also review supported subscriptions in Payments → Subscriptions in HighLevel and use the available management controls. Managing a subscription through HighLevel does not necessarily mean HighLevel controls the underlying billing schedule. What is a recurring invoice in HighLevel? A recurring invoice is an invoice template that HighLevel uses to generate and send bills on a schedule. For example, an accountant might create a monthly invoice for bookkeeping, or an agency might set up quarterly invoices for an ongoing service. You define the invoice details and frequency. HighLevel then generates the invoices according to that schedule. You can amend the template, adjust the schedule and include client-specific notes or terms. This approach suits businesses where the customer relationship is organised around an agreed service and regular invoices. Can recurring invoices collect payment automatically? Yes. Recurring invoices do not have to mean asking the customer to pay manually every month. With Auto-Pay enabled and a valid card available, HighLevel can automatically charge the customer when each recurring invoice becomes due. If no card is available when you create the schedule, the customer may need to pay the first invoice manually. Future invoices can then collect automatically after that successful payment. Using Stripe as the payment provider, the practical distinction is: Billing approach Which system runs the repeating schedule? How is payment collected? Genuine Stripe subscription Stripe Stripe collects payment as part of its subscription billing cycle HighLevel recurring invoice with Auto-Pay HighLevel HighLevel generates the invoice and initiates collection through Stripe when it becomes due Both can collect £150 every month for website support. The difference is where the instruction to keep collecting that £150 lives. Can subscriptions generate invoices and receipts too? Yes. You do not need to choose recurring invoices simply because your customers need an invoice every month. With a genuine Stripe subscription, Stripe automatically generates an invoice for each billing cycle. When payment is successfully collected, that invoice is marked as paid. Stripe can also email the customer a payment receipt and provide the associated billing documents when the appropriate customer email settings are enabled. A customer paying £150 per month for website support can therefore have: Automatic monthly payment collection. An invoice for each monthly billing cycle. An emailed receipt confirming each successful payment. HighLevel can also send automatic sales receipts for subscription payments. However, I would choose which system sends the receipts to avoid customers receiving duplicate emails. My preference is to let Stripe handle the subscription billing and its invoice and receipt emails. That keeps the billing arrangement and customer payment documentation together in the business’s own Stripe account. The difference between subscriptions and recurring invoices is therefore not whether customers can receive an invoice. It is which system controls the repeating billing schedule and how you want to manage it. When would I use a subscription? I would generally choose a subscription for a clearly defined ongoing offer that customers join. Typical examples include: Memberships and paid communities. Ongoing coaching programmes. Software subscriptions. Website support and maintenance packages. Monthly support plans. Subscription access to courses or training. Subscriptions are particularly useful when you want a consistent signup process or a trial before paid billing begins. Read more…
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