Affiliate since: 09/25/2012, Power Rank: 152

Hi, Samuel:

All we can do is point them to the WAVE3 information page, explain to them the benefits and rewards of WAVE3 membership, and highlight the fact that WAVE3 is simply one more way to promote and build our TripleClicks.com sales and our SFI business.

The cost to become a WAVE3 member is minimal and it is a one-time cost. If they have ways to promote WAVE3 (like blog posts, banners on their website, social marketing, etc.), then it can be a very low cost way to attract TripleClicks members.

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Hi, Samuel:

All we can do is point them to the WAVE3 information page, explain to them the benefits and rewards of WAVE3 membership, and highlight the fact that WAVE3 is simply one more way to promote and build our TripleClicks.com sales and our SFI business.

The cost to become a WAVE3 member is minimal and it is a one-time cost. If they have ways to promote WAVE3 (like blog posts, banners on their website, social marketing, etc.), then it can be a very low cost way to attract
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Affiliate since: 09/25/2012, Power Rank: 152

Hello, Malak:

The one keyword that I recommend you avoid is "job". I see some SFI affiliates advertising or promoting the SFI opportunity as a job, but it is not a job. It is a sales and marketing opportunity.

We are independent affiliates for SFI and our income depends on our success at generating sales and at recruiting and training others to generate sales.

The word "job" suggests that you are hired by the company and are paid by the company for the work you do for them.

However, as an independent affiliate, there is no guarantee of income (like there is when you are hired by and being paid by the company); it is entirely based on your efforts and success at generating sales.
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Hello, Malak:

The one keyword that I recommend you avoid is "job". I see some SFI affiliates advertising or promoting the SFI opportunity as a job, but it is not a job. It is a sales and marketing opportunity.

We are independent affiliates for SFI and our income depends on our success at generating sales and at recruiting and training others to generate sales.

The word "job" suggests that you are hired by the company and are paid by the company
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Affiliate since: 09/25/2012, Power Rank: 152

Hello, Vickie:

By now, you have received many great answers from other SFI affiliates. All I can do is tell you what I have done to determine if my autoresponder is working.

First, my autoresponder service has a feature that lets me test a message by sending it to myself. Whenever I set up a new message, I always use that feature to test the delivery and the appearance of the message.

Second, I have a few extra email accounts with Gmail (Google mail) that I sometimes use to test my autoresponder. You can set up a new Gmail account quickly and easily and it is free. I will submit one of those email accounts to the sign-up form I use with my autoresponder to test to see if the autoresponder sends the desired messages to that email. If it works, great. If it doesn't work, I find out why, fix the problem, and test it again until it is working properly.

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Hello, Vickie:

By now, you have received many great answers from other SFI affiliates. All I can do is tell you what I have done to determine if my autoresponder is working.

First, my autoresponder service has a feature that lets me test a message by sending it to myself. Whenever I set up a new message, I always use that feature to test the delivery and the appearance of the message.

Second, I have a few extra email accounts with Gmail (Google mail) that I sometimes
...more

Affiliate since: 09/25/2012, Power Rank: 152

Hello, Nebojsa:

There are three primary ways to promote SFI and TripleClicks through television:

1. Advertising (typically very expensive)

2. Programming (even MORE expensive)

3. Newsworthy Story (you will have to be the ‘Bill Gates’ or ‘Gery Carson’ of your community to have any hope of making this work for you!)

Let's take a closer look:

1. Advertising

You will have to contact your local television stations to find out what types of advertising and advertising packages they have to offer. There are some cable channels that have a community channel where you can advertise free or at a low cost, but keep in mind that EVERYbody else will be advertising there, too.

2. Programming

This would mean creating your own ‘shopping channel’ type of program. Or it could be a ‘marketing’ talk show, or some such thing. Do you think you could develop an idea unique enough and strong enough to make the grade for TV?

3. Newsworthy Story

I used to work with a local newspaper and I would get home business marketers coming in trying to pitch an idea for a “news” story that really was just about promoting their business or service or product. They came to me because they were told by “professional marketers” that “reporters are always looking for stories and they will welcome you with open arms.” LOL ... No, not really. (Unless it truly is newsworthy. But 99% of the time - no, not really. Unless you are a Bill Gates or Gery Carson in your community.)

I’m not saying you can’t or won’t find some good advertising or promotional opportunities on television, but the cost and the standards make it very difficult for the average marketer. The best thing is to do some research with your local television stations. Get a feel for what is required.

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Hello, Nebojsa:

There are three primary ways to promote SFI and TripleClicks through television:

1. Advertising (typically very expensive)

2. Programming (even MORE expensive)

3. Newsworthy Story (you will have to be the ‘Bill Gates’ or ‘Gery Carson’ of your community to have any hope of making this work for you!)

Let's take a closer look:

1. Advertising

You will have to contact your local television stations to
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Affiliate since: 09/25/2012, Power Rank: 152

Hi, Robert:

People with money to invest in a business want a clearly defined business plan showing them what the costs and obligations will be and what the risks are. In most cases, they will be aware enough to understand that nothing in life is guaranteed and any business venture can be risky.

So, a professionally designed business plan that defines the costs, the risks, the day-to-day operational requirements, and the anticipated returns on investment is what you need to for these prospects.

The better your presentation is, and the better equipped you are to answer any and all questions they may have, the more successful you will be at recruiting them.

If they plan to run their SFI business themselves, they will want a very clearly defined step-by-step process of how to develop their SFI business.

If they plan to delegate the responsibility to a business manager, then they will want the same clear directions for that person.

If you develop a professional business plan, and a set of clear operating instructions, and are prepared to handle any questions with knowledge and confidence, then you will be ready to start approaching your targeted prospects!

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Hi, Robert:

People with money to invest in a business want a clearly defined business plan showing them what the costs and obligations will be and what the risks are. In most cases, they will be aware enough to understand that nothing in life is guaranteed and any business venture can be risky.

So, a professionally designed business plan that defines the costs, the risks, the day-to-day operational requirements, and the anticipated returns on investment is what you need to
...more

Affiliate since: 09/25/2012, Power Rank: 152

Hello, Alison:

This is my opinion about which is potentially more profitable, referring PRMs or ECAs.

Although PRMs (personally referred TripleClicks members) can potentially give you a lot of sales at TripleClicks, in many cases, unless you have a personal relationship with the PRM, their purchases will be few and far between. You can entice them with gift certificates, but that will cut into your profits.

So, to generate a high volume of PRM sales at TripleClicks on a regular basis, you will need to keep recruiting a high volume of new PRMs on a regular basis. While that is definitely a good thing that EVERY SFI affiliate should be doing, it boils down to being a sales business where you have to consistently put enough effort into filling your sales funnel to get the desired results.

On the other hand, when you sign up ECAs (E-Commerce Associates) who are serious, professional business people, they will do their share of marketing and promoting to draw customers and sales, and their consistent efforts have the potential to give you a steady, ongoing source of residual income.

Having said that, I know it can be quite challenging to find good ECAs who see the potential of marketing online through TripleClicks. But consider this:

What if you were to identify, say, five or 10 businesses or services local to your area who want to use the Internet to promote their business and generate sales. You help them get set up as an ECA. They advertise their business or service on TripleClicks (through their ECA store). They advertise using local sources to let local buyers know that there is NOW a convenient way to order and pay for goods from their business online and all they have to do is walk into the establishment and pick up their purchase!

The ECA will grow their business. Their customers get an easy way to shop online before going to pick up their item(s), and you, as the ECA referrer, earn your commissions and benefits!

Bottom line to your original question: I say it is better to sign up a few good ECAs who generate many sales each than it is for you to have to keep chasing down PRMs one at a time.

(But keep in mind that all SFI affiliates should work on recruiting BOTH PRMs and ECAs.)

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Hello, Alison:

This is my opinion about which is potentially more profitable, referring PRMs or ECAs.

Although PRMs (personally referred TripleClicks members) can potentially give you a lot of sales at TripleClicks, in many cases, unless you have a personal relationship with the PRM, their purchases will be few and far between. You can entice them with gift certificates, but that will cut into your profits.

So, to generate a high volume of PRM sales at TripleClicks
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Affiliate since: 09/25/2012, Power Rank: 152

Hi, Kevin:

It is my opinion that you should keep pursuing them as long as they are in your genealogy. In my experience, you just never know when an inactive member might suddenly decide to become active again. If you show them that you are interested in them, even when they are not active, that might be the catalyst that triggers their renewed interest.

In my case, I was active for a few years, then I stopped being active for a few years, and then when I heard some marketing friends speaking favorably about improvements to SFI that had been recently made at that time, I investigated and took a renewed interest in the program. If my sponsor or co-sponsor had bothered to contact me and keep me informed, I might have renewed my interest sooner!

My only word of caution to you is that you are careful what you say to your inactive PSAs/CSAs (because you don’t want to offend or upset them), and that you do not send too many messages too frequently. Just send the occasional gentle reminder that SFI is still great and you are still available, if they have any questions or need any help.

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Hi, Kevin:

It is my opinion that you should keep pursuing them as long as they are in your genealogy. In my experience, you just never know when an inactive member might suddenly decide to become active again. If you show them that you are interested in them, even when they are not active, that might be the catalyst that triggers their renewed interest.

In my case, I was active for a few years, then I stopped being active for a few years, and then when I heard some marketing
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Affiliate since: 09/25/2012, Power Rank: 152

Hi, Leslie. How about this as an explanation of the ECA program?


The E-Commerce Associates (ECA) Program is designed for small and medium businesses and commercial sellers who want to market their products and services to prime prospects globally.

The ECA program is hosted on the TripleClicks.com e-commerce shopping site. There is no cost to become an ECA. Once accepted into the program, an ECA can list as many products or services as they choose; there is no cost for listing the items. When an item sells, TripleClicks keeps a nominal percentage of the retail price of the item.

TripleClicks provides secure shopping cart, customer check-out and payment processing features, including a multitude of payment options, wish lists, gift registries and more.

There is an application process to become an ECA. Approval usually takes one or two business days.

Approved ECAs choose the products and services to list, when to list them or remove them, and what retail price to set for each item.

TripleClicks handles order and payment processing. When an item sells, the ECA is notified and ships the product. Once shipment is confirmed, the price of the item, minus the TripleClicks fee, is credited to the ECA's TripleClicks account. The ECA can choose to receive the funds from their account either weekly via check or PayPal, or daily via electronic funds transfer.

A variety of other options and features are available to ECAs, and all information can be accessed via the ECA's TripleClicks account once they have been accepted into the program.

There is no risk involved to become an ECA and no obligation to list items unless or until the ECA is ready to do it, so interested ECAs are encouraged to apply to get an inside look at ALL of the program features and benefits!

(That's my suggestion, Leslie! I hope this helps to inspire you!)

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Hi, Leslie. How about this as an explanation of the ECA program?


The E-Commerce Associates (ECA) Program is designed for small and medium businesses and commercial sellers who want to market their products and services to prime prospects globally.

The ECA program is hosted on the TripleClicks.com e-commerce shopping site. There is no cost to become an ECA. Once accepted into the program, an ECA can list as many products or services as they choose; there is no cost for
...more

Affiliate since: 09/25/2012, Power Rank: 152

Personally, I try to impress on my team members that they can build this business the slow way or the fast way and it all depends on how serious and determined they are to succeed.

The slow way is by using only free methods. They take time and sometimes a whole lot of energy and effort. Usually, many affiliates who do it this way get frustrated or lose their focus and start drifting away to other things.

On the other hand, you can accelerate your progress by investing small amounts of money wisely. For example, by setting up a Standing Order to maintain your Executive Affiliate status, and by investing in other beneficial purchases, like the S-Builder Co-op.

When you invest in your business in this way, you create a stronger purpose and stronger commitment and this helps you to stay focused and work harder. It is a cycle that helps to perpetuate itself.

That's the message I try to share.

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Personally, I try to impress on my team members that they can build this business the slow way or the fast way and it all depends on how serious and determined they are to succeed.

The slow way is by using only free methods. They take time and sometimes a whole lot of energy and effort. Usually, many affiliates who do it this way get frustrated or lose their focus and start drifting away to other things.

On the other hand, you can accelerate your progress by investing small
...more

Affiliate since: 09/25/2012, Power Rank: 152

There are several things that have contributed to making a difference for me in SFI.

If I were to choose just one thing to highlight here, I would say it was my active Co-Sponsored Affiliates (CSAs)!

In the beginning, I had a lot of enthusiasm, but not a strong belief that I could make SFI work. But then an incredible thing happened: I received a batch of CSAs and a few of them were actively building their businesses!

At first, all I saw was that they were visiting the Affiliate Center regularly and building up their VersaPoints (VP). But the more I watched them, I could see that some of them were making purchases and sales, too!

And then . . . when the next SFI payday rolled around and I discovered that about a third or more of my commissions for that month were from my active CSAs, I was EXCITED and I was SOLD on the belief that SFI could and would work for me.

That was a turning point for me and that's when I truly committed to this business and truly began to focus on it with real intent. I have been rewarded.

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There are several things that have contributed to making a difference for me in SFI.

If I were to choose just one thing to highlight here, I would say it was my active Co-Sponsored Affiliates (CSAs)!

In the beginning, I had a lot of enthusiasm, but not a strong belief that I could make SFI work. But then an incredible thing happened: I received a batch of CSAs and a few of them were actively building their businesses!

At first, all I saw was that they were visiting
...more