Maria McCarthy

I just read over what I wrote before and realized that what I wrote might be kind of confusing... I'm picturing readers saying to themselves, "Well, if Paypal is already doing what Pro Pay does, why would she want to consider Pro Pay?" and the answer to that is that I don't believe it's a good idea to put all of your eggs in one basket... especially when it comes to payment processors. I've never had any issues with Paypal... but it's scary to think that if one business stopped doing business or just stopped doing business with YOU that it could sink your own business and everything you've worked hard for... It's always good to know what your options are and to have redundancies in place if you can

Agreed! And not only that... but I think purchasing from small online shops is almost safer these days. The online criminals seem to target (no pun intended!) the larger retail establishments... I do remember

I know what an SSL certificate is for... definitely need one if you are going to process payments on your own site I'm just wondering if there are enough other great options now to not require that anymore (having to process them on your own site)... I haven't used Authorize.net in a few years... before Paypal was accepting CC's directly... Glad Paypal does that now, too

I'll be taking a closer look when I get the chance too Authorize.net was a bit of a hassle because you had to set up a secure certificate...etc... I'm wondering if you don't have to do that with Pro pay. Would love to hear if you learn more

My biggest lesson that I've learned both in life and in business is that it's not always important to be "right" or to get the last word in. I've seen many people come into this business in the past year (and into my other business and my life for years) who fixate on small things that aren't worthy of being fixated on, they fight battles that don't need to be fought (of course, what battles should be fought is a matter of opinion) and they believe they always have to be right or that the perception that they are right has to be there at ALL times. Not true. Those people tend to burn out a lot...they get frustrated... and the time after time action of trying to win all of these little battles (battles that aren't worthy of their time) wears them down and eventually makes them lose the ultimate battle... their business. The world is not perfect and so it goes that it's not possible to always be right or to win every battle. Know when to identify when you have a true grievance and when you don't... learn to identify when you truly have the power to make a change & when you don't... Get used to learning how to walk away so that you can focus on what you CAN do, instead.

Has anyone ever heard of a company called, Pro Pay? I had never heard of them before... but I guess they've been around since at least 2008 or before... I made a purchase on Ebay a couple of days ago and was not paying attention to the payment options (lesson learned) so after I made the purchase I was slightly shocked when I was not directed to pay through Paypal but was instead directed to pay through Pro Pay. My fear at the time was that I didn't have an account with them or a bank account attached to an account with them... what if I couldn't pay for my purchase in time (how long would it take to set that up?)... but no fear, I was able to use a credit card to pay via Pro Pay, without even having to sign up for an account. They are approved for use by Ebay...they seem to have the approval of so many other big names... the transaction was easy, easy, easy... so it made me wonder... why haven't I heard of them before? Since 2008 I've completed about 800 transactions or so on Ebay alone... has anyone ever heard of them or might you know why they haven't caught on? If I took credit cards at one of my sites again... I would heavily consider using them over who I've used in the past (Authorize.net) because it seems so much easier... I've never heard of Stripe before... I will have to look that up

I'm very happy with the changes. I still haven't had a chance to really look thoroughly, but I'm guessing I will probably upgrade again, once I do. I think there were some major issues on the last platform that probably needed to be addressed to ensure the continuous growth of the site & kudos to Matt & Darren for addressing those issues... I deeply respect that decision. Is it an inconvenience? Maybe a little bit... I haven't been so inconvenienced that it's worth holding it over anyones head. Marketing Checkpoint was very responsive before & I'm sure it will continue to be that way. I say thank you Paypal - awesome. I think we can see our referrals now, too...am I correct? Are the blogs still around? I really need to take some time to look around

It looks amazing And this format is perfect. Still looking around but this is obviously so much more than just a forum....lots to explore. Well done Matt & Darren

Thanks, Inga! I appreciate your kind words. I'll try my best to live up to them

Thanks, Ben!

I am now the proud new owner of LOL Solos Viral Mailer! For the next 96 hours, until Friday, July 19th at 2 PM EST the Super Star Gold Lifetime Upgrade (usually $179 a year) can be purchased for just $15.95! It's an exciting time to be an LOL Solos member. Are you a member yet?

Very true, Marisa! I encounter those folks every day as I'm sure many of us do. I think a lot of it stems from all of those false promises of becoming rich for doing nothing out there.

I agree, Paula Frye! Things have really started to pick up for me since I stopped ignoring all of the downline builders! I still ignore a few...or I don't always feel like I have to sign up to EVERY site now, which is what I did in the beginning... but they work! And thanks for sharing your personal results John... we newer folks do need to hear stories like that every once and a while to stay inspired. Mailer Ninja has, by far, been the best unintentional downline builder for me so far. I even won a referral contest at another site just from Mailer Ninja referrals that signed up under me! Paula Van Dun, I will definitely check out your program. I have a friend who has a similar program that I've been meaning to check out as well...so I really need to set aside some time for that. Thanks for sharing

Thanks, Ben!

I love mailers. I wouldn't discount any advertising avenue though. Especially if you own the program(s) you are promoting and will be promoting the same offers, long term... it helps to have a variety of tools & prospects to advertise too. Safelists, TEs, TAEs...etc.

That's interesting. I've never used Google Analytics for tracking. I have been using trck.me as well and I've been pretty happy with it...but I would love to learn of other ways as well, especially if they are free.

I agree with Kenny & Marisa. It is our job as sponsors to put ourselves in their shoes & guide them through the first stages & give them the tools for success that will carry them through the rest. There are some people who are always going to look for excuses to fail, though...and it IS imperative that you learn/know how to identify those people so that you know when enough is enough & when it's time to allow them to fail. It sounds so harsh but you are not helping someone when you do their job for them... you need to make sure you are teaching them how to do their job & they are receptive to learning. Otherwise, it wont' work.

I agree, Kay! It's so easy to forget we are dealing with real humans and to humanize ourselves. We just assume that they know... but it's a feeling we've got to work to impart to them. But how? What are some good ways to do that?

Well, I don't think so. I've been adding my sites to Mailer Ninja which is really meant to keep your safelist mailsing organized and only doubles as a downline-builder, and I just received $15 (to my surprise!) for winning a referral contest that I had no idea I was competing in & ALL of my referrals came through Mailer Ninja...so, no, I don't think it's a waste at all! I've been getting many, many sign ups

Great advice, William! Thanks!

Go to your own profile page by clicking on your name. Then click on your friends number... that will bring up your friends list. Right above all of the pictures of your friends, you will see a horizontal menu across the top of those pictures... one of the words should say "requests" click on that & you will be brought to the page showing any friend requests you have received.

Whatever site you are promoting should have an "affiliate tools" or "tools & stats" page where you get the banner image url from & your PERSONAL referral url. You don't want to just promote the page url, because you will not get sign-ups that way. You need to look for the page that displays your personal referral URL.

Right click on the banner and select "Open image in new tab" that will give you the image url. Does that answer your question or do you need more help?

I keep using the Steal the Spotlight feature at various sites as well.... have you been getting a response on that?... I haven't pinpointed my tracking down to that level yet... but may set up a special page to test that soon. And thanks to everyone who explained the what adchievements can me used for... I've earned some, but was not aware of that

Jackie, regarding the network solos, the CTR only went down because the owners of those sites were rewarding members (almost always) with 3Xs the points for clicking on the network supers over regular solos, but we are starting to see a change now.. many owners are starting to switch over to equal points or even more points for clicking on membership solos over network solos. I will be make this same change on all of my sites very soon...