As you may know, I’ve written a few recent articles about the economy.  Today I heard a new marketing technique that sneaky gas stations are doing. 

Apparently, a few gas stations attract the public by promoting a lesser price per gas.  However, with the price of gas increase this year, gas stations are aware that most consumers are paying with their credit cards, considering it takes a lot more money to fill up.  Did you know that some gas stations are charging extra when using a credit card? Doesn’t surprise me one bit! For example, if you use a Visa you might have an increase of 2%.  So as an example, if you thought you were paying $4.11 you would actually be charged $4.19.  Hey, that .08 cent difference starts adding up, also consider the monthly fee your credit card is charging on top of that.  Pretty expensive gas, I must say.

How to prevent this well, make sure that one, you check that the price match up on the screen when you swipe your card, and secondly check your receipt.  This sounds tricky but it certainly real.  Many gas stations lure the consumer that are paying with cash  to come inside, instead of the little window.  Many gas stations have a mini mart with yummy treats.  Yes, I know each time I walk in I don’t only pay for gas but I grab a few goodies on the way as well, I’m sure I’m not the only one.  But its a marketing technique.  

How does this reflect a lead exchange?  It’s related in an awkward way.  We already know that a large number of consumers are in some serious credit card debt, well with the gas stations new marketing techniques this will increase consumers debt.  Meaning, more consumers will be seeking help online to clear their unsecured debt.  In addition, it reflects how marketing is not only done online, but everywhere you go.  Driving a consumer in, will get them to spend.  With our lead exchange we don’t mislead our prospects.   The consumers are driven to our websites through extensive PPC campaigns and they are knowingly submitting a request to be contacted for a specific service.

I must admit, this was news to me when I first learned that some gas stations charge higher prices for gas when paying with a credit card. 

The Following is a from Bankrate.com by Laura Bruce, September 12^th, 2005. I thought this would be an interesting post for People following Online Payday at the Lead Exchaneg Blog.

It’s a tempting alternative to walking into the check-cashing store on the corner. Online payday lenders are popping up on the Internet, offering fast, short-term loans to cash-strapped consumers, in the anonymous comfort of cyberspace.

But if you borrow from these businesses, you might have more to worry about than the astronomical interest rates traditionally associated with payday lenders in general.

For starters, you’ll provide an amazing amount of personal data — Social Security number, driver’s license number, mother’s maiden name and, of course, your name, address and employment information — to the Web site.

You’ll also give your checking account number and bank routing number, so the lender will have access to your account. The lender will deposit your loan into your checking account and dip into your account to extract interest, fees and the principal. Some require that you fax them your latest pay stub, most recent bank statement, photo ID and a voided check.

But to whom are you giving this information? More than likely you won’t have a clue. Many Web sites that pop up when you do a search for something such as “payday loans” aren’t lenders at all. Take Advance Cash Loans, which states at the bottom of its home page, “Advance Cash Loans is not an online provider of online payday cash advances. We simply connect people seeking fast cash advances with online providers of instant cash advances so they can get the advance cash that they need, as soon as possible.”

A Consumer Federation of America (CFA) survey, of 100 online payday lenders and referrals sites, found that many are run from outside the United States and, perhaps, out of reach of American laws.

“You don’t know where your information is going,” says Jean Ann Fox, director of consumer protection at CFA.

“Many times you can’t find who the domain is registered to. There are Internet payday lenders outside the country, in Canada and on islands in the Caribbean that you can’t find with a magnifying glass. It’s like handing a stranger a blank check.”

Bankrate.com tried to contact three payday lenders. Only one could be contacted, and no one there would answer questions or return calls.

Are these businesses fly-by-night scammers that will steal your identity, trap you into budget-busting, long-term borrowing habits, or illegally siphon money out of your bank account? Nope, not necessarily. But you should think long and hard before sending your information to companies that are so stingy about their own information, Fox says.

“If you borrow from them, you’re not seen in line at the corner payday lender, so there’s privacy and that might be a selling point. But I hope it’s offset by sending all that personal information over the Internet. It’s a financial strip search. They want every piece of your financial information. People should be afraid to provide that information. I wouldn’t want to give that to someone over the counter, much less over the Internet.”

Traditional payday lenders — the so-called brick-and-mortar shops — are represented by Community Financial Services of America, a trade association. Online payday lenders have no such organization and, therefore, have no one to represent them. But Andy Jacob, CEO of Leadpile.com, a company that seeks leads for salespeople in the cash-advance business and other industries, calls the growth in online payday lending “explosive.”

“What’s happening in online is happening fast and furious. The major players are trying to position themselves to be the leader online. It’s a bifurcated space right now. There are many players that are lead generators that aren’t in the payday loan space and they’re attempting to secure the lead to themselves. Many payday-loan companies are late to the game. It’s challenging to figure out which company is doing what right now.”

The growth of online payday lending is presenting problems for state law enforcement officials and consumer advocates. Earlier this year, the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation ordered 91 companies marketing Internet payday loans to stop. The companies were reportedly charging annual percentage rates averaging 300 percent and fees averaging $30. The state says none of the companies were licensed to offer loans to residents.

Some of the letters we sent to these companies were returned when the post office was unable to find the address,” says David Cotney, senior deputy commissioner at the Massachusetts Division of Banks. “That reinforces our concern about consumers handing over personal information. That’s one of the reasons licensing is required; it gives the consumer some recourse.”

James Brusselback, enforcement chief at Washington State Department of Financial Institutions, says his division is investigating some 10 online payday lenders.

“The difficulty with the online outfits is in locating them, and then some of them claim that our state law doesn’t apply to them, so we have that issue of trying to bring them under our state law. I guess part of their argument is that they’re not located in the state and that their home-state law is sufficient to protect their customers. The requirements in those states — Nevada and Utah — are far less than what we require.”

Karolyn Klohe, financial legal examiner in Brusselback’s department, says consumers can have a tough time stopping online payday lenders from taking money out of their accounts.

“A common complaint against online payday lenders is that the customer is required to give banking information, whereas if they walk into a payday lender store they give them a postdated check. But what’s happening online is the payday lender uses the bank information to make unauthorized withdrawals from the consumer’s account. They say they’re collecting funds owed to them. They can make these withdrawals in a way they can’t with a postdated check.”

Turning to a payday lender — online or on the corner — is almost universally discouraged by consumer advocates. But the alternatives can seem thin to someone who needs cash to see them through to the next paycheck. Many banks offer bounced-check protection plans that consumer advocates often equate with payday lending. A notable difference, perhaps, is that the consumer is less likely to be able to overdraw several times and end up owing money they probably can’t repay.

“The long-term solutions include getting a good spending plan and building a nest egg of savings,” says Fox. If you can afford to pay $45 every payday to keep a $300 loan from bouncing, then you can afford to save it so you don’t need to borrow in the future.

“Pawn shops are cheaper than payday loans. On rare occasions you can ask your employer for an advance. Negotiate directly with whomever you owe. Get a second job. Put off purchases until you can pay. None of these are comfortable. It’s appealing to write the check without having money in your checking account and walk out with cash, but it comes at a high price.”

In their survey of Internet payday loan sites, CFA found that loans of $200 to $2,500 were available, but $500 was the most-frequently offered. Finance charges ranged from $10 per $100 up to $30 per $100 borrowed. The most common rate of $25 per $100 translates into an annual percentage rate of approximately 650 percent if the loan is repaid in two weeks.

Many states have passed laws regulating payday and small loan laws. Consumer Federation of America has compiled important information that consumers should be familiar with before borrowing.

Chicago, IL: Grades 9-12 (High School)

Our Monthly Donation goes to Chicago, IL for the project “Documenting Student Leadership”.

Here is what the teacher says: “My students are looking for leadership opportunities within our school. I am starting a Student Leadership Committee designed to address student concerns and community building. I have a strong desire to document the process by taping the meetings, projects, events, assemblies and student reflections about the process and the results.” 

We wish them good luck with the project, and we thank all our business partners for helping in making a change in the world! 

MicroClick Ads Turning Affiliate Marketing Upside Down, Reports LeadPile

Phoenix, Arizona -July 8th, 2008 — Within three weeks of announcing the introduction of their new “MicroClick Ads”, LeadPile has created quite a buzz in Affiliate Marketing Circles throughout the United States, Canada, and the UK. Leadpile, The World’s Largest Online Exclusive Lead Marketplace, or Lead Exchange, has reported that the MicroClick Ads have contributed to a 17% increase in production for selected Lead Publishers, and have helped LeadPile to continue its position as the leader in the Lead Exchange Revolution.

What are MicroClicks? Simply put, MicroClick Ads are very small single page mini sites that open a new window enabling Affiliate Publishers to have much more control over their own sites than with “Old Fashioned Affiliate Programs”. The MicroClick ads are a tremendous innovation for Publishers desiring to monetize their traffic. To see what everyone in Affiliate Marketing is talking about, please visit http://www.leadpile.com/microsites.html

The MicroClick Ads give Publishers total control over their own site giving them more compelling monetization opportunities for their content.  For the first time ever, Leadpile’s MicroClick Ads place Publishers in total control of their own sites, and their own income because MicroClick ads are located their own Websites, and secured on Leadpile’s Secured Servers. MicroClick Ads have been designed for those Publishers knowledgeable with HTML and JavaScript, and those who are not. Inserting the MicroClick ads into a website is fast, simple, and easy.

Andy Jacob, Founder of Leadpile, says “There is absolutely no limit to the number of MicroClick Ads a Publisher can place on a site. All they need to do with their site is to target each keyword that they want, add the simple code automatically provided by the LeadPile System, and the LeadPile Lead Exchange does the rest. Jacob says, “This could be a game changer for Affiliate Marketing as we know it.”

About LeadPile:

Leadpile, the World’s Largest Exclusive Online Lead Marketplace/Lead Exchange, offers the Lead-Gen “Space” the Largest, centralized location for Buyers and Sellers of Exclusive Leads to engage in an exclusive  Lead Exchange, or Lead Marketplace. The Leadpile Marketplace allows the Originators of Leads, and the Lead Buyers themselves, to decide what price they are each willing to sell, and buy, their leads at, and the way in which the lead delivery will take place. Visit LeadPile at http:///www.leadpile.com , or visit the Lead Exchange Blog at http://www.leadpile.com/lead-exchange-blog.

Yes, correct! In a lead exchange the pricing is market driven.  Payday and Auto Financing are truly the most critical to monitor.  Why?  Simple, the end user, payday companies and auto groups, are looking for exclusive, unique, and qualified leads.  Top tier bidders will get first look and the opportunity to buy leads that are authentic and precise to filters set up.

Many companies use softwares such as CL Verify or Teletrack, that checks for factuality against SS#’s and DOB, and a few other filters.  Software such as these are a benefit to the online verification method that large organizations entitle to run a smooth and prosperous business.  

In a lead exchange, publishers should be alert at the placement of their campaign and the ranking that they hold.  I would never suggest to pay a price that you are not seeing a good ROI on your campaign, but I am suggesting not to be cheap.  You need great qualified leads? That will consist of becoming aggressive.  See when you do the math its pretty simple.  Your cheap, you pay $10 for a payday lead, and you are not converting as many as you like.  Then your upset.  Well lets talk about reality.  You probably have 20 other companies competing for the same lead, bidding more than you, hence, they are buying your leads! Yes, I said your leads!  The more competent and genuine leads that could have been closed by you.

Be at a comfort level that you are seeing a significant amount of conversions.  Larger companies are successful for one reason! They became aggressive and were in a competitive market.  Come straight to the source and pay less for your applicants that need your assistance now!

One more thought to absorb is that in a lead exchange of advertisers and publishers, publishers have the opportunity to set up their minimum price point, just as advertisers can set up the price to pay.  Therefore, if your bid price is too low, you are missing out on some strong potential publishers that are using their marketing revenue in Google AdWords for example, to generate high quality traffic, and its skipping your campaign due to your bargain bid. 

Take this as good advice and monitor your campaigns, you need to be aware that higher tiers will have the chance to accept a lead before you do!

Who could ever imagine Starbucks famous for those fabulous Lattes and Frappuccinos we all love, White Mocha being my personal favorite,  would be closing down 600 stores by 2009 according to NY Times.  Initially, Starbucks plans were to only close 100 stores but with the housing crises that affected California and Florida the hardest, which is a large region that Starbucks covered, Starbucks has definitely been struck as well.

Starbucks is now closing 70% of their newest stores that have been open less than 3 years.  As of Sept 30th, 2007 they had 6,973 stores worldwide.  That’s leaving 12,000 people unemployed, doing the math its  7% of their global workforce.  Sad to see so many cheerful employees go. 

So not only is gas pricing going up, housing going down, cost of food increasing but now Starbuck is shutting down doors.  Well, with a cup of coffee averaging $4-$5 society simply cannot afford it. 

So your asking how is this related to the Lead Industry? 

• JOBS – More Home Based Business Opportunity Seekers
• DEBT – Credit card debt will rise as some will continuously charge their credit card to get by.
• MORTGAGE- More consumers taking equity and refinancing to pay bills.
• PAYDAY LOANS – Loosing your job is not easy, the average person lives paycheck by paycheck more payday loan request will be demanded. 
• INSURANCE – More demand for health insurance and life insurance coverage.
• BANKRUPTCY-More consumers filing bankruptcy buried in debt.   

Consumers will be in big need of your help!  Starbucks is just an example of how the economic struggle is affecting not just individuals but companies as well.  A lead exchange will help companies offer services to consumers in need.  More demand in the financial space that’s for sure.  

Welcome back to an innovated blog that I hope you will find useful and enjoy!

I wanted to show you how LeadPile’s delivery schedule works.  When creating a real time campaign in your account our lead exchange is design to fit your schedule.  If you are looking for specific times or dates, it can be done!  We are honored not only in providing you with quality real time leads but also to providing leads that will meet your best time to communicate with consumers.  We understand that because these leads are real time, you most likely want to be present when you get the lead.  Therefore, you can update your campaigns to fit your days or hours.  

Its easy, so simple you’ll love it! Here’s how to set it up.

• Click on the name of your campaign
• Click on the option called “Delivery Schedule”
• Select your hours prefer
• Select your days of preference
• Exclude or include any important dates.

That’s it.. Its that simplistic.   LeadPile, lead exchange the worlds largest lead marketplace is unique in making it easy to get started. You will benefit from using your delivery schedule to contact consumers in a timely manner, touch base when their interest is the hottest, have an opportunity to get them on the phone instantly and of course make it effective for you to work leads within your hours of work. 

It’s a pretty amazing world we’re living in!!. Globalization is more real than ever. Everyday. our Lead Exchange is seeing people from all around the globe joining our Marketplace.

 They start just by creating an account with us and the next day we see hundreds of leads generated by their websites targeting US traffic.

 Thomas L. Friedman, in his book entitled “The World is Flat”, has captured the idea of globalization in a very distinctive way, and now we can see it materialized inside our business.  “The world has been flattened. As a result of the triple convergence, global collaboration and competition — between individuals and individuals, companies and individuals, companies and companies, and companies and customers — have been made cheaper, easier, more friction-free, and more productive for more people from more corners of the earth than at any time in the history of the world.”

The stories you hear from these people are very inspiring, and we are more than proud to be involved in an industry that can create opportunities and give people a chance for a better life, no matter where they are on the globe. 

This is a testimonial by one of our publisher who has received rave reviews for their Lead Exchange quality from Thailand: 

“I would just like to say, Leadpile.com is the best, I’m more than happy with Leadpile’s lead sellers program. Leadpile’s customer support is excellent and they are always willing to help. As high conversion rate and high payout on selling leads at Leadpile.com, I would recommend Leadpile.com to everyone!”

Nanthawan K.

We thank NK., and all the other thousands of publishers around the world  who have become part of our lives.

What do you find in a lead exchange?  Do you know if a lead exchange is the right place for you?  Need leads for your team or even for yourself? 

Well, let me tell you!  A lead exchange is a perfect place to fill in all your needs.  Whether you are a big corporation with hundreds of staffs or just a casual starter working from home, a lead exchange is right for you!  See, here is where you can find leads on a real time basis or simply hand select the ones you prefer.  It will assist you in increasing your business. 

We have leads that are full applications when you consider all the information that is captured, as well as basic general contact information that you can feed to your sales force that will bring in more business.  Whether you are a broker, loan officer, realtor, sales person, consultant, or even a financial institution, a lead marketplace is right for you.  

A well known lead exchange such as LeadPile focuses on so many different lead types you would truly be amazed at what we have done and have to offer.  We can easily get integrated, or just send leads in simplistic email format.  We can even start up a new lead types if you demand it!

You can buy as you go.  You can even sell as you go.  Wow, what technology in this day in age has conquered.  A lead exchange works with advertisers and publishers and find the right solution to increase your ROI (return on investment) and helps monitor your traffic to get the best possible out of your traffic.

It decreases the headaches of having to figure out how to generate your own leads.  You can save time and money by simply investing your marketing dollars and receiving consumers needing help immediately! The lead exchange is a true benefit for your company!

Just in one week after the Offers and MicroClick ads were released, the volume of Payday/Cash Advance Leads, have exploded in our Lead Marketplace/Lead Exchange. The Buyers we currently have are very excited about the new developments, and as a result of our continuing effort to bring valuable leads in the lead-gen space, we’ve seen a tremendous increase in quality and volume.

Thanks to our publishers and their amazing creativity, our Offers (banners and text ads), together with the MicroClick Ads, are placed on spots that we never thought of, starting with confirmation pages, exit traffic or direct traffic to pages that have an amazing volume of traffic. Two of the things that were very attractive to our publishers, was the fact that our MicroClick ads would load really fast and that our Microsites are on secured sites (HTTPS). The secured sites alone has increased the CVR (conversion rate) with almost 14%.

Faster, better and more alternatives is the key to succeed in an industry where everything changes continuously.

Any suggestions are welcomed, as our commitment is to make the Payday Leads vertical a stronger and better vertical for every everyone involved in Leadpile’s Lead Marketplace/Lead Exchange.

I saw a news story last week that reminded me of something else I had recently read on Andy Jacob’s SuperCloser that I had to check out. Mr. Jacob stated that he read in the LA times a story about a San Diego Developer that was giving away a house in Escondido to whoever purchased a house in the San Pasqual Valley.

 Ironically I then heard an ad on the radio about a Phoenix builder, giving away a Toyota Prius if you purchase “green” home in Queen Creek, Arizona, or in a 55+ community in Peoria, Arizona. No other upgrades just a new Hybrid car.

 There was then a man that was trying to sell a 2 million dollar home. As an incentive he partnered with a local BMW dealership to let the buyer choose 1 of 6 of their $65,000.00 BMW’s, and the homeowner was going to pay for it.

 These are all genius ways to get their names out there to the public.  These stories have been done in the news or on the internet in hopes to generate some interest in selling some homes in this slumping housing market. Is this a new and creative way to generate interest in selling a home?  Other ways of selling the home were not successful?  I guess the logic is the more people talking and reading about this interesting scenario, the more their name or brand will get out there to people who may not have heard of them. Free advertising? …….or is it really desperate measures to get rid of a home that would not sell any other way?  I will say one thing:  very creative!  They caught my attention.

Who are the underbanked?

Pamela Yip of the Dallas News had a very good article about the underbanked. According to Yip, The Center for Financial Services Innovation recently released the results of its study that attempts to more closely define who are the underbanked.

According to Yip, they fall into 8 categories.

•“Cash Is King” – These consumers are most likely to rely on cash for their financial transactions and are the least likely to have bank accounts. They have much lower household incomes than other segments and are more apt to be struggling to make ends meet.

•”The Next Wave” –Consumers in this segment are trying their best to make ends meet and hope to reach financial goals, such as owning a home. Cash plays an important role for them. They want to save money and are interested in earning interest but are still less likely to have banking relationships.

•”The Strivers” – Strivers take an active role in their money management. They’re active users of bank accounts and engage in many financial transactions. But some strivers don’t have checking accounts, citing privacy concerns.

•”Middle of the Road” – Middle of the Road adults are also active financial money managers. Most have bank accounts.

They are less likely to have come from families who have banked. They’re most likely to make their financial transactions in a stand-alone bank or credit union because they find the employees most friendly and helpful.

•”My Way” – Members of this group are more likely than other groups to have a bank account. But they make frequent bank and nonbank transactions at various places – including convenience stores. They want convenience. And they’re leery of hidden fees or high minimum balances.

•”The Savers” – As the name implies, saving money is their key reason to have bank accounts. Keeping money secure is also a key reason for these accounts. They make frequent transactions at nonbank places like supermarkets, convenience stores and discount/dollar stores.

•”Almost There” –These consumers are more likely than others to be part of traditional financial institutions and are more comfortable making transactions in a bank/credit union than nonbank settings. They prefer banks or credit unions that are contained within a store rather than stand-alone buildings.

•”Borrowers” – These consumers borrow money frequently. They have had student loans, personal loans, lines of credit, home equity loans, payday loans, and auto loans – all at higher rates than the average adult. They still make transactions at supermarkets and convenience stores but most have bank accounts.

The underbanked study is very good information for lead buyers and sellers attempting to increase their ROI’s.. According to Yip, there are  40 million underbanked households . For Internet marketers, this may be an incredible long-term opportunity to assist these important, and underserved customers.