Leadpile’s Blog

iPhones and Blackberry’s are everywhere. It seems like you can not turn your head without seeing one or the other, but which is better? In most cases, when people are looking to purchase a new phone, they look at two main points; service and phone capabilities.
When the iPhone first came out there were thousands of people who switched from providers such as Verizon to AT&T, just because of the exclusive deal that AT&T has with Apple. Currently, you can not get the iPhone through anyone except for AT&T. I have yet to meet a single person who does not love their iPhone, but there is one huge problem – no service! Constantly AT&T users are complaining about this. I see people putting their phones only in certain parts of their house, because they know that is the only place they can get and take a call.
According to Brandweek.com, some AT&T users have had enough. Their quality score has dropped where Verizon has been staying steady. With Verizon offering great deals on their “app” friendly BlackBerry’s, there is no reason to suffer without service any longer! I agree that the iPhone couldn’t be more unique and user friendly, but what is the point of having a cool phone if you can’t even use it? For those of you who are just too brand loyal to give it up, that’s fine, but don’t go crying to the Verizon users when you are broke down on the side of the road in the middle of know where with no service and no way to get help.

Leadpile Lead Exchange needs Credit Card Processing leads. If you are generating credit card processing leads, bring them in our marketplace.  Honestly, everyday I’m having a new advertiser sign up DEMANDING this lead type. It’s the new lead type that will sell! Think about it for a quick sec…… Who in this time of age does not have a credit card? Some teens might not have one, but even they are getting them younger and younger.  It makes logical sense for every business out there to accept credit cards. What I can not believe is that many new businesses do not accept credit cards.  This could be affecting their revenue. Overall, when businesses accept credit cards, their sales should be higher.  Reality is most people would rather charge a purchase versus pay cash.
Credit Card Processing companies are really targeting these businesses that do not currently accept credit cards.  This makes perfect financial sense in the fact that the business gets the credit card machine, and the credit card processing company makes a sale!  Now evaluate all the new home based business seekers that are working from home. There are millions of them in the U.S. currently. Is it a good business decision for even these types of businesses to plan on accepting credit cards?  Possibly not, depending on the type of home based business they are doing.

Great lead type and I need leads!  We are currently generating Credit Card Processing in our lead exchange, but NOT ENOUGH to fill in our demand! If you have them………… bring them over! 

Need AUTO FINANCE leads?
How about PAYDAY LOAN leads?
DEBT leads by chance?
What about CREDIT REPAIR leads?
No wait, how about BUSINESS CASH ADVANCE leads?

No matter what type of lead you are looking for, Leadpile is probably generating it…or can potentially generate it for you. Leadpile Lead Exchange is made up of buyers and sellers of real time web based leads. We are always looking for new buyers of leads to join our marketplace. Where else can you:

1. Get various leads types in one place?
2. Set your pricing you are comfortable with?
3. Define exactly what filters you want?
4. Get top notch customer service to answer your questions and provide support?
5. Work with a company that “does the right thing”, and is always wanting to have our buyers and sellers that are “doing the right thing”.
6. Have the ability to have leads posted to your website, redirected to your site, delivered on email or able to downloaded reports at any time!

What are you waiting for? Try out the Leadpile experience!
For those of you that are already buying or selling leads.. THANK YOU!!

“Customer Service is a function of how well an organization is able to constantly and consistently exceed the needs of the customer.”    

I had to go shopping for a new car this week and went to 2 different known dealerships in town. One I had never been to before and one I had been to many times.

We started out at a Chevy dealership because of an ad that I saw in the paper that read “Employee Pricing on all new cars.” I thought I could look at the new cars, see what I qualify for and then if I needed to get a used car. I told them the model that I wanted to see then proceeded to look at 4 different makes and models of car that I really did not want and they were all used. The salesman had decided to show us all used cars even though I told them about the ad and what I wanted. We left that lot and went down the road to a Dodge dealer.

At the Dodge dealer I told the salesman exaclty which model I wanted and we went straight for the ones that were on the lot. They were the new 2009 models and I liked them all except the color. They had 1 used car in the color I liked, decent miles and was in excelent condition so I ended up getting that one.

If the salesman at the Chevy dealer would have just shown me what I wanted I may have ended up getting one of the used cars, who knows. He made a decision to show me what he wanted to show me and not what I wanted to see. He called a couple days later and I informed him that I bought another car that same night down the street. He wished me luck and I did the same. Now I know that I should just stick with who gives me great service everytime we go there and don’t try using someone else because they advertise a good looking deal.

We here at Leadpile strive to make your experiences with us easy and enjoyable and do what we can to keep you coming back again and again.  I believe that we at Leadpile have the Best Customer Service you can find!

To build your business you must come up with ways to bring in new clients, however each business will have their own “right” way of generating this new business. A few options businesses have is to work with list brokers and to work with lead exchanges.
List brokers are companies that gather data of things such as home owners, consumers information in certain geographic regions, fax numbers, email lists, businesses and many many more. These are lists of people or businesses that meet the specific requirements the business is looking for.
Lead exchanges are a common platform for buyers AND sellers of WEB based leads. These are consumers specifically looking for a particular product or service.

The biggest difference amongst these two sources, of generating business, is the consumer/business is expressing the interest in something. They are “opting in” to receive more information about the particular product or service. Things such as the Do Not Call list do not apply to these consumers that are filling out a request for information. However, list brokers are dealing with general lists and MUST be scrubbed with the Do Not Call Registry. Those that are purchasing lists for various email marketing, SMS marketing, or other advertising purposes need to make sure that they are scrubbing their lists, to prevent any penalties being enforced.

Purchasing leads that are very targeted, real time, exclusive, and consumers/businesses that are WANTING information is probably going to show more success. One is like working a “warm” lead VS a “cold” lead. Why not call someone who wanted your product or service VS trying to add the extra step of trying to hard sell a consumer, and then have to deal with a potential longer sales process?
Leadpile Lead Exchange works with intelligent advertisers who know working with high quality web based leads, produces a higher return on their investment, versus buying lists and making the “cold” calls.

In 2006, I took a lot of heat for predicting One Trillion Dollars in retail Online Sales by 2012.

According to Emarketer and Nielson Online, Eight out of 10 respondents who had recently made consumer electronics purchases in a brick-and-mortar store said they had visited the store’s Website first. More than one-half said they purchased from the retailer on whose Website they had spent the most time. In addition 58% of respondents said they would choose the Internet for research in purchases before they would even choose their own friends and family.

While this study reported about Electronics, it is not a far reach to think that consumer research will certainly continue to dramatically increase in years to come.

At the Leadpile Lead Exchange, we are seeing consumers’ research under-banked services at exponentially increasing rates.

Look out Trillion! Here it comes!

I heard about this service called Ask Sunday on the radio and I was curious about it so I checked out the website.  It’s a personal assistant for those of us who can’t afford one like the stars or the truly wealthy have. NOW WE CAN! with Ask Sunday we can get the help of a personal assistant, someone who schedules appointments, makes general purchases like flowers and small gifts purchased online or over the phone, search for a plumber, electrician or a guy to re-roof your house for you. 

They can also work on those pesky projects we all lose time working on. Gathering information off of all those websites to put into 1 page of info for your boss, transcribe a meeting, or many other things that they have listed on the web site.  They also have full service travel agents who can help plan your next vacation. No matter what it is. Need help Fixing your computer. They can also help with that.

All this does come at a price though. They have packages that you can choose from depending on what your needs are.  Lite, Silver and Gold. Silver is the most popular at 30 days for 15 requests at $39.00 and 90 days for 45 requests at $89.00. Each additional task is only $1.75.

Here at Leadpile we can help you with all your lead buying and selling requests and it does not cost a thing. Just a phone call or an email and we will assist you the best way we know how. The Leadpile Way!

One of the main issues when it comes to affiliates, lead generation and traffic is the fraud. The better you become in tracking your leads, affiliates and methods they use to generate leads, the better your program will work. 

Leadpile’s Lead Exchange  has been working into improving the MicroClick Form (previously known as the I-SaveNow Form) application process, storing as much data as possible, so that we identify the source and also the validity of the lead. 

Some lead verticals are easier to fake than others, and the more fields, checks and restrictions for the data, the better is to control what goes through the Exchange. 

Paid Search (Adwords or Yahoo Search Marketing) are facing 20% or more fraud. The Lead Exchanges are not an exception, but the percentage is way lower. 

A click is very easy to fake and it can happen way faster and with a lot more volume than within the lead process. Also, each lead can be refunded in case of invalidity, where the traffic takes more time and sometimes is going untracked. Thinking that in certain industries we are seeing bids that are ranging between $6.00 to $50.00 per click, that can be a substantial loss for the advertisers. 

Let’s take a look at the following Click Fraud Index:

Leadpile has been producing it’s own leads in addition to the leads generated by its own publishers (partners) and that helped the Lead Exchange (Marketplace) becoming one of the top Lead-Gen companies out there. We actually are getting the hit from the PPC and take away the burden of this cost from our Lead Buyer (Advertisers). One of the most successful campaigns are still from PPC, where our Buyers are enjoying top lead quality. Of course, that comes for a price, but our service is going to make up for it, no matter how big or small your company is. 

Our team is geared up everyday to provide the top notch customer experience you (as a Lead Buyer/Advertiser) deserve! No matter what your challenge is, let us know so we can work better for you!

Market Watch released this afternoon that Coca Cola shares went down .18 cents, that’s 18% down this year so far. But they are not the only ones affected by the Nationwide struggle that’s affecting Millions of consumers and businesses.  

Market Watch also reported J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. second quarter net income fell 53%, the company took over $500 million in costs for its Bear Stearn’s acquisition. Microsoft shares dropped 5.7%.  IBM shares are down .06%. Investment bank Merrill Lynch shares drop 7.1%.  Capital One Financial Corp registered a 4.9% decline. The list goes on and on.

Businesses are also being affected and loosing money.  What’s happening with the market?  These well known companies that were once making millions are now losing millions.  Gas pricing is going up at ridiculous cost. The cost of food has climb.  Unemployment rates are over the hill tremendously.  Debt is at the highest peak.  More Americans are filling for Bankruptcy.  Airline fairs are rising.  Less people are taking vacations.  Student’s are falling behind on their student loan payments.  More families are being affected by bank foreclosures.

Is this truly healthy for America?

I have talked about the consumers battle against the dead end they are facing.  Although its not just consumers its also major firms and corporations, for years investors were glorified to subsidize in these companies but now are selling shares and stocks.   

Everyone in society has somehow been affected.  Its lead exchanges such as LeadPile that are here to assist and help in each way we can.  LeadPile is partnered with some of the best affiliates in the market to provide quality leads.  Within our partnerships we are targeting consumers and businesses that need your help to clear their debt, to help with bankruptcy, to assist with business loan or business cash advance, to aid with credit restoration or a payday loan, to help them get finance to buy a house or a new car! 

LeadPile focuses on targeted traffic and provides applications or contacts to companies that can help consumers or business in the services they are in desperate need of! 

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.

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.