VENTRINO TRAFFIC EXCHANGE SCRIPTS
TURNING WEB VISITORS INTO BUYERS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS SINCE 1994
The secret society of traffic exchange script owners
Published October 11, 2009 | 
The Top Ten Marketing Rules for TE Owners
Traffic exchange owners are far from secretive, the more exposure they can get for themselves and their members the better. But did you know how many of them collaborate to improve their sales? With a recent flurry in the number of sales a distributor confessed that he had found an exciting way to make more money with the same amount of effort he put into his own exchange and after some discussion we decided between us these are the top ten marketing rules required to make your TE a success:
- Other Traffic Exchanges. Not surprising but you will find other traffic exchanges a good place to find the kind of people interested in traffic exchanges.
- Virtual pages. The ability to create a short sharp shock to attract attention has existed in the Ventrino/Walkersoftware traffic exchange script since the late 90′s. In recent years this innovation has been renamed to Splash and Squeeze pages. These are invaluable tools for picking up members and smart Internet developers have created entire businesses focused on providing cool designs. Use your favourite search engine to locate them.
- Forum signatures. This is an ‘old school’ solution yet effective more than ever. Make sure you use them on every forum and blog post you comment on. Needless to say you must avoid spam, your signature should be a natural extension to the valuable information you provide.
- Your home page is your storefront. Make sure it looks professional and delivers the message your customers want to see and hear rather than what you want to tell them.
- Don’t be all things to all people. Focus on your customer persona and give them your message in the language they understand. Try to offer only the features your customers want. Each feature your customer does not understand may leave them confused and less likely to join you. Find a unique term that describes your story. My first was “Unlimited FREE traffic” which in pre Google days kept me at the top of search engines. Finding something not dominated by someone else already is difficult, but get it right and this one action will create your own world wide rave and place you ahead of your competitors. Invest in keyword analysers, and time spent surfing Google Trends is never wasted.
- Email marketing is seriously misunderstood by far too many people and most of the advice you will receive is plain wrong. You have to understand how well this medium works for your market. Some people extol the virtues of services such as aweber and icontact, but abuse these services and you are no better than sending spam. Your traffic exchange script software already includes opt-in managed mail and provides evidence of your members signup date and location should they forget and decide to report you. It also includes easy web-based database removal, another feature people will trust. Never use any list unless you created it and the recipients expect to receive mail from you.
- Autoresponders are not what they used to be, but they still have a place in marketing. Have at sometime signed up to an auto responder… and never opened one of the messages sent? You joined because you were interested and did not want to lose that link. It may take a while but you may eventually open one of the messages and take action but there is no replacement for having a good reason to buy.
- JV’s are discussed at length on all marketing forums because they make sense. Find other companies that sell related products and services and form a joint venture with them. Special promotions to your members of their products reciprocated with yours to theirs provides three benefits. You make money, they make money and your combined customers benefit from both products and services, perhaps even at a cost saving too.
- Communicate regularly. One of our script owners sends no less than 5 messages per week and has over 60,000 m
embers. Does that not speak volumes? He also takes regular webinars, posts podcasts, youtube videos and twice a year holds seminars. He sees a TE as the launchpad to the products he promotes but says he regularly makes $10,000 over a weekend by selling discounted solo mail, traffic and banner impressions. You might think a man like this is busy, but he always has time to talk to his customers and provides a toll free number for his US clients with “call me anytime” below his smiling photo. - … and lastly the surprise: Guarantee your service. How many exchanges offer a results based guarantee? This one feature has increased sales ten times for one exchange owner. “Its remarkable, I decided to test an idea I read in a free ebook on marketing, the theory is you will have to refund a proportion of the money, you cannot satisfy everyone, but the additional sales made due to the guarantee far outweigh the loss made in refunds”. See footnote.
So there it is, the secret society of successful traffic exchange script owners top ten tips for driving profit into your exchange.
Footnote to 10: Since drafting this post the owner has sold his site and the new owner immediately removed the guarantee, hence no link.
Posted in Traffic Exchange | 
make money, splash page, squeeze page, top ten, traffic exchange script, virtual pages | 
1 CommentHow to setup DNS for your hosting at your name registrar
Published September 7, 2009 | 
If your host asks you to set the DNS for your domain and you don’t know what he means this guide may help. However you should always look for clarification from your host.
If you host asks you to set the DNS to a couple of entries that look like the following then it is likely this article will help:-
ns5.ventrino.com
ns6.ventrino.com
Who is your name registrar?
First identify your name registrar. Popular ones include namecheap.com and godaddy.com. If you don’t recognise these names use a whois tool to find out. www.domaintools.com and www.coolwhois.com are simple to use, they offer an input for the domain name, press the button and a few seconds later you can read about your domain and listed somewhere you will find your name registrar.
Got your name registrar – what’s next?
As name regsitrars will use their own method for setting the DNS you will have to check their FAQ for more specfic instructions. Most are simple and within a few clicks the job will be done.
Changed my DNS but still goes to old server, why’s that?
Patience! Officially it can take up to 72 hours for servers across the net to update entries. Typically 15 minutes but this will be in perfect conditions. Your PC will cache a routing table as well, so while the Internet may have updated your PC can still send you to the wrong place (sometimes a restart can clear this).
Ventrino traffic exchange twitter integration
Published May 21, 2009 | Recent dissapointment over changes to the facebook API meant that a long term development for traffic exchange scripts had to be altered. To compensate Ventrino is going to release a number of twitter applications. If you haven’t tried already their is a fun application at www.buytweeters.com
Ventrino owners are now beta testing a method for their members to improve their exposure and promotion efforts with a few clicks from within their tools page. Following is a short video demonstration:
Another great design from Digital Dave (Not a shit shoveler)
Published May 13, 2009 | 
While it might look like one of his previous designs it is what the owner wanted. It in fact uses many new images and very different template code. Inside there are brand new icons and apparently Digital Dave’s own sister makes a guest appearance.
Dave is a drop out science student who began life in Kingston University in Surrey, UK. He got halfway through and decided there was more science to be learned in a kitchen and his love of music and art were far more compelling than going to work for the local water company as a microbiologist (a fancy name for shit shoveler according to Dave).
Keen to point out it’s not just traffic exchange work he does I am including something he’s working on, very much outside the reign of sales and marketing.
Dave also creates banners and icons which can be bought direct from 123rf.com which he says is a great resource for anyone developing websites.
If you like Dave’s work and want him to help you can find out more here.
Jake and the art of procrastination
Published May 1, 2009 | 
Brevity is Jake’s way. Ask him about anything unrelated to the situation in hand and if he’s not short he’s definitely rude. I will tell him about this blog post but he won’t bother to read it. I can safely make some innocuous criticism of him and know he’ll never find out. If he did he’s not one to get mad, he will get even in his own way.
He’s not the kind of person many companies would employ after an interview, little would they realise an interview with him serves only one purpose and it’s not theirs. Small talk and “getting to know each other” is something other people waste their time on. He’s not a people person.
So why does he head up the sales department? Today a customer complained that Jake is not helpful, a criticism any business owner would take seriously, your not going to make sales if the instrument of profit is blunt. And Jake is blunt.
He’s there because statistically he is the best. Combine everyone we have ever had on the sales desk and compare our results with his and he wins hands down each time. If we consider his methods it only adds to the confusion:
Ask him a technical question and he will probably not reply, if he does he’s likely to be sarcastic and point out that if you can read his replies then how come you can’t read the notice in bold and highlighted in YELLOW that states he don’t answer technical questions.- Ask him something you have already asked him, even if it’s 5 years ago, and he’ll tell you to check what he said last time ‘cos nothings changed since then. Get cocky with him and it just gets worse.
- He never spends more than 20 seconds replying (we’ve timed him, we start the timer when his eyes drop to the keyboard).
- He doesn’t bother reading more than 3 or 4 lines of your message. If you ask more than one question he’ll only answer the first. If you ask him why he’ll tell you that your attention span will be lost and you probably won’t notice. He knows this from experience. If the second and subsequent questions are important to you, then you will ask again, but then, they’ll be the first question won’t they?
- You cannot upset Jake, that perhaps is one of his strengths. Say something that you know will upset him, you know the kind of thing, the email that you instantly wish you had not sent. Well don’t worry, Jake knows no evil (well, except Google, he thinks they’re out to get him, we point out that Google’s out to “get” everyone and everything but he still won’t use them).
So what is it that makes Jake so succesful? Are we losing interest in the human element of a sale? I don’t think so. The Internet is a great place for people to get to know you. Perhaps it’s his naive charm? Nah. Ask Jake and he says “I don’t sell, people buy, I’m an order taker not a door to door sales jockey flogging stuff people don’t want.”
In the privileged position that I have as his boss I decided to have a chat with him about it today and this is what happened:
Martyn: Jake, a customer has complained that you are not helpful and [Jake interrupts]
Jake: Yeh, I know who that was, they didn’t like it when I said I can’t help them and they need to go ask on the forum.
Martyn: OK, I’d like to have a chat about the way we sell [Jake doesn't wait for me to finish]
Jake: It’s easy, people ask questions, I answer; they buy or they don’t, that’s it.
Martyn: I was hoping to hear more along the lines of how you do it, what is your secret? How come you sell more than anyone else, especially when some folks appear not to, ummm, get on with you so well?
Jake: Dunno, are we done?
And before I could answer Jake had turned and was answering an enquiry. So there you have it. The indomitable Jake. If he’s upset you or doesn’t answer your questions at least take some comfort knowing you aren’t the only one. If you know what his secret formula for success is please let us know, I think we’d all like to know.
Cool SQL to update traffic exchange icons
Published April 22, 2009 | Digital Dave came up with an issue that I had never given much thought to, he wanted to update the icons used by www.police-traffic.com in the tools page. He had uploaded the icons and then began changing the paths manually in the manager. Anyone who has done this before will probably know what a pain it can be. So Dave asked if there’s an easier way, and there is, and here it is; run the following SQL in your SQL Viewer changing the path to your new templates and voila, job done!
UPDATE vtp_menus SET menu_icon = REPLACE( menu_icon, '/templates/standard/images/', '/templates/your-template-folder/images/' )
police-traffic.com exchange get’s the digital dave treatment
Published April 18, 2009 | 
Dave’s been at it again, www.police-traffic.com is themed traffic exchange as you might expect. The inside has a slight naughty twist with a rather unusual villain. Not sure you could call it erotic but certainly sensual!
The first design for Ventrino by Digital Dave
Published April 13, 2009 | 
Dave joined us a couple of months ago to help out in our technology department and it turns out he has an eye for design. He completed his first exchange for us a few days ago and promised here are a few pictures.
He recorded the upload and integration process and has forwarded me the raw video footage which I will put together as a short tutorial over the next few days.
Wasting time with Liberty Reserve – what a nerve!
Published April 7, 2009 | I had a remarkable conversation with the Liberty Reserve support team which left me wondering if they’re just a scam of some kind. No I take that back, but it certainly felt that way. There are a few stories about them and Wiki mentions a $1 million loss due to a hacker, but what bank hasn’t suffered the same? Tempting to mention the cause for the credit crunch, but I won’t =)
I wanted to know how to get their encryption to work. While I am sure it used to, it doesn’t now. Their own example code proves it.
I had hoped to hear they are working on it, but even if they were just aware of it that would have been enough. Instead their operator treated me like I was a hacker, big words like encryption appeared to bring out nervous responses from him, so I left it.
I opened a support ticket a few days ago and they are yet to reply or acknowledged it. I raised another today but I’m not raising my hopes. While they hold on to millions of dollars they have the power to do and say as they please, and they are exercising that right with an abundance of silence.
I am of course generalising. Liberty Reserve is responsible for wasting my time but they haven’t seen any of my cash, and never will, but they are not necessarily the scam other folks claim them to be. They are certainly not any worse than many of the other payment processors. The lax attitude towards our money is frightening and I wonder why, we the depositors, let them get away with it?
More importantly, and a somewhat tender subject is the “Patriot Act” and “Know your customer” excuses these guys use to get your details. Did it ever occur to you that it’s just as important you do the same? How many times have people been ripped off in Stormpay style scams? Far too many and a few simple checks would have saved them.
Give your personal details to complete strangers?
Why would you give your details to strangers? Some of these payment process even ask for a utility bill and they have no basis for that request in law or common sense. With those details they can go open an account in your name and begin money laundering 10 minutes later. The existence of these companies make it so easy for terrorists to transfer as much money as they want, to where they want and in whatever numbers the like.
Not by using these companies but by operating them. A little complacency on our part or willingness to handover our details means these guys have an easy way to finance their evil deeds, and they appear to do that with our blessing.
If a website asks for your date of birth – refuse
If a website asks for a copy of a utility bill – refuse
If a website asks for any identity details – refuse
And if you think you are safe on a website because it shows a little golden key or padlock remember that is not evidence the company is reputable. You can get free SSL certificates and do not need to prove anything so it wouldn’t take much to setup a payment processor and look legitimate.
How can you safely open a payment processor account?
If they’re legitimate they won’t demand you provide documentation electronically. You may choose to send it electronically but that should only be done after proper due diligence. If you can’t walk in to a branch or post it to an address you can see in google maps then it’s unlikely to be legitimate.
What makes me an expert?
Nothing. But it’s common sense don’t you think?
Adding more payment processors
Published April 1, 2009 | 
The Stormpay fiasco a couple of years ago hurt traffic exchange owners with one losing $14,000. Like lambs to the slaughter these devious bastards preyed on thousands of people without a second thought for the consequences happy to profit from the cruelty of their greedy actions.
Financially our loss was small, but three or four hundred of our customers lost the ability to take payments overnight. It was hard work for them, some never recovered, and the pressure was on us to provide another solution as fast as we could.
I thought I would never trust a payment processor again. Put it down to a very hard lesson learned.
Now I have been asked to include Strictpay, Solidtrustpay and Liberty Reserve. All of them look like they were specified on the back of a beer mat. I thought it might be a fools errand considering the date.