[elephantgroup]

NToll,

You've expressed valid concerns, which I would like to address with you directly. Please call at your convenience, so we can look at some new strategies to address your specific traffic.

* About the Referral Program: This is an outgrowth of our internal Customer Referral Program and is typically utilized to allow customers to earn a bounty on sales they make through friends and family -- the payout is the same -- the only difference is the payment schedule, which is being adjusted to 60 days out after installation (currently, it's 90 days out.) -- The reason for this rolling 60 period is to minimize the risk of fraud/chargebacks, so we can pay legitimate referrals.

* About your Stats: Linda's right, the actual online conversion rate through the site is in the low single digits; however, what you've mentioned re: click-through stats, points to a different behavior. With a banner, the visitor has no choice but to click-thru to the merchant site -- with the mini site, there is a wealth of information located on the originating site, so it is not uncommon for there to be a lower volume of (hopefully higher-quality) click-thru traffic -- Additionally, we're seeing a significant % of people choose to call in to place their order off the landing pages (and mini sites).
This is where I would like us to focus some attention -- You and I will have to work together on this, but i'd like to be able to quantify/qualify the phone calls your site is generating.

Hope this has addressed some of the issues you raised -- if i missed anything let me know. And again, call me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss strategy specific to your market.

Linda, as always, thank you.

gds

PS: As long as you and I are working together to bring up sales volume, I have no issue in maintaining your affiliate partner status.