COACHING AND BIZ OPP

HIGH RISK MERCHANT ACCOUNTS FOR COACHING AND BIZ OPP.
FASTER APPROVALS. COMPETITIVE PRICING. BETTER SERVICE.

Payment Processing for the Business Coaching Industry

In recognition and support of the coaching industry’s contributions to performance optimization and global economic growth, DigiPay Solutions has created a “coaching industry primer” with important information about setting up a merchant account, controlling chargebacks, managing risk and keeping merchant accounts in good standing.

The coaching industry is a diversified space that offers an array of options, including group and one-on-one training, short duration courses and educational seminars designed for senior management and career professionals. Coaching programs are presented in public and in-house venues and can be customized or modified as needed. Instruction formats include online courses and formal events held in conference rooms, hotels and designated training sites.

Professional coaching has evolved in recent years into areas of specialization, which may include, but are not limited to, management development training, professional development training, quality assurance training and business coaching. Studies have shown that personal chemistry between coaches and trainees can improve trust and boost performance rates.

Who is DigiPay Solutions?

As processor of choice for some of the coaching industry’s most recognized leaders, DigiPay Solutions provides a global network of partner banks, payment experts and elite portfolio of tailored solutions. Thousands of merchants, from start-ups to enterprise-scale organizations, leverage DigiPay’s curated knowledge of high-risk payments to securely process hundreds of millions across an array of vertical industries. DigiPay works closely with processing partners, providing tailored solutions and timely advice to individual coaches, corporate training and development teams and short-duration service providers, fostering their growth by helping them maintain the highest standards of banking and payment card industry compliance.

DigiPay’s team of payment experts, combined with our professional partners’ proven record of successful coaching programs and services, facilitates successful new company launches while helping existing businesses grow and scale.

A Coaching Payment Processing Primer

A Brief Guide to the Coaching Industry

The Coaching Industry: An Economic Overview

The 2016 ICF Global Coaching Study, sponsored by the International Coach Federation (ICF) and conducted by Price Waterhouse Coopers LLP’s Research to Insight division, polled 15,380 respondents from 137 countries. Individual leaders and managers who use coaching skills in organizations participated in the extensive survey, which is available for purchase at Coachfederation.org/2016study.

Of the approximately 53,300 coach practitioners worldwide, researchers found the average general income of individual coach practitioners was $51,000 per year and estimated 2015 global coaching revenue was $2.356 billion USD, a 19 percent increase over ICF’s 2011 estimates published in its 2012 Global Coaching Study. Incomes trended higher in the United States, which also has the highest per capita concentration of coaching practitioners.

Additional metrics are available in ICF’s research portfolio, which includes the 2010 and 2014 ICF Global Consumer Awareness Study and ongoing research into organizational coaching cultures in collaboration with the Human Capital Institute.

SIC, NAICS & MCC Codes

Coaching professionals and service providers are categorized by SIC Code, NAICS Code and Visa Merchant Category Code (MCC) to comply with payment card industry requirements.

Proper classification is vitally important to prevent funds from being held in reserve for misrepresentation. Business Coaching, similarly without a specific designation, can be classified under different general industry codes, depending on the nature and focus of services. There is no specific Merchant Category Code (MCC) for business coaches; in this industry, the MCC acronym applies to the Master Certified Coach credential offered by the International Coach Federation. Executive Coaching uses NAICS Code 8742, as a subset of Management Consulting.

Additional information on Visa MCC can be found in this downloadable guide.

Here are some examples of general business consulting industry codes:

Primary SIC Code: Creative Direction Life Coach

  • 8748 – Business Consulting Services, not elsewhere classified

Primary SIC Code: Career Coach

  • 8299 – Education and Training
  • 8742 – Management Consulting Services
  • 8748 – Business Consulting
  • 8331 – Job Training and Vocational Rehabilitation Services
  • 624310 – Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Primary SIC Code: Miscellaneous Management Consulting Services

  • 541618 – Other Management Consulting Services
  • 541611- Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
  • 541612 – Human Resources, Organizational Development, and Personnel Management Consulting Services
  • 541613 – Sales Management and Customer Service Consulting Services
  • 611430 – Professional and Management Development Training

Leaders and Rising Stars

The richly diversified coaching industry includes publicly traded companies and sole proprietors, equally committed to education, transparency and growth.

Here’s a look at some common categories and brands.

  1. Robbins Madanes Training

    Established in 2009 and led by globally recognized authorities Anthony Robbins and Cloe Madanes, Robbins Madanes Training has trained more than 4,000 students in Strategic Intervention Coaching. RMT students are part of a coaching community focused on transformational leadership.

  2. John Mattone

    John Mattone is an authority on Intelligent Leadership (IL) and creator of the IL Executive Coaching Process and Certification. John Mattone programs are designed to ignite and strengthen leaders’ inner-self and talents, enabling them to realize four outcomes to leverage in their businesses and lives: Altruism, Affiliation, Achievement, and Abundance (The 4 A’s).

  3. Your Name Here:

    With your great brand story and DigiPay Solutions as your processing partner, there’s no limit to how far you can scale your company. DigiPay’s diverse, extended family of coaching professionals process anywhere from $20,000 to millions in monthly revenue.

Interested in learning more about Publicly Traded Coaching Companies listed on Major U.S. Exchanges? Use this link to view by Large-Cap Stocks, Mid-Cap Stocks and Small-Cap Stocks.

Try DigiPay Now ↗

Coaching Insights

The coaching industry offers numerous training programs, certifications and credentials, designed to familiarize practitioners with proven methodologies, approaches and best practices.

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is recognized throughout the industry as the gold standard of training for professional coaching organizations and individual practitioners. The Federation’s Accredited Coach Training Programs, or ACTPs, are widely implemented worldwide, offering an array of specializations and training methodologies.

Coaching Definitions, Designations and Credentialing Programs

Training and credentialing programs are labor-intensive and costly; choosing an ICF-certified program is the best way to ensure that a training program will meet individual requirements and industry best practices. ICF offers three levels of certifications to individual coaching practitioners: Associate Certified Coach (ACC), Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and Master Certified Coach (MCC). The Federation also certifies third party coaching service providers through its Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP), an intensive training that includes one-on-one mentoring and performance evaluations.

Erickson Coaching International offers an ICF-certified training course, titled The Art & Science of Coaching program. Designed for busy professionals who prefer to learn at their own pace, the course uses leading adult learning methods to give participants flexibility, peer interaction and online resources, and individual ICF certifications upon completion of the course. There are many other examples of ICF-certified programs in the coaching industry.

Following are some examples of coaching designations:

  • External coach practitioner
  • Internal coach practitioner
  • Both an external coach practitioner and an internal coach practitioner
  • A human resources/talent development manager/director who uses coaching skills
  • A manager/leader who uses coaching skills

GET A FREE CONSULTATION TODAY

Opportunities and Challenges

Organizations and individuals can derive numerous benefits from professional coaching, according to the International Coaching Federation (ICF), a global trade association. Program participants can gain “fresh perspectives on personal challenges, enhanced decision-making skills, greater interpersonal effectiveness, and increased confidence,” according to the ICF website. “Those who undertake coaching also can expect appreciable improvement in productivity, satisfaction with life and work, and the attainment of relevant goals.”

A recent ICF study identified challenges and opportunities in the coaching industry. Among its members’ concerns is the potential for untrained and non-credentialed individuals to harm the image and credibility of the coaching profession. This concern has escalated in parallel with growing demand for services, as individuals and companies increasingly recognize the benefits of coaching. Proven results have shown that coaching has made an impactful difference with individuals, companies and global social change. These positive outcomes create additional opportunities by opening new markets for professional coaches.

Enabling Coaching Commerce

How do I create an eCommerce merchant account?

Establishing a merchant account to process payments is the first step in enabling commerce. The coaching business is classified as high-risk, which means coaching service providers are ineligible to apply for merchant accounts at numerous sponsoring banks. DigiPay’s expanded network of banking relationships accepts the coaching business category and provides competitive rates, terms and conditions.

Coaching entrepreneurs find it advantageous to work with processing partners who are familiar with the industry, its jargon and common business practices. Sales representatives who do not know the difference between short-duration programs and management training programs are typically less effective at managing relationships due to their learning curves. Working with a knowledgeable processing partner can save time and money while helping coaching companies attract and retain customers and followers.

Why Is Coaching Classified as High-Risk?

Many banks will not accept coaching business merchants due to industry’s higher-than-average number of chargebacks. Coaching businesses, especially entrepreneurial start-ups, may be unfamiliar with related risks of recurring billing and client expectations. Results and performance metrics may not always be quantifiable, due to subjective nature of coaching programs and market forces that are beyond the scope of individual training and development programs. Clients who enroll in these programs, expecting significant, near-term results, may initiate chargebacks when expectations are not met.

Here are some risks commonly associated with professional coaching:

  1. Subscriber Remorse:

    Consumers who opt in for recurring billing may forget that their credit card will automatically be billed every month. They will then dispute the charge that appears on their credit card statement. Many card issuing banks require consumers to contact the merchant before they process a chargeback request.

  2. Exaggerated Claims:

    Consumers who do not receive the dramatic results they expect from a coaching service may initiate a chargeback. They do not even have to prove the company made an exaggerated claim. They only need to demonstrate that a coach hinted at a great result to win a dispute. Regulatory compliance regarding health claims and truth-in-advertising creates additional exposure for coaching organizations

  3. Lack of Infrastructure:

    Many coaching entrepreneurs who are just beginning to get established as businesses may not have the appropriate levels of customer service support to deal with consumer complaints and inquiries. Consumers who are unable to communicate their concerns to merchants are at increased risk of turning to payment card issuers for refunds and chargebacks.

Can DigiPay acquire Coaching merchant accounts?

Yes, at DigiPay coaching is in our DNA. Because we “walk the talk,” implementing many proven coaching strategies within our own organization. We are also familiar with coaching’s unique framework and diversity of categories, business models, SIC and NAIC codes and VISA MCC, we underwrite our merchants before sending the applications to our sponsor bank.

Once new merchants establish credibility and trust with DigiPay banking partners, they receive personalized attention and ongoing risk management from DigiPay’s team of payment specialists. This personalized service, coupled with the sheer volume of transactions we process through multiple banks, ensures our merchants receive the highest level of service and support.

Choosing the right payment processing partner is critical, because without the ability to accept payments, merchants are out of business. DigiPay’s merchant onboarding process combines sophisticated technology with human oversight. Experienced underwriters who understand the coaching industry, and have expertise in payment card brand and banking industry compliance, bring a refreshingly holistic approach to new account set-ups.

Whether a coaching business is short-duration or continuous training and development, publicly-traded or a start-up entrepreneur, DigiPay Solutions will give every merchant the attention and resources they deserve and a one-stop shop for processing solutions. The coaching industry is growing and DigiPay can accelerate that growth. The first order of business is eliminating any barriers to progress. Look no further than DigiPay Solutions, where getting a coaching merchant account will open doors to a bright and prosperous future.

Why Is So Much Information Required for A Coaching Merchant Account?

Because of the higher risk associated with coaching services, more due diligence is required during the new merchant onboarding process. This means underwriters need to review a range of documents to assure the business is compliant, financially sound, and a good credit risk. DigiPay is unique because we underwrite merchants in-house before we submit their applications to the bank. Because our team of underwriters is experienced in high-risk, your business is presented to the bank with all required documents and full disclosure, to engender trust and stability.

Presenting your business in the best possible light from point of first contact is important because merchant accounts are essentially a line of credit from a processor. Because high-risk merchants have higher chargeback ratios and regulatory exposure, financial institutions are concerned they may violate card brand rules, laws and regulations. Complaints to the FDA and the FTC against a merchant create liability not only for merchants, but can also hold processors accountable under Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations.

DigiPay’s in-house team of underwriters and risk managers have curated knowledge in all areas of high risk. We are best qualified to guide you through the process efficiently and painlessly while helping to present your business to increase approval and gain credibility.

How do I increase my processing limits?

Once a high-risk coaching merchant account is approved, payment processors set monthly processing limits, typically between $10,000 and $30,000 per month, for the first three-to-six-months. This gives processors time to develop a customer risk profile by evaluating payment flows, average ticket sizes, processing levels and chargeback ratios.

Most coaching companies that maintain a stable, consistent performance throughout their initial trial periods can increase their processing limits. DigiPay’s risk management team works closely with merchants and sponsoring banks to shorten trial periods and raise processing limits.

Managing Alerts, Refunds and Chargebacks

Maintaining a low chargeback ratio is key to maintaining a healthy merchant account. When chargebacks exceed card brand maximums, your merchant account is at risk of being shut down. If a merchant category has consistently excessive chargebacks, banks will sometimes shut down an entire vertical industry. For this reason, it is critical for high risk verticals to self-regulate and work collaboratively to establish industry best practices.

DigiPay brings a deep level of understanding and expertise when it comes to chargeback management. Keep reading for advice from our industry veterans.

How can I track my chargeback and refund ratios?

Keeping track of your Transaction Chargeback Ratio as well as your Volume Chargeback Ratio is critical because this is what Visa, Mastercard and payment processors monitor. Payment processors with high chargeback ratios in their merchant portfolios can trigger unannounced audits by Visa or Mastercard. For this reason, DigiPay, powered by TranZlytics, closely monitors chargeback and refund ratios, reacting quickly to spikes in activity. Excessive refunds, frequently the result of alerts, can be a sign of fraud or poor business practices, information the card brands and banks may consider when assessing risk.

The formulas shown below use simple math to derive Transaction Chargeback, Volume Chargeback and Refund Ratios:

  1. Transaction Chargeback Ratio:

    Add total monthly number of chargebacks and divide by total monthly number of transaction. For example – if during a month you processed 500 sales, and there were 10 chargebacks, your chargeback ratio would equal 10/500, or 2.00%.

  2. Volume Chargeback Ratio:

    Add total monthly dollar amount of all chargebacks and divide by the total monthly sales volume.
    For example – if during a month, you processed 500k in sales, and your chargebacks were 10k, your chargeback ratio would equal 10/500, or 2.00%.

  3. Transaction Refund Ratio:

    Add total monthly number of refunds and divide by total monthly number of transactions.
    For example – if during a month you processed 500 sales, and there were 10 refunds, your refund ratio would equal 10/500, or 2.00%.

  4. Volume Refund Ratio:

    Add total monthly dollar amount of all refunds and divide by the total monthly sales volume.
    For example – if during a month, you processed 500k in sales, and your refunds were 10k, your refund ratio would equal 10/500, or 2.00%.

How do I maintain low chargeback and refund ratios?

It is important not to ignore chargebacks, because win/loss ratios matter. Visa and Mastercard can impose penalties and fines in the tens of thousands on payment processors and their sponsoring banks for continuing to process transactions for merchants that exceed the permissible 2 percent chargeback ratio. Non-compliant processors and banks may also be subjected to further scrutiny and potential shut-down by card brands and regulators.

Here are some recommended ways to maintain low chargeback and refund volume ratios:

  • Stop fraud before it happens:

    Proactively identify fraudulent and stolen cards and suspicious behavior when possible. Having items like an SSL certificate, additional billing details, and other fraud detection tools.

  • Be accessible to customers:

    Dissatisfied customers who have access to live support will frequently be satisfied that they had the opportunity to air their grievances. They may be satisfied with a simple return or refund and find it unnecessary or initiate a dispute or chargeback.

  • Maintain a high transaction count:

    Companies with high levels of credit card transactions are in a better position to absorb chargebacks. Low-volume merchants can find themselves in the dubious position of having a high chargeback ratio with just a few chargebacks.

  • Maintain excellent logistics and fulfillment:

    In the always-on, always-connected world, customers expect immediate confirmations and emailed receipts when they place orders online. A good CRM program can automate this process. The DigiPay TranZlytics Gateway is preconfigured to display a merchant’s contact information and customer service number to ensure that coaching merchants are locatable, and include tracking information with each shipment notification.

  • Use email marketing:

    Follow product orders and shipments with a simple survey or thank you email. This simple gesture will improve brand recognition when customers receive their credit card statements and make it easy for them to contact your company to complain or request a refund.

  • Initiate pre-chargeback and refund alerts:

    Create instant notifications of incoming requests for refunds, chargebacks and assorted customer inquiries. These services can be implemented in-house or outsourced to third-party providers. Merchants have a small window to react to customer disputes before card brands rule in favor of consumers. Automated chargeback and refund alert systems help merchants mitigate risk.

  • Implement a billing support hotline:

    Providing customers with a dedicated, toll-free number and email address will alleviate their concerns and build good will. Coaching businesses that are highly accessible to customers have been shown to increase customer loyalty and decrease chargeback and refund ratios.

  • Create an easy refund process:

    Refunds are a reality of life and a cost of doing business in the coaching industry. By accounting and budgeting for refunds, coaching merchants can accommodate dissatisfied customers, avoid chargebacks and improve transaction flows.

Chargeback Mitigation Companies for Coaching Businesses

Merchants can handle chargebacks in-house or outsource to a Chargeback Mitigation Specialist. The following companies are experienced in identifying all forms of fraud, including friendly fraud. They will investigate chargeback claims and retrieval requests on behalf of merchants:

Chargeback Mitigation Companies:

  • MIDigator*
  • Chargeback Guru*
  • Chargebacks.com
  • Chargebacks 911
  • Chargeback 360

*DigiPay Preferred Provider

GET A FREE CONSULTATION TODAY

How do I choose an eCommerce gateway?

Coaching companies rely on eCommerce and Mail Order/Telephone Order (MOTO) sales to scale their businesses. Credit card payments transacted online or by phone are called Card Not Present (CNP) transactions. Online CNP transactions involve credit card gateways that transmit payments from merchants to their payment processors.

Following is a list of recommended attributes of payment gateways that address the unique requirements of coaching industries:

Support multiple merchant account IDs (MIDs):

Many coaching companies need multiple merchant accounts to support their diversified array of training programs. Gateways should ideally be able to manage multiple merchant I.D.s organized under one master MID relationship.

Simple integration:

Payment gateways need to seamlessly integrate into CRMs, POS systems, third-party software, and eCommerce shopping carts to facilitate all forms of online, MOTO and in-store commerce.

Enhanced reporting tools:

Professional coaches need access to a variety of real-time reports and transaction data to grow and scale their businesses and manage chargebacks and refunds.

Merchant Dashboard, with permission levels:

In addition to enhanced reporting, coaching merchants need secure access to transaction data from anywhere they happen to be working, with built-in permission levels to facilitate all levels of employees and management.

Payment gateways must comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). Ask your gateway provider if they are PCI DSS compliant and verify their certificate annually. Coaching merchants also need a gateway with a data vault for tokenization of credit card numbers and encryption of customer personally identifiable information (PII).

Tokenization replaces a Primary Account Number (PAN) with a randomly generated set of numbers and records this in the data vault. This is to prevent hackers from accessing customer data. By storing PII and PAN in a highly secure, offsite location merchants shift their liability to the gateway provider. Encryption and tokenization keep your customer’s information safe while allowing merchants access to the data for future transactions.

TranZlytics Gateway:
Choosing the right gateway provider is critical for high-risk merchants and their processors. DigiPay’s chosen gateway is TranZlytics. TranZlytics offers high risk merchants a Gateway and HUB built from the ground up for high-risk and CNP merchants. The solution includes transaction analytics and fraud prevention and built-in advanced chargeback management.

TranZlytics also offers advanced real-time reporting for faster and better use of CRM data. Payment descriptors are registered with a Chargeback Alerts program; re-presentments are pre-integrated with the gateway.

With a single HUB for transaction management and an expert risk management team to monitor your data, you can focus on what you do best, growing your business. Think of Tranzlytics as a Coaching Payment HUB with the IQ of Einstein and the memory of an elephant.

CRMs for Coaching Businesses

Customer Relations Management (CRM) software is a basic requirement, both for large enterprises and small companies that want to scale and grow their businesses. These systems are designed to automate the lifecycle of product offerings and to facilitate payments. As with payment gateways, it is vitally important to validate the CRM is PCI DSS compliant if it is touching customer information. Unlike payment gateways, CRM’s are not rigorously monitored for PCI DSS compliance; a security breach can devastate your business and erode customer trust.

Below are examples of CRMs used by professional coaching entrepreneurs and enterprise-level service providers:

  • Infusionsoft CRM:

    Infusionsoft CRM is a popular choice for coaching businesses. They offer customer tracking software, marketing automation, sales automation, analytics, and a mobile solution to access the Infusionsoft platform any time, anywhere, on every screen.

  • Sofront CRM:

    Sofront ActionCoach CRM was built for coaches, by coaches. Additionally, they offer optional managed marketing services and campaign management.

  • Zoho CRM:

    Zoho, a generic and inexpensive CRM program provides tools for recurring billing, customer tracking, customer satisfaction emails and a customizable database. While the service is not specifically designed for the coaching industry, it is affordable and supports multiple MIDs.

  • Google Sheets:

    Google Sheets is a free service that provides a basic spreadsheet for start-ups. Its biggest asset is that it is free.

Growing and Scaling Your Coaching Business

It’s a Great Time to be in Coaching

The coaching industry is growing exponentially and DigiPay is excited to be part of it. Our extended family of coaching service provider merchants, with vastly different models and product sets, are equally committed to optimal results, performance metrics and profitability. Some offer short-duration programs; others provide ongoing corporate training programs. All want affordable and easy high-risk payment card processing, which is our specialty

Mike Ackerman
Co-Founder, CEO, DigiPay Solutions

Affiliate Marketing

What is affiliate marketing? Affiliate marketing is a partnership between merchants and affiliated individuals and companies that sell for them on the internet. Companies of all sizes, from leading global brands to start-up entrepreneurs, use the affiliate marketing model to great advantage, finding it an effective and lucrative ecommerce strategy. For example, thousands of Amazon.com affiliates promote products on their websites, redirecting buyers to Amazon’s site where they can check out and complete the sale. These sales are tracked by unique URLs that enable affiliates to earn commissions.

Creating an effective affiliate marketing plan begins with identifying trusted and reputable affiliates with extensive networks and followers, retail analysts have noted. These sources can help introduce products and services to markets outside a company’s traditional marketing footprint. Some examples might be a blogger with thousands of followers, or an e-zine with a strong vertical industry focus.

Because affiliate marketers are ideally an extension of a company’s brand and salesforce, it is crucial for organizations to create an affiliate program with clearly articulated terms and conditions, leaving nothing to chance. Some companies may outsource most of their promotional efforts to affiliate marketers. Others may supplement their traditional salesforce with a few affiliate partners.

Companies need to consider their primary objectives and corporate culture when creating an affiliate marketing program. Companies that manage more than one sales force, such as telemarketers and outside sales, have learned to structure sales programs to ensure that different teams are not competing against each other. This principle is equally relevant when working with affiliate marketers, who have proven to be most effective when they are not in direct competition with internal sales teams.

What are Five Essential Components of an Affiliate Marketing Plan?

Payment acceptance: Affiliate marketing takes place on the internet, where payment methods vary. Merchants that only accept traditional credit cards will miss the opportunity to scale their businesses globally, by not accepting the most popular payment methods of other countries. Partnering with a company that specializes in cross-border payments and understands the unique regulatory environments of different countries around the world, will solve this issue.

Establish dedicated URL links: Targeted, accurate URLs are directly tied to affiliate marketers’ commissions and need to directly link to landing pages and product codes. Companies need to work with IT specialists to accurately track and promptly commission affiliate sales.

Create a coupon program: Considering how many consumers search for coupons and offers online, doesn’t it make sense to create coupon programs that help affiliate partners attract prospective buyers? Discount codes are one of the biggest growth hacks on the internet and show no sign of slowing down.

Stay in touch with affiliate partners: Establishing deep ties with affiliate partners means notifying them in real-time of any changes in inventory, pricing models and promotions. No company can afford the embarrassment of having an affiliate learn of a discontinued item or clearance sale through a third party. As sales representatives on the front lines of selling a company’s products, affiliate marketers deserve real-time alerts to keep them agile and motivated.

KPIs, banners: Affiliate marketers, like any sales professionals, need to know their key performance indicators, not only to track their closing rates but to be inspired to reach even greater heights. While there are multiple ways to do this, establishing a secure portal where they can log in and view their activity, commission status and current promotions will help them stay on track and cut down on customer service calls.

How can Merchants Prevent Affiliate Fraud?

  • Know Your Affiliate (KYA):

    Before you approve a new affiliate, your first step in preventing fraud is to fully vet them. Ask them about their current brand relationships and how they promote their products. Their responses will help you evaluate if their values and culture are consistent with your company’s image and brand. Ask how the affiliate will drive traffic & sales to your offer. Check to see if the affiliate has behaved fraudulently in other programs

  • Review the Affiliate Site to See:

    • Is their website(s) compatible with your brand standards?
    • What visual impression are they creating?
    • Is the copy written in a way that will enhance or cheapen your brand?
    • Are the product descriptions accurate?
    • How well are they promoting their site?
    • How well do they integrate with social sharing options?

  • Enforce Affiliate T&C and keep them updated:

    To stay apace with ever-changing rules and regulations, it is necessary to periodically update your affiliate terms and conditions. Let your affiliates know how these updates will be broadcast and request confirmation. Be sure to include a due date for compliance to the new terms as well as an enforcement strategy.

  • What is the best way to enforce Affiliate Terms?

    Monitor for violations using technology and human intelligence. Consider contracting with third-party service providers that use technology to monitor websites, or build those capabilities in-house. Ideally, machine learning coupled with human intelligence is the best way to ensure compliance.

  • Can Enforcement Be Outsourced?

    Yes, DigiPay powered by Tranzlytics provides high-risk merchants with Pro Managed Services to ensure compliance and to detect and prevent fraud. Tranzlytics fraud detection includes daily screen shots that identify changes to a website. In addition to monitoring for key word violations, Tranzlytics can monitor affiliates and sub-affiliates traffic to ensure compliance.

What is the best way to spot affiliate fraud?

The adage, trust but verify, applies when monitoring affiliates. The following guidelines can help identify potential fraud:

  • URLS’s with multiple redirects: It is important to know if the affiliate is using an approved site for your offer or unapproved sites to send fraudulent traffic.
  • Look at referring URL’s for the original source of leads and sales. Check for trends to identify sub-affiliates associated with fraud and high chargeback ratios.
  • Multiple transactions from a single IP address. This could indicate an affiliate or sub-affiliate is running stolen credit cards to place multiple orders.
  • Use transaction history and trends to Investigate spikes in leads or sales.

What are common affiliate marketing words, expressions and phrases?

Affiliate software: Unique applications developed by companies to track and manage their affiliate marketing programs.

Affiliate link: This distinct URL, created for each affiliate marketer, enables companies to recognize, track and pay commissions to affiliates.

Affiliate ID: These unique IDs are sometimes used in addition to unique URLs on websites to identify affiliate marketers and ensure that they are compensated for sales.

Payment Mode: Pertains to the method of payment used by a consumer to complete an affiliate-referred sale. Most affiliate programs offer payment methods beyond traditional credit cards to appeal to global consumers.

Affiliate Manager/OPM: Affiliate managers, who specialize in all aspects of affiliate marketing, provide expert guidance on establishing and maintaining affiliate programs.

Commission percentage/amount: This refers to the percentage of each sale that companies provide in commissions to their affiliate marketers.

2-tier, or multi-tier, affiliate marketing: Like multi-level marketing schemes, this method rewards affiliate partners for referrals and recommendations, creating a second tier of sub-affiliates who can also earn sub-affiliate commissions.

Landing pages: This web page is used to promote a specific product and is frequently used to test a market’s receptivity to a product or service.

Custom affiliate income/account: Some companies reward top-producing affiliates by creating an elite sales program with higher-tiered commissions.

Link clocking: Link clocking shortens affiliate-identifying links, keeping them short and easy on the eyes.

Custom coupons: Custom coupon programs, directly linked to specific affiliates, help companies track and analyze affiliate sales.

A growing number of companies are working with DigiPay and TranZlytics to optimize and grow their affiliate programs. Contact us today for a no-obligation review.

Coaching Trade Associations and Memberships

The following membership organizations and trade associations represent the interests of the professional coaching industry:

International Coaching Federation (ICF): Founded in 1995, the ICF is the leading coaching industry trade association, working to standardize best practices, provide independent certifications and build a global network of credentialed professional coaches. ICF offers three levels of certification, coaching school accreditation, an annual conference, a list of industry standards and ethical guidelines, a coach referral service, and professional development and support. www.coachfederation.org

Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC): Established in 1997, WABC represents the business coaching industry, dedicating itself to raising the profile of business coaching and differentiating the profession from coaching in general. www.wabccoaches.com

Coaching Annual Events and Conferences

Annual conferences and events provide coaching organizations and professionals with networking and educational opportunities. Here are some examples:

Affiliate Summit East: July 30-Aug. 1, 2017: ASE is held in New York City. Affiliate Summit holds two conference and tradeshows and a Performance Marketing Summit in the US. Their Affiliate Summit East is held late summer in New York.

WABC Round Table:July 31, 2017. How to Improve Leadership Using Coaching, Hong Kong. This meeting, hosted by Worldwide Association of Business Coaches, will explore how a coaching conversation can expand people’s minds. Open to the public.

ICF Converge 2017: Aug. 24-26, 2017. Hosted by the International Coaching Federation, ICF Converge 2017 brings coaching practitioners from around the world together to explore how to deepen relationships and take coaching education to a new level. ICF Converge attendees will participate in interactive sessions designed to strengthen coaching skills, build their business, and engage in crucial conversations impacting the global coaching community.

Content and Commerce Summit: Sept. 18-20, 2017: C&C is held in Los Angeles. Marketing and content development professionals explore groundbreaking trends, technologies and innovative business models across multiple verticals.

Affiliate Summit West: Jan. 7-9, 2018: AWS is in Las Vegas in January. Regional Affiliate Summit Social Events take place in cities around the world, providing digital marketers with additional networking opportunities.

Traffic and Conversion Summit: February 26-28, 2018: Held in San Diego, CA – T&C is the largest conversion conference in North America is held in San Diego every February, attracting digital marketers from around the world.

For an up-to-date list by month and year of digital marketing conferences, visit http://www.marketingterms.com/conferences/.

Upcoming Events and Conferences

Name Date City Venue
Affiliate Summit East July 30-Aug. 1, 2017 New York City, NY New York Marriott Marquis
WABC Round Table July 31, 2017 Hong Kong Wanchai
ICF Converge 2017 Aug. 24-26, 2017 Washington, D.C Marriott Wardman Park
Content and Commerce Summit Sept. 18-20, 2017 Los Angeles, CA JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE
Functional Food Center (FCC) Sept. 22-23, 2017 Boston, MA Joseph B. Martin Conference Center
Affiliate Summit West Jan. 7-9, 2018 Las Vegas, NV Paris Las Vegas Hotel
Traffic and Conversion Summit February 26-28, 2018 San Diego, CA San Diego Marriott Marquis

Join the growing community of Coaching Companies that process with DigiPay Solutions

Thank you for taking the time to review this compendium to learn about available opportunities and solutions in the coaching industry. We look forward to welcoming you to our growing merchant community.

Our online application takes minutes to complete. Once approved, our relationship managers will help you personalize your business management portal and leverage our full complement of secure payment gateway and chargeback management tools. They’ll help provision your processing account, ecommerce website and POS systems in brick-and-mortar stores.

DigiPay will also make it easy for your customers to find you, by helping you create an engaging online and in-store presence and seamless customer checkout experience. Take your coaching business to the next level today.

Join over 40,000 satisfied DigiPay customers

[contact-form-7 404 "Not Found"]