Potential Financial Services Seminar

**jhulott** · 22-10-04

One thing that is coming clearer each day now is that there is still alot of unknowns around the financial services advertising / promotion online - in fact take heart it is the same off line too!

At J2 we have been looking atour own sites and also been "advising" other sites as we have gone along.

One thing we are thinking about is running a one day seminar somewhere in the south of england which will include:

a compliance adviser who is currently helping websites get DIRECT authorisation with the FSA. He can help you apply for direct regulation.

A trading standards officer who can talk through the CCA and implications of the Credit advertising rules surround Secured
Loans (Secured or second charge loans fall OUTSIDE FSA regulation but inside CCA rules)

Senior management from several our large affiliate programs which include: MoneySupermarket.com, Endsleigh Insurance, and loans.co.uk

At this stage we are still hyperthetical but could put something together for November.

Obviously there would be a charge involved to attend but I want sound out if I am being ridiculous!

We are looking to charge £495 inc VAT per head.

Please can you give me some feedback! Keep it clean people!

Thanks

**lukey** · 22-10-04

Good idea - we'd be interested (Never can get enough advice on this subject!)

Luke

**harris1** · 22-10-04

Yes I am interested, and will probably attend depending on date.

**Shak** · 22-10-04

superb idea methinks, and count me in

Shak

**getvisible** · 22-10-04

yep - sounds good

**km8** · 22-10-04

Originally posted by jhulott
At this stage we are still hyperthetical but could put something together for November.

Please can you give me some feedback! Keep it clean people!

Hi Jason,
I know you wanted it clean but this is, really (as well as being OT):

hyper- and hypo- are direct opposites.

I'm sorry - it's Friday evening and I'm out of marketing mode (into picky mode instead

)

I was struck by the positive response you've had so far, suggesting that this is a pretty lucrative area, which in turn (getting back in marketing mode) makes me think I should be doing more in the financial services area.

Real feedback? Well yeah, sounds like a good idea but £400/head (+VAT) sure sounds expensive. If you get 10 paying delegates there that's £4,000.

I'd image that, from your list of proposed speakers, only J2 and the 'compliance adviser' would have to be actually paid - the others would need expenses at most, and for the civil servants among them (the Trading Standards officer), he/she won't be allowed to accept any more than expenses anyhow. The company reps should be paying you so no cost there.

Which after room-hire, catering, etc should comfortably leave £3,000 for a days work to pay J2 and the advisor.

Forgive me speculating, geography won't permit me to be there anyhow, but it just struck me as an expensive proposition.

None of which says that it isn't still good value for money - so maybe I'll just butt out.

Good luck with it anyway - sounds like you're offering something the market wants and is prepared to pay for - and that's what counts.

**drivetowin** · 22-10-04

I'd agree that it sounds like a good idea but the fee does seem high and more an attempt to make money than an attempt to help the industry.

Sorry to be negative but the only person I can see who MAY need to be paid for this is the compliance adviser - and I still believe that to be a very big MAY

Having spoken at numerous seminars in my previous life as a leading consultant in Document Management technologies, I always undertook seminars like this, normally for free except for expenses - why - because I expected at some point in the future to either receive referrals or direct business from the seminar attendees, and I cannot be naive enough to believe that the compliance adviser is not expecting to gain some additional business from this seminar.

The trading standards officer will as stated only be able to claim expenses.

J2 and the affiliate programmes you represent surely do not expect to be paid - after all you will no doubt be using the day to get the delegates to put greater effort into promoting your programmes - if this is not already on your list of objectives I can recommend an excellent sales training consultant to refocus your energies

Therefore the only real cost should be room hire, and maybe some refreshments - which I would suggest assuming say 10-20 delegates a cost of somewhere around £200 per head would be more appropriate

**Shak** · 22-10-04

I think the price is absolutely perfect, and some of the comments above are just plain crazy

any cheaper and the 1 diet rola cola on discount brigade may attend.

as for making money, isn't that what its all about here anyway.

as I always say, the only bad thing about this is the fact "that I did not think about it"

Shak

**drivetowin** · 22-10-04

Originally posted by Shak
any cheaper and the 1 diet rola cola on discount brigade may attend.

as for making money, isn't that what its all about here anyway.

No one is saying they shouldnt make money - far from it - but having run seminars at venues including several in Central London and charged 195 per head believe me there is money to be made at that level - its better to attract 20 people at 195 per head than 5 at 495 (you do the maths) - and also leads to a better seminar as more brains lead to more questions, more networking and more interchange of information.

I take exception to your comment - any cheaper and the 1 diet rola cola.... - so what you are saying is that just because you can afford 500 a day to attend a seminar - anyone who cant doesnt deserve to receive that educational opportunity - what an enlightened attitude...... correct me if I'm wrong but surely it is better that a larger number of affiliates are educated and able to promote mortgages etc within the new regulations, rather than they remain uneducated, a merchant gets fined for non-compliance and all other merchants suddenly run shy, shut down their affiliate programmes and we ALL end up losing a lucrative source of income.

**Shak** · 22-10-04

having met Jason, I can assure you he makes a lot more money doing a lot less work than organising an event like this.

and yes, if something is cheap, the wrong crowd attend, slag me off if you like, but thats the truth.

Shak

**jhulott** · 22-10-04

Thanks Shak,

I can take it from here.

I think what I am trying to do is add value. I am paid by clients substantially more than £495 for the work that J2 do.

I have had to think about two things:

1. How I can help others in this short period of time. I don't have the time to spend a day with every enquiry I get.

2. How I can help the greatest number of people in the shortest period of time.

Having said all that if I can get the numbers then I will lower the price. I can book a room for 500. That is not a problem. I can work the math out and will charge £195 inc VAT for 500 affiliates. I just don't know 500 finance affiliates. To be honest I don't know 50 good ones (Sorry but I don't)

Don't get me wrong I'd love too.

The idea here is more than a bunch of links to the OFT and FSA. Yes the OFT would come for FREE (I will pay his expenses) No the Compliance guy (No relation to google guy) won't come for free as he is a compliance officer for a large company and helps affiliates in his spare time (for a fee).

At the same time we are inviting companies who we represent as affiliate managers, not to provide a hard sell but to get their viewpoint on regulation too.

One thing I will not do is ask anyone to pay me to sell to them.

I have done a few lectures, seminars in my time too. I want to make sure that before I invest a lot of time creating documentation, presentations, booking venues etc that it is a viable option.

My first thought was that I'd be the only one there!

Sorry forgot to add - I think the other reason that other seminars are cheaper is that they are sponsored or part funded by advertisers. We are not looking at doing this. If I charged our merchants they will expect to be able to sell to you. Don't forget some of these boys are in car insurance so it is a hard sell.

**tomj** · 22-10-04

I spoke with a well respected and liked account manager at a affiliate network today who advised me to seek the help of my local trading standards office with regards to the compliance of my sites to the new FSA rules.

Once you get sign off from them you are pretty much covered....apparently

Tom.

**loquax** · 22-10-04

I guess the guys at the finance dominated networks like OMG/Smartquotes etc who will also be effected by these changes may help out with questions from the "Rola Cola" cheapskates.

if something is cheap, the wrong crowd attend, slag me off if you like, but thats the truth

Don't think Roy Keane's view of the 'prawn sandwich' supporters of Man United fits this argument though...

Jason

**harris1** · 23-10-04

I spoke with a well respected and liked account manager at a affiliate network today who advised me to seek the help of my local trading standards office with regards to the compliance of my sites to the new FSA rules.

Good luck. I hope it works, but I can’t see it to be honest. It would make life allot easier if it did though so please let me know.

Let’s be perfectly honest here. We are talking £500 plus travel down there. Call it £600 for arguments sake.

It’s a business expense, so its tax deductible. So presuming you are vat registered, and I am assuming those attending would be, cost is actually £297 (£105 vat, £198 tax liability)

For what he is suggesting £297 and a day of my time doesn’t sound too bad.

He is not running a charity. With this in mind any other comments? I am not being funny just the way I see it. You pay for what you get at the end of the day. If I go and its crap I will make my feelings known trust me.

**justnozy** · 23-10-04

Don't think Roy Keane's view of the 'prawn sandwich' supporters of Man United fits this argument though...

Jusy about sum's it up for me !

Good luck. I hope it works,

Really ? Sounds to me Tom is being "responsible" - & trust me talking to "local" can be very good or very bad - but it fecking counts.

£297 and a day of my time doesn’t sound too bad.

LOL - really enjoy watching people play with figures - "97% of staistics are only viewed 37% of the time & convert to a .3% CTR with a EPC of 27% you can get a ROI of ???% "

To quote - just show me the money !!!
Or should we consider km8 - 10 x ? =
500 x ? = /

So forget your £295 sounds okay to me OR give me £295 x ? - promise you I'll sort it !

He is not running a charity.

Who is asking him to do?
I would have thought that if a "seminar" of "500" like minded aff's where brought together then this would provide ample opportunity to find good aff's

To be honest I don't know 50 good ones (Sorry but I don't)

Maybe if you invite the

diet rola cola on discount brigade

you will find more than 50.

Let's not forget the attitude of this years No.1 aff manager - todays

diet rola cola on discount brigade

are tomorrows super affiliates !!!

I think this is a fecking brilliant idea - but £495 .

So I offer an alternative - & I do not know the first fecking thing about this area - but ain't we talking about "organising" ?

I am prepared to be educated - cos I'm justnozy - I will organise all the relevant experts, the venue & do this at no profit. Why - cos I am justnozy - I want to know & if there are any 2nd tiers ( thank you).

Yes there will be expenses so shall we say £200 per head - deposited to my solicitor - refunds based on production of a/c's ?

I will book the "experts", organise the hotels, collect from local train staion, & buy the first pint ( will be in expense a/c's ).

I will do this - why ? How can I loose ? But a fecking lot to gain.

Would it not be better that someone that knows this field of opportunity ( OMG ) do this ?

But I gave my word - post or PM - I'll do it.