If you have been reading around some of these threads you will probably have come across links to sign up to the new Tiscali network marketing opportunity.
I will briefly recount my experience of this opportunity to help others who think it might be worth signing up. I will try to keep this objective and recount the facts of my experience only.
The advertising blurb for the opportunity talks about Tiscali being web led, here is the extract from the advertisement:
"
Tiscali is web-led... everything we do is focused on utilising, supporting embracing and encouraging growth using the internet. Unlike Tiscali's competitors who just feel they have a web-presence because it is required... Tiscali clearly leads with their web technologies and developments"
So it seemed that I would be able to run the opportunity like my other telecoms affiliate programs (which I
am doing successfully), referrining my telecoms traffic to my Tiscali network website.
However, after signing up (as an IBA), it became apparent that this is not how Tiscali want their IBA's to run the business.
Having a fair bit of affiliate marketing experience, the first thing I did was to check the refferal URL I had been given to my "prospecting site". Indeed, this did take me to my prospecting site, but I also found that the potential customer could take various paths through the signup procedure, browsing for things like tariffs and how the service worked, and if they did so the tracking id (to register their sign up against me) would be lost. Thinking this to be in error, I raised the issue with Tiscali. At first they agreed (and the URLs have been changed to track properly); however, the email conversation that transpired as a result made it perfectly clear Tiscali did not expect customers to be entering details via the prospecting site but that it should be the IBA him or herself. Apparently, this avoids the problems of customers not being tracked against the IBA. It also means that it not suitable to run properly as an online opportunity.
I had great difficulty in extracting the statement from Tiscali, but extract it I did.
I can supply the email conversation to anyone if they are interested.
Please note that this isn't a gripe. I investigated all this before I completed final sign authorising Tiscali to charge me £200; as I won't now be completing sign up I won't be losing any money. I just think these are facts that aren't immediately obvious and it will help others who are deciding whether to do Tiscali or not.
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