Uncensored Direct Marketing

If you're a new online business owner who wants to minimize costs, the idea of getting a free merchant account is very appealing. But make no mistake, nothing in business is ever really free. There are always fees associated with processing credit card payments. It's just a question of who pays for it – you or your customers. So be wary of so-called “free merchant accounts”. They can result in business losses in the long run...

Do you understand how a payment transaction works? While it might seem that accepting payments is as simple as swiping the customer's card, a few things happen before the transactions get approved. If you do not understand the role of your payment gateway, merchant account, and CRM, you could end up frustrated if something goes wrong. 

This 10-minute episode explains how everything works together and why you might have to choose one payment gateway over another...

Getting your account shut down can be extremely stressful, and we’ve talked before about when Stripe freezes your account and holds your funds. But today we’re going to talk about the steps to take to get your business back up, so you’re able to process and accept credit card payments again. The MOST important piece of advice to remember is, DON’T WAIT! The sooner you start taking action, the sooner you can start accepting payments again...

The holiday season provides the necessary sales boost to meet your year-end sales goals. Traditionally, Black Friday marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season and online sales volumes continue to rise right up until Christmas. But while it's an excellent season for online retailers, there is a downside. Post-holiday chargebacks start to happen at the start of the new year. Issues like fraudulent purchases and buyer's remorse lead to returns and cancellations...

As we’re nearing the end of 2021, it's good to review what worked, what hasn’t, and what can be optimized. You should perform an audit regularly to make sure your business is running smoothly. Reflection and preparation are necessary to gear up for 2022, especially if you want to increase your revenue and productivity while staying competitive in your space. 

In today’s episode, Maria walks you through five major things you can do to optimize your systems and have a better year...

Providing an excellent follow-up to last week's episode on affiliate marketing, Maria interviews Alex Gunoe, Director of Business Development at Digistore24, one of the largest international networks of professional affiliates. Digistore24 is filled with affiliates who are ready to help market your products! Alex is a former PE teacher, gym founder, and wrestling coach who now helps businesses grow their reach and sell internationally...

As a business owner, affiliate marketing is one traffic source you should consider if you haven't already. And since it's almost the end of the year, you're probably starting to plan for 2022. So take a break and listen to this episode to learn how you can increase your revenue with affiliate marketing...

Many freelancers want to venture into copywriting but oftentimes come up short when it comes to writing compelling copy. Copywriting goes beyond just writing words or sharing a great story. Successful copywriting creates an emotional reaction in its readers. Every word should trigger a strong emotion for the reader. Most of the time, people buy products based on how it makes them feel and not logic...

With the surge of online businesses, comes the demand for credit card payment solutions. New online business owners, who are rushing to accept credit card payments, tend to use Stripe or PayPal because they are easy to set up. So what could go wrong? But it’s not a good idea to rely heavily on either Stripe or PayPal, if you hope to have uninterrupted business operations...

Are you selling unique high-ticket training offers, mastermind sessions, or a coaching program? If so, you will need a premium payment solution to accept payments for such offers. Unfortunately, premium pricing carries a lot of risk for banks, so they tend to be extra cautious in dealing with high-risk merchants. 

Sure, you can temporarily use payment aggregators like Stripe or PayPal, but they can't support you in the long run...