I’m a little late with this note, but on 9/28, Bonnie Corso, owner of the ClickToTheMagic.com website, posted a lengthy message on MyCoupons regarding the difficulties of running her website. In a nutshell (!), these included: automation problems, an overwhelming number of daily member emails (over 2000), working with over 975 merchants, cash flow problems, public criticism, family having a higher priority, lengthy site redesign, lack of staff, daily reports (90), cheating competitors, cheating members with duplicate accounts, members not reading updates on-site, members not updating their email addresses, ISPs not delivering CTTM emails, and the program’s lack of profitability.
Whew.
Now let me first comment that I am sympathetic to her plight. A mom myself, my children will ALWAYS come first, particularly as my websites are perpetually unprofitable as well. Running a rewards program has to be a tremendous challenge — balancing the demands of both your merchants and your members and hoping to eke out a reasonable profit while you’re at it? Not for the faint of heart.
However.
CTTM, like any other rewards program, is a BUSINESS. It needs adequate staffing, professional customer service, and prompt payment of debts. Overhead expenses need to be taken into account when deciding what portion of your commissions can be paid back to members in the form of rebates or offers. There is NO REASON why a rewards program should be seriously delinquent with its payments if proper accounting procedures are in place. Using current earnings to pay long overdue past member redemptions is NOT keeping your head above water — it’s “robbing Peter to pay Paul.” What happens when the next round of redemptions come through? What plan is in place to pay THEM?
According to Alexa.com, ClickToTheMagic.com has a reach (that’s the percentage of all internet users who visit a particular site) of 0.15. In contrast, CompareRewards.com has a reach of 2.15. That seems to indicate that my website receives about 15 times as many site visitors. I get in the range of around 300 visitors a day. You do the math. Does it seem likely that CTTM has the kind of activity level that would generate “over 2000 emails a day for the site”?
If you’re taking people’s money, which you are when you earn commissions on their purchases, you are DEFINITELY running a business. How profitable it is on your end is inconsequential to the fact that it’s a business. Business debts must be paid. A business that can’t pay its debts is insolvent. You can’t get away with saying things like, “There are so many things in life to be thankful for that if you are fixating on a $10 reward, please get over it, you will get it, then if you wish to quit, fine, no one will fault you for it.” It would be great if everyone could tell their creditors, “I’ll pay you whenever, just deal with it or go away.” But that’s not life…that’s certainly not business…and to the person waiting on their $10 reward, the long litany of excuses is completely irrelevant.
What CTTM needs is a business approach. Right now it sounds like it’s just something the owner does to meet people while honing her graphics design skills. When she gets serious about treating it as a business, with adequate staffing, profitable rebate rates, professional customer service, and a business plan to catch up past debts while paying current ones, I’d be happy to revisit this…but in the meantime, I HIGHLY recommend that you avoid this program.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I see that your comments are based from back in September. I have been a member of Click to the Magic since the beginning of 2002 and I have never had a problem with her rewarding points for sign-ups or swaps, has always sent me my redemptions in a timely manner and has replied to my emails. If I had a problem receiving points, it was corrected within 48 hours. Everyone seems to forget when Memolink was almost two years behind in the redemptions. But now that they have gotten caught up, they are the greatest thing, even though it takes almost a year to earn enough points for a $10 gift certificate.
CreationRewards now has .3 in points in their ‘visit web sites’ and 1 point for the daily trivia question. I wonder if that means they are on their way out since their points have dropped.
I would like to ask you what rewards program you have been the web master of and what success you have had. I say, don’t throw stones until you have walked the walk.
For those of you that are just itching to reply to this, just think: It took just a few short minutes out of your day to earn your rewards. You will get your rewards, and you will keep on clicking. It is free, easy money. Yes, it is due you and, yes she will get your redemption to you like she has me, and others. If you will be patient, and stick with her by send swaps, and clicking on her site and help her build the site and not fight her every step of the way, then the site will get bigger, the rewards will become better and you will receive your redemptions faster!!
From a VERY satisfied CttM Member!!