I have decided to post this awesome interview with the real owner of ClixSense, Jim Grago.
I want to mension that this Interview is originally taken from PTC Scrutiny and can be found on his website.I'am sure that most of you have not read the story, so here it goes.
The Interview (many thanks to PTC Scrutiny - www.ptcscrutiny.com)
ClixSense is among the most stable PTCs right now which was established in 2007. The site was initially owned by Steve Girsky (also the founder of an electronic payment processor – StormPay).
Jim took over ClixSense & Adhitz in 2010 and has put in a lot of effort to make ClixSense what it is today.
So here we go.
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. How long have you been working in this industry and how did you get involved with ClixSense ?
I have been involved in the Network Marketing for over 10 years and have ran ClixSense for a year now.
2. Besides obvious financial gain, what inspired you to open a PTC site ?
The potential to reach many members. The marketing power that owning a business like this is incredible. The type of people who join PTC websites are those that are more responsive to other similar types of offers.
3. Do you have a team/staff or do you manage your site on your own? Could you give us a little glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes ?
ClixSense is owned by me and I have 4 other employees that also help run this business. Behind the scenes is just like a normal business. Each of us has our own duties to take care of. Mornings are the busiest as we have to play catchup from the overnight submission of ads, tickets and fundings. We work from 8am to 10pm daily.
4. What is your previous experience with a PTC (as a member or as an Admin) ?
No previous experience with PTC.
5. Is your PTC site your main source of income ?
No.
6. Which are the main factors you think are responsible for your site to gain this firm position and what has been your biggest success to date ?
I think ClixSense is successful because of the amount of time our staff puts into it and the continued support from our members. We feel that great customer support is #1 and this is why we attempt to answer support requests as quickly as possible. People do not like to wait to get an answer.
7. Let’s flip the previous question, what has been the biggest mistake you wish you had never made ?
I don’t think we have really made many mistakes that have hurt us.
8. Which forums and blogs do you visit regularly to see what others are saying about your site ?
I try not to visit many forums or blogs as if there is a negative post there or something that isn’t correct I tend to want to reply and would rather just let it be. I have posted a few times at EMS Forum but that’s about it.
9. What do you think makes your site stand out from the crowd since there are literally hundreds of PTCs one can choose from ?
The fact that our site is 100% “Home Grown”. Meaning we never used any bought scripts or hosted bux sites and ClixSense was the very first PTC website to come online. All others are copy cats, but you expect that.
10. Do you have any backup plans in case you have problems with Paypal like account limitation since many PTCs have had problems with Paypal with the latest being MatrixMails (Est. 2002). What other resources can you utilize that can secure payments to members ?
We are aware of the issues that others have had with PayPal and we are OK with resources incase anything happens. We also have a very good working relationship with PayPal as there was more to the Matrix Mails issue than we know.
11. What is your opinion about the “BUX-model” ?
Honestly I think the “Bux” model is terrible. I think that a person who just jumps into the PTC world without knowing what they are doing will be in trouble quickly. A friend asked me about creating one and I told him it’s not an easy business to get into because of the fraud. He quickly learned that when he fell $3,000 behind in payments only to shortly there after go out of business.
12. ClixSense has adopted a part of the “bux” model by offering guaranteed ads to members (Standard as well as Upgraded). What are the steps have you thought of for maintaining the current stability with these new conditions ?
We felt guaranteed ads was a good fit for our members. While this costs us quite a bit of money each day, it is really a necessary option.
13. How do you manage to offer such a cheap upgrade and still provide such huge benefits like commissions and a 8-level affiliate program ?
We are not like those other “Bux” sites offering a ridiculous upgrade price to be premium. We make no money at all on upgrades as 95% of the upgrade goes toward paying commissions. Lower is better and most people cannot afford $100 or more just to upgrade.
14. How have you managed to attract regular advertisers to your site all through these years when most sites find it the most difficult part leading to their downfall ?
Finding large advertiser is very difficult in this business because of the audience involved. But we have a couple advertisers that are not in the MLM business. We have also signed a deal with an ad network to provide a feed of ads for our members that will be setup soon. This should mean even more ads for you!
15. How do you feel about your major competitors like NeoBux, Wordlinx, MatrixMails and other established sites ?
Competition is good for you. I have worked directly with my competition on things and will even offer advice if asked. The only real issue our lawyer has is with another domain that has a very similar name as ours.
16. How secure is your site and members’ accounts from hackers? Do you have any kind of anti-DDoS protection ?
We have many anti hacker/fraud tools built in. We will not disclose any of this information but we are protected.
17. Many members have urged me to ask you to disclose your site stats like Total no. of members, no. of upgraded members and total amount paid to all members till date. Can you provide us with the figures ?
Total members is approaching 1.5 Million. The amount of upgraded members vary but in the 20% range. We have paid out close to $1 Million dollars to date. This is listed on our homepage.
18. Are there any plans to further develop ClixSense in the near future? Are there any changes or improvements that members can be excited about ?
There are always plans to improve ClixSense. As you know just recently we released a new version which has brought rave reviews. We do have more plans for other things but can’t release any info yet as we don’t want others copying what we are doing. But I can say, it will do 2 things. 1, bring you more revenue and secondly it will explode our traffic.
19. And finally is there anything else you wish to say which I have not covered in this interview ?
Yes, I want to thank all of the ClixSense members for sticking with us. Also I strongly suggest you have some money if your going to get into the PTC business. Honestly $5,000 startup capital is barley enough. Oh, and lastly. Promote your ClixSense affiliate link!
Thank you.
June 15, 2011
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