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No other marketplace has a more concentrated, high quality collection of prospective Web hosting customers. The WebhostSHIFT marketplace creates a strong draw for hosting customers of all type, each with an affinity to purchase Web hosting services from one of our sellers.

Why is WebhostSHIFT a better choice than other affiliate marketplaces?
Unlike many affiliate marketplaces, we focus on customers looking for just one service: Web hosting. That dedication to our core business allows us to deliver the best designed referral program available online today.

With a WebhostSHIFT account, you can learn which Web hosts are referring the highest quality customers to you, determining types of services these customers purchase and how long they stay with your company.

These important performance metrics allow you to better refine your marketing strategies, and WebhostSHIFT is with you every step of the way. For example, WebhostSHIFT allows you to decide which types of customers to accept in the marketplace. You have the option of including and excluding specific referring Web hosts, thereby maximizing the quality of new signups you receive.

As prospective customers browse our marketplace, one of our knowledgeable staff members prompts them and offers assistance to help them choose the exact Web hosting plan that best suits their needs. If they don’t want our help, they can simply close the instant message window. But if they’re new to Web hosting, we guide them to the best hosting plan that fits their needs, so your sales team does not have to. Prospective customers can reach our team via toll-free telephone, instant call back, or Web-based live chat.

Are you convinced that WebhostSHIFT truly is the most advanced, well-designed referral platform? It’s time to take your slice of the pie! Open a no-cost WebhostSHIFT account now, and take the full advantage of our revolutionary new system that allows you to both monetize own churn rate and grow your business!

Now, please meet our host Michelle who’ll give you a thorough presentation on how our system works.

Play WebhostSHIFT presentation

Buyer's FAQ

Is there a fee to become a buyer in your network?
There is no flat fee to become a buyer in our network. As you acquire customers, you simply pay the commission fee that we pay to referring Web hosts, which includes a 10 percent processing fee. For example, if you decide to offer a commission $50 for each new sale, we retain $5 and pay the referring provider $45. You still only pay the original $50 commission.

What do I need to do to become a buyer?
To start as a buyer, you are required to make an initial deposit of $1,000 to cover commission expenses. Any unused portion of the deposit will be refunded to you if you decide to opt-out of our system. Deposits greater than $1,000 earn rewards, including account credits and additional advertising placements.

You also have the option of registering a credit card on file so we can automatically deduct commission payments from your account.

When will I pay the commission for each referred customers?
That’s up to you. As a buyer, you determine when to pay the seller’s commission. As a security measure, we hold commission funds from your account immediately after a sale is completed and release them to the seller once you approve the sale. If you decide to invalidate a sale before the commission is paid, we will automatically release the funds back to your account.

What commission do we pay for referred customers?
That’s up to you. As a competitive marketplace, it’s important to attract sellers by offering commissions within range of other buyers—typically between $75 and $100 per sale.

What’s the minimum level of funds we need in our account?
Once you make the initial deposit of $1,000, you are not required to maintain any specific minimum balance. You are encouraged to assign a credit card to your account so further commissions can be automatically charged to you.

If not used for commission payouts, all deposited funds are 100% refundable (the initial deposit is 100% refundable after 90 days). As a noteworthy exception to this rule, commissions paid to the sellers are final and nonrefundable. (However, since you determine when to pay a seller, you have the option to invalidate a sale transaction if your requirements have not been met. There’s no risk involved—you don’t pay for anything until you approve it.)

What is the potential of the SHIFT network?
As we launch WebhostSHIFT, we have exclusively invited a collection of more than 100 of the largest Web hosting providers, with a goal of retaining 20 as sellers. Once we meet this goal, we will allow smaller Web hosts to join our network and begin buying and selling customers.

In crunching the numbers, it’s clear that the SHIFT network has incredible potential. Large hosts average 3,000 closed accounts per week. With just 10 providers in our network as sellers, we can expect to see as many as 120,000 accounts going through the SHIFT network each month—and that’s just the top 10 providers!

We have planned aggressive sales and marketing activities in the coming months. In July, we will sponsor HostingCon 2008, and we have planned advertising in various hosting news magazines and portals.

Why would a Web host want to be a seller?
Sellers have nothing to lose and everything to gain. By offering SHIFT vouchers, sellers demonstrate integrity and goodwill to their customers, even as they leave the company. When these customers search for new hosting—and redeem their SHIFT vouchers—the seller receives a competitive commission that can be used to boost marketing activities or defray the cost of customer attrition.

Why would a customer want to use a SHIFT voucher?
When a customer closes their account—for whatever reason—sellers can give them a SHIFT voucher. In cases where the customer closed their account for reasons unrelated to service (for example, they’ve decided they do not want a Web site), the SHIFT voucher can be saved for a later date or transferred to a friend in need of hosting.

But if the account was closed for service related reasons – perhaps concerns over customer support or downtime – the SHIFT voucher is seen as a respectful gesture on behalf of the hosting company, demonstrating that it puts customers’ interests ahead of its own. Not only does it help rebuild reputation, but it also makes clear that despite their account cancellation, the company values their business and wishes them the best of luck in their future online endeavors.

When the customer redeems the SHIFT voucher, they receive an instant cash rebate, and are automatically entered to win a monthly $1,000 Dell gift certificate

Why would a customer want to use a SHIFT voucher instead of searching on their own
There are a number of reasons that make SHIFT vouchers an ideal choice for hosting consumers. Most notably, SHIFT vouchers allow customers to secure special pricing on Web hosting packages that are often not available to the general public. Customers also receive instant cash rebates on purchases through our marketplace.

When a SHIFT voucher is redeemed, customers are also automatically entered to win a monthly $1,000 Dell gift certificate.

When are commissions paid?
As the buyer, you exclusively decide when to pay commission for sales. Most buyers set parameters to validate sales—for example, new accounts must remain active for 30 or 60 days to count as a closed sale. You are then able to approve or invalidate a sale, based upon compliance with the rules you defined. Like everything in the marketplace, these rules are competitive, and sellers refer customers most to buyers with the most attractive commission structure.

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