This article was originally posted on 1/1/14. We’ve re-posted it so it can be archived and searchable at our new blog and also so that new affiliates–who may have missed the original announcement—can read the article.
To: All SFI Affiliates
From: Gery Carson, SFI President & Founder
Whew! What a year!
2013, our 15th year (and 28th for Carson Services, Inc.), was indeed a watershed year for SFI. From just a half-million affiliates at the start of 2013, we ended the year with nearly 1.5 million. And while the substantial increase in our affiliate base was fantastic, other markers—honestly too many to mention here—were an even bigger story.
Suffice it to say, SFI took some huge leaps forward in 2013, and the evidence was everywhere—from the Forum, to a2a, to Ask SC, and everything in between. And, boy, did we love cutting some of the biggest affiliate commission checks in our history!
TripleClicks also made some jaw-dropping advances in 2013:
- Overall, sales increased by nearly 300%!
- Monthly Pricebenders auctions went from just 700 in December 2012 to over 1800 in December 2013 (a 1100+ increase in auctions per month)!
- TripleClicks’ popularity (traffic) ranking continued it’s zoom up the charts. According toalexa.com, TripleClicks is closing in on being a top 1500 Website…in the world! And in some countries, TripleClicks has already achieved even more rarified air. In South Africa, TripleClicks ranks 218th! In Canada, TripleClicks ranks 568th! And in Nigeria, TripleClicks ranks as the 239th most popular site in the country!
Yet as impressive as all these statistics are, we haven’t even taken the car out of first gear yet! Especially with TripleClicks, I feel like we’re just barely out of the garage! 🙂
During 2013, substantial under-the-hood improvements were made, such as with a major investment in powerful new servers and hardware. And now the table is set for some of our most exciting improvements and features ever. If everything goes to plan, TripleClicks at the end of 2014 will make 2013’s TripleClicks look positively LAME in comparison!
So what’s coming to TripleClicks in 2014? I can only provide some peeks right now, but here is just SOME of what’s in the 2014 pipeline:
- New site design and new TConnect pages
- Major, new section additions
- Improved search engine and filtering
- New Pricebenders auction types to create more winners than ever before
- Optional auctions (traditional style) for Member Listings
- More, bigger, and better Pricebenders auctions
- Tens of thousands of new products
- A powerful new program for earning both VersaPoints and MRP (Member Rewards Points) from local restaurants, grocery stores, and more.
Here’s one more we’re very excited about: One of the world’s most popular online games is coming to TripleClicks!
Pretty exciting stuff, right?! And that’s just SOME of what’s coming. And what about SFI? Yes, there’s GREAT, GREAT business-boosting stuff on the way for SFI, too, such as…
- New SFI gear
- New contests (see news.sfimg.com for Leadership Challenge announcement)
- A big bump up in prizes for the Daily Grand
- Marketing Center
- New, completely overhauled E-Cards with powerful new features and capabilities
- New free, custom domain, hosted gateways
- New Genealogy tools
- New a2a and Stream features
- Outlets around the world for W3 kits, X-Cards, and more
- New ways to earn VersaPoints
- New badges
- New weekly newsletter
- New and improved ECA recruiting tools
- New income opportunity
And, of course, we’re cooking up MANY other new tools, innovations, and surprises for throughout the new year!
Now it’s time for some well-earned THANK YOUs. I’ll start with my staff. In a year where the workload tripled and things often got very hectic, you performed with outstanding efficiency and quality. Our Support Team alone handled well over 60,000 tickets! And our IT, Graphics, Communications, and Shipping departments were just as stellar. No matter what the challenge, your dedication and excellence in serving our affiliates was on display throughout the year. You rock! THANK YOU.
I’d like to also put a big THANK YOU out to our awesome moderators at the SFI Forum. The Forum exploded in activity in 2013 and you kept everything running like a well-oiled machine. Great job! Next time you’re at the Forum, everyone, please let our moderators know you noticed, too! THANK YOU, moderators, and get ready for an even busier 2014! 🙂
Last but not least, of course, is our affiliates—now nearly 1.5 million strong! What I do, what my staff does, what our moderators do…none of it would hardly make a ripple without you. Your enthusiasm, passion, loyalty, and the millions of hours of effort you put into SFI is what makes SFI truly go, and I can’t thank you enough for that.
I love being at the helm at SFI! I love that SFI gets to be a true marketing pioneer, going where no one else has gone before! And I really love how we’re showing the world how people from every corner of the earth can work together for peace and prosperity for all!
But it’s YOU that empowers this. YOU put the fuel in SFI’s tank. Without all of you and everything you put into SFI, no one would know what we do. YOU have put SFI and TripleClicks on the map, and we’re just getting started. THANK YOU!
One more thing: I just have to share a very fitting testimonial we recently received from SFI affiliate, Donald Gaw. Here’s what Donald had to say:
With over 40 years in sales and over 60 years as a champion people watcher; I’ve never seen a better time when a company has positioned itself for massive growth like we have here in SFI. It’s one of the main reasons I came into SFI. Here’s why. 1.) People that have been online for at least 12 months have seen ad after ad promoting one get rich quick scam after another. They’ve become wise to the fact that people will take advantage of them and are now shifting their reality towards company’s that have a track record (SFI), don’t use hype (SFI), offer real Services (SFI), and have unique products (SFI) and Training (SFI)!
That’s just a little as to why 2014 is going to be big for SFI…Now for number 2.) There are two growing movements, I think are converging which will make SFI the company to be with for future success: A: The growing Worldwide Oneness Movement (Unity) and B: The growing dissatisfaction with our ever increasing loss of individuality due to the reliance on big corporations. People want to gain back their independence!
People are starting to learn that we are all citizens of Planet Earth and we all need to feel a greater sense of Personal Freedom. Once again…SFI gives a person both. Our Global structure is second to none. No other company offers a better chance for people everywhere to connect, do business with, learn from each other and get to know each other and become friends than SFI. This is a real platform for creating a Peaceful World.
And…SFI offers anyone that joins the freedom to get involved the way they choose. You can join for free. You can also have the option to become a monthly subscriber if you wish. You can do Auctions or not. You can sell things on TripleClicks or not. You have no quota. We are each free to design our own SFI Membership the way we want it to look. That’s real Freedom! Most companies will make you pay before you join and then require a monthly fee just to earn money back. That’s hardly fair, is it? Not SFI…we joined for free.
There is one other, elusive thing about SFI that I noticed right away upon joining and that’s the feeling of fairness and integrity and goodwill that is exhibited by the company as well as the members. That will go a long way toward keeping and having a strong, dedicated membership!
Anyway…I think 2014 will be a phenomenal year for SFI. It has everything needed: dedicated members and a vision that includes everyone!
Truly, Donald, I couldn’t have said it any better myself. What a truly awesome job you’ve done in putting into words and defining much of my vision for SFI and TripleClicks. We receive a lot of really wonderful testimonials around here, but I can’t think of another one in recent memory that was as strong, moving, and as well-put as the one you penned. THANK YOU.
With that, I will say THANK YOU one more time to all of our incredible affiliates around the world. You inspire me every day. I truly believe that 2014 is going to be a very special year. Let’s go out now and make it the greatest in our history. Together, I know we can.
All my best to everyone for a prosperous, happy, and healthy New Year,
Gery Carson
SFI President
