Below you'll find a great article that talks about the semi-exclusivity of leads. It's an interesting take on how the concept has actually helped the industry. If you have a few minutes, check it out. And as always, have a great week.

Featured Articles from DoublePositive

As the 600lb. gorilla in the mortgage leads space, Lending Tree essentially forced the issue down the throats of the mortgage industry back in 1998 with "When Banks Compete, You Win," and all the other players (including iLeads, GetSmart, TheLoanPage.com, eLeadz, LowerMyBills, etc.) fell right in line. In other words, the lead-generation companies were in the driver's seat – "Oh, you want these leads, Mr. Mortgage Co., OK then, well here's the deal..."

In online ed, and the other leads verticals, the buyers are/were in the driver’s seat (ostensibly since no big lead gen company came out in their vertical to force the issue). All other things being equal, what leads buyer would ever want semi-exclusive vs. exclusive? But all things are NOT equal. Full Story

Contributed by: Chris Beauchamp

I was at Barnes and Noble with my daughter Sunday morning when I picked up the latest issue of Wired magazine. I'll have to admit it was the photo of Jenna Fischer from The Office that grabbed my attention, but it was the article about "radical transparency" that makes it worth opening the magazine. While I had never heard those two words together to describe the idea, transparency is certainly one of the "Web 2.0" general principles.

The Wired magazine article titled “The See-Through CEO” talks about Redfin, an online real estate brokerage firm, as an example of a company that practices radical transparency in everything it does. In fact, the company’s business model is based on radical transparency. The article explains: Full Story

Tips of the Trade

GreenSheet

Some say a picture is worth a thousand words. In sales, however, sometimes a few well-chosen words can punch up your point with more power than any four-color brochure. A story that relates to a prospect's situation can make a forceful statement, requiring less effort on your part. Full Story

MarketingWeb

There are a number of techniques that buyers use to get a better deal for themselves. These are mostly tricks and the salesperson must avoid falling for them. I have listed a few of these "Tricks" below so that you can be prepared. Full Story

Referral Program

Make sure you take advantage of our referral program. For every new client you refer who orders 50 transfers, you'll get 5 free transfers — a value of up to $500! So give me a call at 888-376-7484.

Industry Fraud

Reuters

On the surface, Brent Barber's Kansas City real estate investment company appeared to be serving a greater good -- refurbishing low-income housing across the city's blighted urban core. Full Story

AtlantaBusinessChronicle

Former fugitive Matthew Bevan Cox pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal district court in Atlanta to mortgage fraud, identity theft, passport fraud, and probation violation charges. Full Story

BostonHerald

A crackdown on alleged mortgage scams is heating up, with federal officials taking over prosecution of an alleged Hub fraud ring that previously faced only state charges. Full Story

NewYorkPost

A married couple from Brooklyn went from better to worse after getting caught using a Queens man's identity to scam more than $1 million, authorities said yesterday. Full Story

Developing Your Business

Stop wasting your time chasing shadowy leads and get to work with Transfers from DoublePositive! Our transfers are different from traditional leads because they pass through two layers of screening and verification. You set the parameters and we'll connect you live to only qualified, interested borrowers.

If you don't have live call tranfers of double-verified and interested borrowers in your leads mix, you should. There's no better time to try LIVE Hot Transfer Leads! Sign-up is free, there's no minimum order or long-term contracts and you can name your own price. Visit the link below to find out more:

Learn more about LIVE Hot Transfers!

Transfers Available This Week

State	Cost*
AK	$35
AL	$39
AR	$37
AZ	$47
CO	$46
CT	$47
DC	$39
DE	$44
GA	$38
HI	$38
IA	$42
ID	$39
IL	$40
IN	$40
KS	$36
KY	$40

State	Cost*
LA	$33
MA	$51
ME	$40
MI	$44
MN	$47
MO	$39
MS	$37
NC	$38
NE	$30
NH	$54
NJ	$49
NM	$39
NV	$46
NY	$45
OH	$36

State	Cost*
OK	$34
OR	$36
PA	$45
RI	$43
SC	$38
SD	$36
TN	$42
TX	$39
UT	$40
VA	$48
VT	$45
WA	$46
WI	$39
WV	$38
WY	$42

View the complete list of Transfer costs per state.

For pricing information on the Hot Transfers
listed above, please call us at 888-376-7484 . You can also visit our site to get more information Learn more about DoublePositive!

Industry News

Reuters

Countrywide Financial Corp. , the largest U.S. mortgage lender, said on Thursday the share of its mortgage portfolio that faces foreclosure nearly doubled in March from a year earlier in a difficult housing market. Full Story

MarketWatch

Consumer groups called Thursday for Congress to enact bankruptcy-law reform to save the homes of borrowers drowning in the rising tide of subprime mortgage foreclosures and stem the loss up to $164 billion in home-based wealth. Full Story

Bankrate

Bankrate's weekly national survey shows where mortgage rates are -- and analysis predicts where they're headed. Full Story

CNNMoney

The federal government should offer troubled borrowers hundreds of millions of dollars to bail them out of subprime mortgage loans, several leading Democratic lawmakers said on Wednesday. Full Story

MarketWatch

NovaStar Financial said late Wednesday that it's considering selling itself, becoming the latest subprime mortgage specialist to propose relinquishing its independence. Full Story

CNNMoney

Mortgage applications in the U.S. declined for the fourth straight week as a decline in refinancing activity offset an increase in new home applications, according to the latest report by the Mortgage Bankers Association. Full Story

Business Solutions

DNCSolution is a family of Internet-based products that handle the full range of Do Not Contact (Do Not Call, Do Not Fax, Do Not E-mail, Do Not Mail) compliance. DNCSolution also addresses the privacy directives and opt-in/opt-out preferences of your prospects and customers. DNCSolution.com

Leads360's lead tracking software can give you visibility over your sales force and get valuable insight into your contact ratio. Contact Leads360 today and learn how we can help you increase your contact ratio by more than 20% in the first month. Call 1-888-508-4462 or visit Leads360.com

Your On-line Account

We're working hard to make our client Extranet an increasingly useful tool. We'll provide weekly updates on improvements recently released and those coming soon. We want to know what enhancements are most valuable to you! We'll use your feedback to prioritize our development, so please email us now with your suggestions!

On-line Account Features

New site design
6 Hour Window a requirement
View/Edit Users – Password entries are now validated to be at least 5 alphanumeric characters
Enhanced Analytics - Track Transfers...by loan officer! -- Now for each Transfer you receive...you can track it back to the loan officer in your organization who handled the call.
Online Ordering and Credit Card Processing - Online reordering is as easy as ever; it now stores the previous credit card you used from the last order.
Streamlined Credit Review - Submit transfers for credit review and receive responses directly from the Billable Transfers Report page of our extranet.
Real-time On-Hold Control - Put your account on hold or make it active instantly whenever you like.

DealWire