Update News for December 2018 

Here is a quick run-down on what you will find in this bulletin:

• Merry Christmas 2018
• Compulife Emails Going To Spam 
• Zip Code List FROZEN Until January 14th 
• Zip Code Renewals Must Be Paid By January 11, 2018
• January 14, 2018, 12pm EST
  The Zip Code “Land Rush” Begins
  Don’t Miss The Opportunity! 
• New Limits For Maximum Numbers of Zip Codes
• The Starting Time is 12pm EST  NOT A MINUTE EARLIER 
  
• Do Some Preparation In Advance
  
• Zip Code List FROZEN Until January 14th 

These topics will be dealt with in more detail throughout this bulletin.

Merry Christmas 2018So as not to offend those who do not like “Merry Christmas”, I have placed my Christmas greetings in a separate document for any who wish to consider them:

Merry Christmas 2018 

Emails Going To Spam

As if our problems with anti-virus products were not maddening enough:

We have now encountered a problem where our emails going to some customers are disappearing into their spam folders. The problem is particularly accute with those who have “gmail” accounts. Even customers who send us an individual email from their gmail account, are finding our individual and direct replies to those emails going to their spam folder.

Let me explain that I do NOT have a spam folder and I do not use a spam filter. I am my own spam filter. I know that some people believe spam filters save them time but I also know (with certainty) that there are times when the baby gets thrown out with the bath water. Important emails are getting marked as spam or blocked as spam by these software products. It’s like a thief coming to your doorstep to steal your Amazon packages.

Jeremiah has spent a great deal of time trying to get to the bottom of why our emails are being treated in this way, but so far every explanation and change he has made to our systems seems to be of little consequence. If you send us an email, and we don’t respond, consider that we may have responded and our response ended up in Never-Never Land (aka, your spam folder).

Did I mention I don’t use a spam filter and I don’t have a spam folder?

Zip Code List FROZEN Until January 14thAs I did last year, I missed notifying you in the November bulletin that the term4sale zip code list was frozen following “bump week”. Once “bump week” ended on November 9th, 2018, and the renewal invoices for “additional zip codes” had been sent in the middle of November, the zip code list can no longer be changed in 2018. The opportunity to add or change zip codes will not be available until January 14, 2019.

Those who have zip codes will keep those zip codes until that date and no changes will be made until after 12pm EST that day. This gives our customers who have those zip codes time to renew those zip codes or not.

Zip Code Renewals Must Be Paid By
January 11, 2019Subscribers who have been sent renewal invoices for term4sale listings must have those zip codes paid by January 11, 2019. Zip codes not paid for by that date will be removed from your list of zip codes and they will become available to other subscribers on January 14, 2019 at 12 noon EST.

The idea of leaving it to January 11th is to give those who want to the opportunity to expense the advertising in either the 2018 or 2019 business years. Otherwise, there are no exceptions. If the zip code renewals are unpaid by January 11th then the zip codes will be made available to other subscribers. You can always come back later and buy them if they are still available, although the good one’s usually go quickly once others see that they have become available.

The exception is that you may elect to give up some of your zip codes and reduce your invoice amount. You also have until January 11th to make that decision. You will still be listed in the zip codes that you elect to give up, until January 11th. You paid to be listed until the end of the year, and you will have those listings until the end of the year. That is why the list is frozen. Internally we will remove the codes you delete, but a new list will not be published to the site/server until January 14th.

Give us a call if you have further questions, or email us at service@compulife.com.

January 14, 2019, 12pm EST
The Zip Code “Land Rush” Begins
Don’t Miss The Opportunity!The next important date for subscribers participating at term4sale.com, is January 14, 2019.

Subscribers who purchase additional zip codes from Term4sale, Inc., over and above the LOCAL zip codes purchased as part of a subscription to the Windows PC software, are invoiced for those zip codes on a calendar year basis. Each year a certain number of zip codes, which were previously purchased by subscribers, become available. Here are some of the typical reasons zip codes come back into the market:

• • 1. Subscribers die

 

• • 2. Subscribers retire

 

• • 3. Subscribers quit the business

 

• • 4. Subscribers stop subscribing

 

• 5. Subscribers cut back on the zip codes they are buying

The invoices for additional zip codes were sent mid-November. Subscribers have until Friday, January 11, 2019 to pay those renewals. If the renewal is not paid on or before that date, the un-paid zip codes are taken out of the new zip code listing list which is then published the morning of January 14, 2019.

New Limits For Maximum Numbers of Zip CodesLast year the maximum number of zip codes a personal use licensee could purchase, in addition to their 3 local zip codes, was 80. This year we are reducing the maximum to 75.

If you previously had 80 additional zip codes, we renewed your 80 for 2019 (you were grandfathered). However, if you lost a couple of zip codes due to bumping, and went from 80 to 78, you cannot go back to 80. The new limit of 75 kicks in.

Standard License subscribers, those paying $300 per year for the Windows PC software, have two ways to go over 75 zip codes. First, they can buy additional zip codes at $2 each per month ($24 per year) and their new absolute maximum is 300 (down from 320). Second, you are allowed to buy additional standard “sub-licenses”, and each sub-license ($210 each per year) will give you up to 75 additional zip codes at $1.50 per month ($18 per calendar year).

It is important to note that each standard license allows you to buy 6 local zip codes, not the maximum of 3 which you get with a personal use license. 6 local zip codes and 75 additional zip codes make a total of 81 per standard license, before you hit the $24 level. The 300 limit still applies, so a standard license plus 3 sub-licenses means 300 is the maximum you can have (plus 4 X 6 local zip codes for an absolute maximum total of 324), in terms of buying zip codes.

As noted earlier, if you exceeded those new limits in 2018, you were renewed as before. However, the new reduced limits apply to your ability to add more zip codes beyond what you have already, should you exceed the NEW maximums.

The Starting Time is 12pm EST
NOT A MINUTE EARLIEREvery year someone complains because someone else beats them to a zip code that they wanted. To keep this fair and equal for all, we have a HARD starting date and time to ensure fairness. No one can complain if someone else beat them to it. I probably shouldn’t say that, because there is always someone who complains. Even so, the rules are the RULES and they are fair and equal for all.

IMPORTANT: Do not call or email zip code purchase instructions before 12pm EST on January 14th. If you do, your email will be ignored. If you call early you will be told to call later.

Because the phone lines will likely be busy that day, it is BEST to do your homework in advance and email your instructions for new purchases or changes. If you have questions, then call or email us the week before.

NOTE: You have two basic options for acquiring new zip codes. You can either ADD zip codes to your current list, or you can trade/exchange zip codes that you already have, for zip codes that you think are better.

Available zip codes (ANY Zip Code with less than 3 agents listed) will be available on a first come, first serve basis. The new list will be published here on January 8th:

Zip Code AnalyzerAny additional zip code purchased on January 14th, must be paid for immediately. The cost of the zip code will be 11 X the monthly fee ($1.50 for the first 80, $2 for zip codes over 80; standard licenses only). Once your new zip codes are added, the remainder of the month of January is free.

If you are switching zip codes for better zip codes we will need specific instructions. Tell us what zip code that you want to add, and which zip code that you are giving up. If you don’t know what zip codes you have, email and ask for a list of those zip codes ASAP.

Do Some Preparation In AdvanceOnce again, you can research zip codes at:

Zip Code AnalyzerIf I was you, I would print a list of zip codes in the areas that you are interested in, IN ADVANCE of the 14th.

IMPORTANT TIP:  You can use the column titles to sort the list of zip codes.

Typically, when I am assisting subscribers in finding great zip codes, I will sort by the 4th column: “Zip Code Income (Millions)”. The number in that column is a result of multiplying column 5 times column 6 (Number of Households times Income Per Household). You will need to click that column heading twice. The first time you click, it sorts from smallest number to the largest. The second time you click it sorts from largest to smallest.

TIP:  In densely populated, urban areas, increase the “Number of Listed Zip Codes” from the default number of 100. This will enlarge the area of the state that you are looking at.

Once you have the list that you want, print that list. I would then highlight the zip codes that you would really like to get. Once again, make sure that list is done in advance of the 8th.

On the morning of the 8th you will want to replicate the list again, doing the same search and sort. Check your old list with the new list to see if zip codes that previously had 3 subscribers Listed, now have 2 or less. If that happens, and it’s one of the zip codes that you want, fire off your email to:

service@compulife.comTIP:  Don’t wait too long after finding zip codes that you want. You can send multiple emails. Remember, first come first served. I promise you, if you wait too long, some zip codes that you want will be gone by the time you ask for them.

Make sure that we have your name and phone number in the email. Once we get to you in time order, we will call you and ask for your credit card information.

IMPORTANT:  Compulife keeps no credit card records for subscribers. If we don’t have your credit card number, they can’t be stolen from us. Every purchase by credit card, requires the credit card again.

The One For Three GuaranteeThose who contact us inquiring about term4sale listings generally want to know what they can expect by way of results. I always say the same thing. For every 3 zip code listings you can expect ONE solid email contact through the system per year. Some subscribers do better than that, but it is a general rule of thumb. Now I say “email” referring to the contacts that come through the term4sale “agent” list where the consumer completes the email form and it is sent on to the 3 listed agents.

In addition to email contacts, your name and phone number are displayed in the listings. If a consumer calls you directly, and we KNOW some do, then we have no record of those contacts and that is icing on your cake. For the guarantee this does not factor in, simply as we have no way to monitor such activity.

NOTE:   Some agents get calls from term4sale.com but don’t know it came from term4sale.com because they didn’t ask. If you get a call from a stranger, make sure you ask them how they found you. It’s always important to know if your advertising dollars are paying off.

If you get to the end of December, and you did not have have at least one email for every 3 zip codes you have, we will reduce the cost for you to renew those zip codes for 2019.

EXAMPLE: You have 14 zip codes, three local and 11 that you purchased. For 14 zip codes we expect: 14/3 = 5 contacts (4.67 rounded up). Let’s assume that you had only 3 email contacts (note: we do not count duplicate or BOGUS contacts) On November 15th, we would have invoiced you $198 (11 X $18) for 2018 renewal. However, you really only got the activity we would have expected for 9 total zip codes, which would have been 3 local zip codes, and 6 additionally purchased zip codes. Therefore, we will credit your invoice DOWN to $108 (6 X $18) and give you the same 14 zip codes for 2018. In other words, you will have 5 of those 11 paid zip codes for free.

IMPORTANT: There are NO REFUNDS, simply a reduced renewal cost for the SAME zip codes for the following year. You can add zip codes, and pay for those, or after January 14th you can swap zip codes for other zip codes.

This guarantee is designed to act as a way to retroactively balance out the cost of zip codes listings that are NOT as attractive or are not producing. Sometime, particularly for those with smaller numbers of zip codes, or with zip codes in poorly populated areas, the results are not as good. We understand that and our warranty is designed to moderate the cost when results are disappointing.