Personal Media ECN FAQs
Q: What is a Personal Media ECN?
A: A Personal Media ECN is a cross between a personal speakers bureau and an online marketing platform. At the core of the ECN is your personalized profile, promotional tools, and the “Expert Calling Network” (ECN®) transactional platform which can get you paid for talking with others over the phone.
Q: Who determines the Calling rate that I should post on my ECN Profile?
A: You do! You set the rate at which you’ll accept Call Requests and can change it at any time prior to a Call Request being initiated.
Q: Am I obligated to have calls with just anyone?
A: You have full control over your ECN Profile and may decline any Call Requests in which you don’t wish to participate. And when you’re on vacation or can’t be distracted due to other work, you can set your ECN Profile on “unavailable” to opt out of the calling platform yet retain all the discovery and SEO benefits of your ECN listing.
Q: Will you give out my telephone number?
A: Never. All calls are routed through the ECN platform. We will not share your telephone number with any Consumers and we will not share Consumer telephone numbers with you.
Q: As an Expert, how much can I earn?
A: As an Expert in any ECN, you post your own rate for participating in a call. Payouts will vary by ECN but typically, Experts may earn up to 70% of their posted rate. The total amount you can earn depends on your rate, commission, and the number of calls in which you participate.
Q: How do I get paid for calls?
A: Upon your completion of call, you'll receive a Payout (your posted rate minus our fees) directly to your bank account. It may take a couple days for the funds to show up in your bank account but that's a function of the banking system - we send instructions to our bank to send your Payout immediately upon completion of the call.
Q: What rate should I set for an ECN call?
A: In most ECNs, you can set any rate you wish for an ECN call. Some experts price below their standard rate as an “introductory” rate or as a “mentor” rate. Others price at what they expect will be the “market” rate. Regardless, you can follow one set of rates and always change it later to encourage an increase or reduction in the number of ECN Call Requests. Below we’ve recommended rates in different tracks based on 15 minute, 30 minute, and 60 minute time intervals:
Track 1: $15-$25-$40
Track 2: $20-$30-$50
Track 3: $25-$40-$65
Track 4: $30-$55-$90
Track 5: $40-$75-$120
Track 6: $50-90-$150
Track 7: $75-$120-$200
Track 8: $100-$165-$275
Track 9: $150-$240-$390
Track 10: $350-$600-$1,000
Q: After an ECN call with someone, am I required to always use the ECN platform to have future calls with that person?
A: Not at all. You may decide to do so for billing convenience - but after the initial call, you are free to take future discussions off the platform.
Q: I’ve received a Call Request for 1 hour. Who keeps track of the time?
A: Since you are bridging to the Consumer through the ECN platform, you and the other party will both be notified 2 minutes prior to the end of the call and then the call with terminate promptly at the end of the reserved time.
Q: What happens if the call is ended prior to the end of the reserved time? Is the call discounted for the Consumer?
A: At the completion of the call, the Consumer is charged for the full duration of the reserved time (typically 15, 30, or 60 minutes). As an expert, you set aside your time for the reserved duration so when a Consumer gets all the information they need in less than the reserved time, we will still charge them for the full duration of the call and you will be paid accordingly.
Q: The ECN has a Q&A feature. What is that?
A: The Q&A features allows you to respond in writing to questions and to have your responses be publicly posted online. Some prospective callers may want to know more about your general domain expertise and the public Q&A may be a good way to "warm up" a prospective client or caller. Responding to such inquiries is a good way to build up your personal brand and your online visibility. As with ECN Call Requests, you are under no obligation to respond.
Q: I started to set up my ECN account but got a "KYC" error. What does "KYC" mean?
A: Know Your Customer or “KYC” is a term used by bank regulators in relation to identity verification and is utilized to help prevent fraud, money laundering, and the financing of terrorism. Our service providers, such as our payment gateway provider, may perform or require us to perform certain checks on customer identity before approving an Expert’s payout account. Therefore, you authorize us, directly or through third parties, to make any inquiries we consider necessary to validate your identity and to verify your information against third party databases or through other sources. During the registration process, we will request (but not store) your date of birth and other information that will allow us to reasonably identify you. If our third party service providers and databases cannot automatically verify your identity, then you must also provide, at our request, copies of identifying documents (such as a driver’s license or other government issued photo ID) and proof of residence (such as a utility bill).
Q: Will you issue tax documentation for my earnings?
A: If your profile accounts for more $20,000 and more than 200 transactions in any given year, then you will receive a form 1099 that you can file with your taxes.
Q: This all sounds great. How do I sign up?
A: Contact the ECN Network Sponsor to pay your listing fee (if applicable). After that, you will receive an authorization code to set up your account and online profile.