Uncensored Direct Marketing
Hosted by Maria Sparagis, president of DirectPayNet, and payment solutions expert for entrepreneurs in the high risk industries of supplements, dating, business opportunities, gambling and more. On this podcast, Maria shares her knowledge on how to reduce decline ratios, add thousands of dollars to your bottom line with a few simple conversion hacks, and maximize revenue while keeping your high-risk merchant accounts happy and healthy. As a cryptocurrency advocate since 2012, Maria will also share her knowledge on the digital currency markets. Maria has worked with several high level entrepreneurs in Direct Marketing including Christian Hudson, Julian Reyes, Jeremy Schoemaker “ShoeMoney”, Mike...
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#218 How to Get a US Merchant Account as a Non-Resident
<p>Non-US residents are rejected by payment processors every day — even with an ITIN.</p><p>Maria explains why platforms like Stripe approve non-resident businesses quickly but shut them down just as fast, and why an ITIN alone doesn’t solve the real risk issues processors care about. </p><p>From chargebacks and collections to credit exposure and compliance, Maria breaks down what actually determines whether a non-resident can keep payment processing long-term — and what to do if you don’t qualify yet.</p><p>____________________________________________</p><p>🎯 Key Concepts Covered</p><p>🟩 Non-Resident Risk Profile –</p><p>How payment processors evaluate non-US...
#217 Subscription Churn Starts Earlier Than You Think — How to Fix Month-One Cancellations
<p>If customers are canceling after month one, your subscription isn’t failing — something in your setup is.</p><p> Early churn usually comes from attracting the wrong buyers, confusing checkout experiences, or billing details customers don’t recognize.</p><p> Maria breaks down why subscriptions lose customers fast and what you can change — from pricing and buyer alignment to checkout flow and billing clarity — to keep the right customers longer.</p><h2>🟩 Key Concepts</h2>Customer Avatar – The type of customer your subscription is meant for, including what they’re looking for, how they decide to buy, and where they are in the b...
#216 Fix Your Checkout to Unlock Growth in 2026
<p>If you’re serious about scaling in 2026, your payment stack and checkout flow can’t be an afterthought. Outdated payment setups lead to cart abandonment, unnecessary declines, and lost revenue for online businesses.</p><p>Maria breaks down the exact steps to modernize your payments for the new year — optimizing checkout, expanding payment options, and building a setup that supports growth, stability, and higher approvals.</p><p>____________________________________________</p><p>📌Must-Read Resources to Upgrade Your 2026 Payment Stack</p><p><br></p><p>🔗 10 Payment Trends That Will Transform Transactions in 2026</p><p><br></p><p>🔗 8 Pricing Page Optimizations That Seriously Boost Conversions</p>...
#215 Don’t Let Stripe Kill Your Holiday Sales
<p>Your holiday sales are booming — but what happens when Stripe freezes your account right in the middle of peak season? You’re not imagining it: Stripe is more sensitive during the holidays. Spiking fraud, unusual transaction patterns, and seasonal chargebacks make accounts more likely to be flagged.</p><p>In this video, Maria breaks down why Stripe freezes happen, how to spot early warning signs, and the proactive steps you can take to keep your payments flowing and your holiday revenue safe.</p><p>Whether you’re running an ecommerce store, subscription business, or selling high-ticket items, this is the ho...
#214 Holiday Payment Declines Are Killing Your Sales
<p>If you’re running an ecommerce store, subscription business, or online shop, you’ve probably noticed December declines spike during the holiday season. Banks tighten risk in Q4 because disputes, chargebacks, and fraud claims historically rise in Q1 — which means more transactions can get declined right when you’re trying to maximize holiday sales.</p><p>In this video, Maria breaks down:</p><p>✅ Why declines spike during December and the holiday rush</p><p>✅ Most common causes of payment declines during this season</p><p>✅ How to respond to each type to increase approvals and protect revenue</p><p>✅ The #1 act...
#213 Do Not Honor, Pick Up Card & Other Issuer Declines Explained
<p>If you’re seeing “Do Not Honor,” “Pick Up Card,” Code 05, Code 04, Code 07, or “Issuer Decline” in your transaction logs, this video breaks down exactly what they mean — and how to fix them before they wreck approval rates and revenue.</p><p>This video uncovers what these decline codes actually signal and why banks trigger them. Whether you run subscriptions, upsells, or a high-ticket funnel, these declines can quietly kill revenue if you don’t know what’s behind them. Maria explains what merchants can do to recover the sale, reduce future declines, and stabilize cash flow.</p><p>If decline codes spi...
#212 Order Insights: The Only Alert That Saves the Sale
<p>Most “chargeback alerts” still make you refund the order, so you lose the sale anyway. RDR, CDRN, and Ethoca only notify you after a dispute is filed. Order Insights is the only alert that stops the dispute before it exists, giving the bank enough info to verify the charge instantly.</p><p>Most alert programs (RDR, CDRN, Ethoca) don’t actually save the sale — they tell you a dispute happened and push you to refund it. That kills your revenue and can even hurt your VAMP ratio.</p><p>Order Insights works differently. When a customer tells their bank “I don’t re...
#211 - Stripe Holding Your Money Hostage? Do THIS Next
<p>Stripe holding your money or freezing payouts? Here’s why reserves happen — and what ecommerce brands, subscription businesses, and online sellers can do to get their funds released faster.</p><p>If Stripe is suddenly holding your money, placing a “% reserve,” freezing payouts, or delaying transfers, you’re not alone. Thousands of ecommerce brands, subscription businesses, coaches, SaaS companies, and online sellers get hit with Stripe reserves every year. </p><p>When Stripe thinks your business model, refund rate, dispute patterns, or chargeback risk are too high, they lock down your funds — and once a reserve is in place, getting your...
#210 Stop Paying for Invoicing Software You Don’t Need
<p>Are you sinking thousands into third-party invoicing tools — when your accounting software and payment gateway can handle everything without extra fees or subscriptions?</p><p>In this video, Maria breaks down the high costs of popular invoicing platforms like Bill.com, Chargebee, and Chargezoom — from monthly subscription fees to the extra percentages they take off every transaction. She explains how connecting your existing accounting software (like QuickBooks or Xero) directly to your own payment gateway can eliminate those costs, simplify billing, and give you full control of your client data.</p><p>Maria compares popular third-party invoicing software to the...
BNPL Crackdown: Rising Fees, Stricter Rules & Fewer Sales
<p>The BNPL world just changed — and if you’re a merchant, you’re not as safe from it as you think.</p><p>The CFPB’s new Buy Now, Pay Later regulations are aimed at BNPL providers, but the fallout will hit sellers next. Expect higher fees, tighter approvals, and more limits on who can use these services — especially if your store falls under “high-risk”.</p><p>And it doesn’t stop there. These changes will also affect how customers see and use BNPL. As fees rise and approvals drop, BNPL could become a less appealing checkout option — hurting conversions and yo...
