THE REGISTRATION PROCESS

1.0 How to Join FishermensNetwork

1.1 Selecting Your Type of Membership

1.1.1 GOLD Membership

1.1.2 PLATINUM Membership

1.2 Creating Your User Name and Password

1.3 General Information about Your Business

1.4 Add Guides to Your Business

1.5 Types of Fishing Services Provided

1.6 Species of Fish Targeted

1.7 Cities & Bodies of Water – Your Fishing Grounds

1.8 Charter Rates/Pricing and Descriptions

1.9 Additional Information Regarding Charters & Your Services

FishermensNetwork provides your guide/charter business with valuable services and tangible benefits to help you make more money with less hassle. 

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To join FishermensNetwork, go to www.FishermensNetwork.com and click the “join the network” link.

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FishermensNetwork offers two distinct types of membership, GOLD or PLATINUM.

Note: To take advantage of the scheduling and booking services, and business management tools, then PLATINUM membership must be selected.  

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A GOLD membership with FishermensNetwork provides your business with an exceptional and economical marketing vehicle to emerge from the sea of other guides and rise above your peers.  As a GOLD member, your business is listed in FishermensNetwork.com and marketed on its greatest and most differentiating advantages -- professionalism, quality customer service, attention to detail, and customer satisfaction.

GOLD membership allows sport fishing enthusiasts (anglers/potential clients) to find your business by searching FishermensNetwork.com.  Then potential clients will be able to read your reviews and compare your services to others across a set of common attributes (Professionalism, Safety, Ability, Flexibility, and Overall Satisfaction), all based on previous customers’ feedback.  However, potential clients will not have the ability to access your availability schedule and book a charter with you as a GOLD member.  The ability for potential clients to access your calendar, schedule and book a charter, and for you to manage your business online is only available to PLATINUM members.

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PLATINUM membership with FishermensNetwork provides your business with exceptional marketing and business tools to maximize your profitability and return on investment. 

PLATINUM membership includes all of the features of GOLD membership, plus the Master Calendar Management System, an effective tool to help manage your business.  The Master Calendar Management System enables scheduling and booking services to reduce the time to run your business, improve your cash flow, reduce scheduling conflicts and hassles, and streamline financial reporting and analysis.

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Once you have selected your type of membership, you will then enter the name of your business – this is not your name, unless the name of your business is just your name (most likely not the case).

You must create a User Name and Password for your account with FishermensNetwork.  This is how you and only you access your business within FishermensNetwork.

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After completing the initial step in the registration process, you will be asked to accept the Payment Terms and Terms of Use agreement for services provided by FishermensNetwork.com.

Now, it is time to enter some general information about your guide/charter business; such as

•  Mailing address (for things like checks from clients!),

• Business phone (not the mobile phone of the guide, unless it is the same),

• Website URL (if you have an existing website),

• Fishing reports URL (if you have a website where you post your fishing reports, even if it is password protected), and

• The name of the person that referred you to FishermensNetwork, if applicable.

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Adding guides to your business is quick and easy.  If you are a PLATINUM member, then a separate calendar and listing is created for each guide added.  If you are a GOLD member, then just a listing is created for each guide added.

TIP:  You can change this information as often as you like. For example, if you have seasons or periods of the year where you don’t want to fish, you can change your normal fishing availability for those particular seasons by de-selecting the appropriate boxes.

You must enter all of the information requested in the guide boxes.  The name “guide 1” on the left-hand side is just a numbering system; the name does not appear anywhere else within FishermensNetwork.com.  Please enter the following information:

• The name of the guide (this is the guide’s real name, it is your discretion to use the prefix “Capt.” or “Captain”)

• Check the days this particular guide normally fishes

• The mobile phone or primary phone contact of this guide

• The email address of this guide (this is required for confirmation emails and other correspondence)

You can add additional guides to your business by clicking the “Add Another Guide” button.   

You can delete a guide from your business by clicking the “delete” link within the corresponding guide box.

When you are finished entering the general business info and associated guide information, please click “Update” at the bottom of the page to save your changes and proceed.

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Next, you will enter information about the types of services you provide.  You will find a “Summary” box where you can type or cut-n-paste information about the types of services you provide as a guide.

TIP:  You may want to try to capture the essence of your guide/charter business in the first three lines of text you enter in the “Summary” box because the first three lines are what will be readable on the search results page in the “Summary” column when a potential client conducts a search. For example, if you specialize in trophy trout with artificial lures, then you may want to position that statement as the very first statement.

If you offer lodging and/or meal services, please wait to enter that information on the “additional information” page, where you can list those types of services, along with any other special services outside of fishing that you may offer.

Next, you will want to check all of the boxes that apply to the types of fishing services you provide.

NOTE: if you offer a specific service that is not listed, you can either put it in the “other” box, or you can contact me directly at john@FishermensNetwork.com or 512-363-9032 and I will add it immediately to the list.

You can edit this information as often as you like.

Please click “Update” at the bottom of the page to save your changes and proceed.

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On this page, you will want to check all of the boxes that apply to the species of fish you target with your guide/charter business.  You can edit this information as often as you need.

NOTE: if you target a species of fish that is not listed, you can either put it in the “other” box, or you can contact me directly at john@FishermensNetwork.com or 512-363-9032 and I will add it immediately to the list.

Please click “Update” at the bottom of the page to save your changes and proceed.

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Next, you will want to add the cities from which you conduct your charters (this is not your mailing, shipping, or billing address – that info is entered on the “General Info” page).  In addition to the city/cities from which you conduct your charters, you will want to check all that apply to the bodies of water that you fish.

You can add as many cities as you need, and you can delete cities as your business evolves.  Please note that the name “Location 1” and so on is just a numbering system and does not appear anywhere else within FishermensNetwork.com.

To remove a city location, check the box next to “Delete this entry” and then click “Update” at the bottom of the page.

NOTE: if you fish a body of water that is not listed, you can either put it in the “other” box, or you can contact me directly at john@FishermensNetwork.com or 512-363-9032 and I will add it immediately to the list.

Please click “Update” at the bottom of the page to save your changes and proceed.

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This page is where you will want to enter the types of charters you provide, as well as a meaningful, short description of the charter, and the price of the charter.  You will enter the following information on this page:

• Deposit amount

• Refund policy

• Method of payment

• Additional pricing information

• Charter pricing and description

TIP:  You can create seasonal specials for charters with the “Add Additional Pricing” and “Delete” functions for price entries. For example, you could create a price entry that says “SPECIAL: 2-days fishing, 2-nights lodging, 2-breakfasts, 1-lunch, 1-dinner, priced PER PERSON” for “$1000” and run it for as long as you want, then delete the price entry when you have completed the special.

You can add and delete charters and pricing information as often as you need.  Please note that the name “Price Entry 1” and so on is just a numbering system and does not appear anywhere else within FishermensNetwork.com.

TIP: You will want to be somewhat descriptive with the charter description. In addition, you may want to add more price entries to get more granular with your charter and pricing options. For example, if you have different prices/rates based on the number of people on the charter, you may want to create a pricing entry for each of the different prices/rates. Or if you offer different types of charters (like offshore trolling for Marlin, Tuna, Wahoo, etc., versus an offshore charter for Snapper), then you will want to create multiple pricing entries to comprehend these differences in your rates for different charters.

To remove a pricing entry, check the box next to “Delete this entry” and then click “Update” at the bottom of the page.  

Please click “Update” at the bottom of the page to save your changes and proceed.

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On this page, you will want to tell your potential clients about

• What you provide for charters,

• What the client is expected to provide for charters,

• Any additional/special instructions for your charters,

• Any lodging and/or meal services you provide in addition to your guide services, and

• Any other non-fishing services you may provide.

You can edit this information as often as you need.

Please click “Update” at the bottom of the page to save your changes and proceed.

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