Mr Affiliate
You've launched your affiliate program and everything is in
place to track your affiliate sales. Affiliates are signing up
but aren't making as many sales as you might have hoped for. You
know it's not your product as you're still making sales
yourself. So what's wrong? Why isn't Mr Affiliate making sales?
You must remember that Mr Affiliate is not only your affiliate,
but has more than likely joined numerous other affiliate
programs on the Internet. He obviously joined your program
because he liked it, your product or service and the
compensation plan. But time moves very fast in the Internet
world and before Mr Affiliate has most probably even started
marketing your site properly, he may have even joined yet
another affiliate program that appealed to him.
There is certainly no shortage of affiliate programs on the
Internet that are free and easy to join. Mr Affiliate wants to
make money, that's why he joined your program. Unfortunately Mr
Affiliate may not understand Internet marketing as well as you
do. He may simply insert your banner onto his site and wait for
sales.
So both of you are sitting there waiting for Mr Affiliate to
start making sales. That's your problem. This is a real shame.
Mr Affiliate is obviously available, willing and able and if
only he knew what to do, would gladly do it and that's down to
you. You need to train Mr Affiliate right away. You can't wait
for Mr Affiliate to get motivated, you need to train Mr
Affiliate. You can't afford to be complacent. The most
successful affiliate programs do well because they have trained
their affiliates. Their affiliates understand the program fully,
they are supported and are kept in touch with. While you're
sitting around waiting for Mr Affiliate to make a sale for you,
he is being motivated by other affiliate programs and making
sales for them.
Here are some practical steps to training Mr Affiliate.
1. Explain your program thoroughly before Mr Affiliate joins and
include clear Terms and Conditions. This is your first
opportunity to present your affiliate program benefits and
compensation plan. Let your affiliates know what you expect from
them and what they can expect from you. 2. Make sure you have
numerous banners of different sizes and also text links with
clear and easy to understand code. Your affiliates have
different web sites, different designs, and different color
schemes so make sure you give them enough choice to insert a
suitable banner.
3. Supply your affiliates with classified ads and articles.
Affiliates want to promote your program but they don't have as
much time or knowledge to devote to your program as you do. By
providing a range of ads that you know work and articles
promoting your program for inclusion in e-zines, you'll be
making Mr Affiliate's job a lot easier.
3. Let your affiliates know exactly where to/how to check their
stats and if possible, set up your affiliate program to e-mail
Mr Affiliate automatically whenever he makes a sale. Affiliates
love receiving these e-mails!
4. Keep in touch with your affiliates on a regular basis.
Whether its weekly or monthly is up to you, but be consistent.
Be helpful to Mr Affiliate, be interesting and he'll look
forward to hearing from you.
5. Send your affiliates the URL's of places to promote your
program. Keep it updated. Again, you don't want Mr Affiliate to
have to waste time looking for places to promote, make it easy
by providing him with this information.
6. Always answer any questions in a timely and courteous manner.
Be personal and let Mr Affiliate know he is a valued member of
your team.
7. Be prompt with your payments. Your affiliates have most
probably worked hard for their sale/sales so reward them when
you say you will. There's nothing as motivating as receiving
payment!
By following these simple steps Mr Affiliate will market your
product easily and professionally with not that much more effort
required. He will be making sales and will no longer just be Mr
Affiliate, he will have become Mr Happy Affiliate Making Sales!
And if you can turn all your Mr Affiliates into Mr Happy
Affiliate Making Sales, you yourself will go from being simply
Mr Affiliate Owner, to Mr Successful, Lying-in-the Sun,
Professional Affiliate Owner!