How Do You Treat Your Affiliates?

by Denise Hall

If you've been working online for any length of time you know that one of the best and fastest ways to make money with your products is to offer an affiliate program.

So let me ask you this - how do *you* treat your affiliates?

You might be asking yourself what I mean. After all, you offer them a great commission on their sales, and you've got a terrific product line for them to offer their customers, right?

But how do you *treat* them?

Do you answer their e-mails when they have questions or problems? If not, you could be losing some potentially good affiliates. Would *you* try to help someone make money if they won't even bother to give you the time of day?

Are they just a number to you?

Do you look at your sales and say to yourself, "Affiliate #2872 brought in over $1,000 for me yesterday. Cha-ching! But affiliate #8679 has never made one sale. Too bad, so sad."

Did it ever occur to you that without these people you wouldn't be making as much money as you do? You, alone, can't reach the entire world with your products. Isn't that why you started your affiliate program in the first place?

Even the woman who only sells one product a year brings in money for *you.* And chances are, you have several affiliates like that. So you're making alot more sales even though each of them may only make one or two.

Maybe affiliate #8679, who has never sold any of your products, could use a little help from you. You know your products better than anyone else, so why not give him some pointers to help him sell those products?

Sorry, but those "canned" ads you supply don't count as "helping" your affiliates. What I mean is, you should let your affiliates know you're available to answer any questions they may have. And then, for Heaven's sake, answer them! They only want to be treated like human beings.

Helpful hint: in addition to the ads you supply your affiliates, write a page of tips to help them make sales.

Not everyone can be a "super affiliate" but with some guidance the "little guys" could probably sell more of *your* products. It's a win/win situation for both of you.

And more importantly, it builds your affiliates trust in *you.* The more they trust you and believe in you, as a person, the harder they'll try to sell your products. And the harder they try, the more likely they are to succeed.

So, let me ask you again. How do *you* treat your affiliates?