Getting Started with Affiliate Programs

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Diversify Your Business with Affiliate Programs Part 2

Getting Started with Affiliate Programs

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Last time, we talked about the merits of adding a stream of revenue to your business.

I want to edit that statement.

When you’re an affiliate that’s creating sales, your not generating revenue, you're generating CASH.

That’s the hook. There are only 2 things you need to do when you take on the role of an affiliate for a merchant.

Get Traffic to your Web site.
Recommend a product or service to that visitor.

After that, it’s all out of your hands, and better yet, none of your responsibility.

“Say What!?!?!”

Being an affiliate means not taking responsibility for the sales or fulfillment process – All you do is collect a check when a visitor buys from one of your merchants.

Chances are, you will have Zero contact with that visitor.

So, what’s the catch?

Most folks would say that Getting Traffic to their web sites is the hardest part of ANY kind of E-commerce, E-Marketing, or Affiliate Business.

“Nah. If you want traffic, go bid on some at a Pay-Per Click.”

Well, okay, that could work. But BEFORE you do that, you better understand the formula for successful affiliate marketing before you spend a dime on Traffic, no matter how targeted it is.

This formula/technique/dance-move is key. It’s required, it’s not an option.

It requires a keen understanding of the product(s) that you’re pitching.

It’s called (drum roll please)…

Pre-Selling.

When you’re an affiliate, you should not try to sell to your visitor – Period. It’s not your job as an affiliate. It’s not up to you to close the sale; it’s the merchant’s responsibility.

Why? Because, if you know how to pick the right merchant, you’ll quickly find that:

They are REALLY GOOD at it. It’s how they make their living – they have no choice BUT to be good. Otherwise, affiliates would have NO interest in sending their hard earned traffic to that merchant’s web site.

That’s why your job as an affiliate is to PRE-SELL the product. You’re not even selling the “Sizzle”, let alone the steak.

You’re selling the concept of ownership. You’re selling the “After it’s in my home, what will this do for me?”

Quick Example:

I love movies, more to the point; I love the technology behind movies. If there was a way for me to be a “Movie Affiliate” I would be, and I’d be great! Why?

Because I LOVE movies.

But, since DreamWorks has not announced their affiliate program yet, the only real affiliate marketing I can do that’s related to the movie business it Home Theater.

I built a Home Theater in our Basement. First, I finished the basement, then I wired it for sound, then I got punk’d when I bought a projector from a curmudgeon on ebay.

You should have seen me drag this 75lb projector around my house, in through the sliding glass basement doors, and set it down on the projector stand. I plugged it in, and the picture looked like…

………

…So, I called the guy (I’m not shy) and reminded him that we live only 15 minutes away from each other…

Audrey heard me say: “Yes, I did play Inside Linebacker for Illinois”…”20 Minutes? I’ll be there… Yes, I’ll take a cash refund…”

Anyway, to make a long story short, guess what I can now tell a person that wants to buy a video projector NOT to do when they’re shopping for one?

Why does that make me a good affiliate of a Home Theater Merchant who sells video projectors?

Because I’m informed – I’ve been a customer. Not because I build or sell the projectors, but because I understand the process of ownership.

To be a successful affiliate, your job will be putting the visitor in the right frame of mind to be open to the possibility of ownership.

To beat the subject to death some more…

My neighbor’s Lou and Cathy knocked on our door one day. These folks are good people, and Audrey and I are thrilled to be living next to them. But, they had an odd look on their face.

Cathy, never one to mince words, just comes out and says, “Babe, what kind of system do you have? We can hear it on Friday Nights…”

I thought they were peeved, and I was all set to apologize and make some sort of counter accusation when Lou followed up with “Can we see it?”

So, I took them down stairs, turned on both Sub-woofers, and played them Scene 30 from the Matrix (The one when Neo and Trinity gun their way through the marble lobby to rescue Morpheous… Yes, I’m a big geek).

After I hit pause, they wanted to know EVERYTHING about setting up their own little Home Theater. And I could tell them everything I know.

Then, they asked me to install one.

The point is, I didn’t talk about Lumens, or Projector Resolution. I didn’t talk about CRT vs. DLP vs. LCD projectors, or Total RMS Output (Yes, I’m a big geek).

I explained to them what the ownership experience is like. Things like how to set it up and what to look for in a projector. Did they want maintenance-free video, or will they willing to spend some time tweaking their set-up for a better picture? How big of a screen did they want? How often would they use it?

The point? All I did was remember what it’s like to buy a projector. And then I told them what kinds of things I looked for when I went shopping.

It was pretty much like being an affiliate.

I swear, if you’ve got the money, you can buy a million visitors if you want to, but it won’t mean a single dollar in your pocket if you don’t create an environment where the shopper can make a decision – an informed decision…

Now, I know that this newsletter is long on “wind” and short on “how”, but if you read this far, I want to reward your patience by giving you something…

Free…

The title of this newsletter is Getting Started with Affiliate Programs. And what makes that a true statement is this.

Right now, as a newsletter subscriber of Audrey and I, you can download one of the TOP 4 Affiliate Marketing How To Manuals for no charge whatsoever….

(Yes, I’m a big Geek).

It’s called The Affiliate Masters Course, and it’s published by none other than Ken Evoy, one of my 4 undisputed Kings of Affiliate Program training.

This little e-book is 207 pages filled with some of the best, most practical and DO-Able Affiliate Marketing information for any price. I’ve paid for and gotten FAR less than this book.

I know that doesn’t sound like a ringing endorsement, but trust me – you do not want to be without this manual.

First, it guides you through a 10-day step-by-step process. “Do this, then Do that” and the all important, “Here’s why.”

Second, it has some of the most practical search engine advice that I’ve been teaching all along – Traffic through Content.

How does it compare to Phil Wiley’s “Mini-Site-Profits"?

It doesn’t. They are different animals. Phil’s book is a step-by-step system (sounds familiar, eh?) and has, based on my experience, offer the fastest useable methods to create affiliate income in less than a month. It’s a “Must-Own”.

The Affiliates Masters Course is not theory, but its 10-day process can test the limits of some people’s attention spans. It requires more patience, but its techniques are sound and when applied, profitable.

And…

It’s free to you, my subscriber. So, thanks for putting up with my rants.

Download instructions are below.

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