In conjunction with our last tip on creating an affiliate program, this post will address the three main aspects of creating a successful affiliate program.

Who should my affiliates be?
When selecting people to partner with you, consider their value. Find someone whose influence is going to drive sales. Seek out the gurus and experts in your industry and see if they’d be willing to partner with you. Look for individuals with a market that is either larger, or hits another set of prospects than yours does. Finally, choose affiliates that are excited about, and preferably use, your products and service.

How should my affiliates be paid?
Always pay your affiliates on a commission basis. Like most salesman, if they do nothing… they receive nothing. The harder they work, the more they earn. However, the value of each of your affiliates is going to vary. Consider paying commissions based on a tiered payment structure.

How do I motivate affiliates to act?
Even the best partners need motivation to work with you. Here’s the key: make it EASY and LUCRATIVE for them. They’re busy. You’ve got to do as much of the work for them as you can. And, you need to be generous. Remember, it’s their influence and list you want, not their work. Make it easy and lucrative for them and your success will soar.

Creating and managing multi-tiered affiliate structures should not be difficult. Find an affiliate management software program that does this for you. Then, sit back and see what your affiliates can do!

Sincerely,
Clate Mask
CEO, Infusionsoft

Free eBook: 9 Proven Techniques to Double Sales

Have you ever heard the saying, “I know that I waste half of my advertising budget. The problem is I don’t know which half!” It is this very philosophy that is prompting me to strongly inform you… advertising doesn’t work!

Let me show you why:

• There is no way to track effectiveness (or ineffectiveness)
• It’s impersonal
• The target audience is too large
• It’s costly to redo or improve
• There is no call to action

What surprises me is the number of small business owners that save their marketing dollars just to waste them on ineffective advertising. Then, they complain because nothing is working and they don’t have any customers.

I know what you’re thinking, “Isn’t advertising and marketing the same thing?” Well, not really. Let me explain the differences. Advertising includes: commercials, billboards, radio, and newspapers. Marketing includes: emails, letters, postcards, and fax.

So how is follow-up marketing better than advertising?

• You can track response rates
• You can quickly change campaigns that aren’t working
• You can specifically target your audience
• It leads prospects to an immediate sell

If you really want to attract more customers, you will learn to market and leave the advertising to those gazillion dollar companies.

Clate Mask
CEO, Infusionsoft

Download our Free eBook: 9 Proven Techniques to Double Sales

What is the REAL purpose of follow-up?
Not everybody is ready to purchase your products or services right now. But that doesn’t mean they won’t eventually. Follow-up keeps your name in front of your contacts until they are ready to buy.

When should my first follow-up message go out?
Immediately. If you obtained a lead from your website, make sure they instantly receive an email from you. If you purchase your leads, get in touch with them right away. If you spoke to a prospect in person or on the phone, send them a follow-up message. Don’t give them time to forget about you. Start building that relationship right now.

How frequently should I follow up with my contacts?
When first marketing to a lead or customer, it’s all right to send them several sequential emails. Remember, the average person needs to hear your message seven times before they buy. Follow up regularly during the first year of contact. After that you can include them in a less frequent campaign.

How long should I continue to follow up?
Follow up should continue indefinitely. If you have a system in place, this should be a simple task. It never hurts to stay in touch. After all, you can never guess when a prospect will be ready to buy.

If you take the time to consistently follow up with ALL your prospects and customers, you will be adding hundreds, even thousands of dollars to your bottom line.

Clate Mask
CEO, Infusionsoft

Download our Free eBook: 9 Proven Techniques to Double Sales