+ Affiliate Support...

• Accurate, reliable, real-time, online accounting, preferably with some kind of

ability to “audit” by spot-checking

• Detailed traffic and linking stats

• Notification by e-mail when a sale is made

• Useful marketing assistance -- provides traffic-building and sales-getting tools

• High-quality newsletter that educates, trains, and accounts for amounts

earned

• Professional marketing materials available

• Affiliates receive discount on products

Great affiliate support is important for a “between the lines” reason, too. It

indicates a high degree of commitment to the program and its affiliates.

+ Pays good commission -- Hard goods have lower margins than digital ones

so their commissions will be lower. Still, you should make at least 10% (hard

goods) or 20% (digital goods) on any product that you recommend. Don’t be

(which means “good things to look for”). Here they are, in the approximate order

of importance...

+ High quality product or service -- Remember, it’s your reputation that is on

+ Merchant has a good site that sells effectively.

+ Ability for affiliate to link straight to individual products, rather than just to

the home page. (If the visitor has to find the product that you recommend, your

Conversion Rate plummets.)

+ Type of payment model... Pay-per-sale and pay-per-lead are good. This is

true “performance marketing.” If your referred visitor delivers the desired

response, you get paid. What about “pay-per-click?” See red flags below.