The world of business is funny. We want to work with others, but at heart both parties have one thing – their best interests at heart. And as an affiliate manager, this could leave you with an unsuitable deal for your program.
If you’re new to the industry, being assertive with prospective partners can be daunting. After all, they’ve been here for longer. They know more. That means that you should listen to them, right?
Wrong.
Affiliate marketing is similar to buying a house, looking for a significant other or seeking a phone contract. The terms and conditions must be ideal for you, and not just them.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself to ensure that you get the possible deal.
How important is page placement to you?
First place in search engines and on homepages are sought-after, but you already knew that. What you might not have known, however, is being top of a specific affiliate site might not be necessary for you.
It all depends on your specific circumstances. Say that you run a brand in the French market. Do you really want to rank highly on the English site? No, because very few – if any – of those page visitors will be of interest to you. You just want to be visible on the French page.
High rankings on homepages are more expensive, for obvious reasons. It’s not worth blowing your budget one something that has a low return on investment (ROI) for you. Think about where you realistically want and need to rank, then you can go from there.
Can they match the traffic sources that you want to target?
This follows on from the previous point. An affiliate can draw in 100,000 unique visitors per month, but if only 800 fall into your target demographic then you need to question whether or not this is the ideal partner. You might find it more beneficial to go to a site which has lower overall volume, but more users that fit your ideal persona.
Demand that affiliates go through the granular details. They should be able to tell you whether those players come from traffic or mobile, sports betting or casino, and so on. This will help you to build a better picture of whether or not the deal you’re pursuing is right for you.
Have you obtained all of the information you set out to gather?
This is the most important point. You can’t make a rational decision without all of the information you need. If questions are left unanswered, then make sure that they get answered.
If something that the affiliate says is unclear, don’t be afraid to ask follow-up questions. And if you’re dubious about one of their claims, then tell them to identify how it applies to your specific needs.
Leaving the meeting with a full picture not only helps you to make better decisions. If you ask for more information, you’ll show that you’re only willing to accept the best possible deal – earning the respect of others. That, in turn, makes it easier to get what you want.
Final thoughts
Negotiating is the most important skill you’ll need to acquire to be a successful affiliate manager. And to be a good negotiator, you must know what you want.
By the end of your negotiations, you should have no doubt whether this is – or isn’t – the right deal. Along with doing the appropriate prior research and brainstorming, you should know what the benefits and drawbacks would be of you moving forward.
Don’t be afraid to question what you hear and when all is said and done, trust your gut feeling. Going ahead with a deal that isn’t right will lead to costly mistakes, possible damage to your industry reputation and a miserable time for both you and the affiliate.
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