Affiliate Program Links

You will all be familiar with the following scenario I’m sure. You walk into a shop and the assistant immediately approaches you…..

“Hi there, how are you today?”

“Fine Thanks!” (Go Away)

“Can I help you with anything?”

“No thanks, I am just Browsing!” (I thought I told you to go away)

“We have a wonderful sale on those”

“Oh, right, thanks.” (Leave me alone please)

“Oh, that would look perfect on you, would you like to try it on?”

“I don’t wear pink!” (Hey Lady, will you just go away already!)

“Oh, we have it in Brown!”

“That’s great, but I am just browsing” (I don’t like Pink, or Brown and I am here to get something for my good lady anyway… now will you please piss off!)

You get the idea right? Well it’s usually here that I leave the shop, promising myself never to return; I am sure you sometimes feel the same. It’s a recent incident (very much like this) that got me thinking about real world issues applied to an online problem.

All affiliate marketing boils down to is sales technique (of sorts), and unfortunately the internet is full of millions of terrible assistants like the one above. So, as I leave the shop I’m thinking to myself ‘why would you buy from affiliate links?’ and how can I apply my experience as a former recruitment consultant and salesperson to this problem?

Since the birth of the internet I have purchased huge amounts online (from utterly useless software programs to rather expensive holidays) and something must have made me do it! So, what is the trick?? Well there are three reasons I buy anything:

1) I NEED IT! Essential purchases such as food, gas for the car, light bulbs etc etc…you know what I mean. There is no avoiding these items and all you can do is shop around for the better price.

2) I WANT IT! In today’s day and age this is probably the major reason for any purchase. We live in a world of greedy consumers who simply must have the latest ipods, designer clothing, fine foods and other luxury items.

3) I AM SOLD IT! This happens to me very infrequently but, having been a sales person, I have been on the other side of things and know how it works. I remember starting out as a telesales agent for a DTP firm called Serif, when I sold a package to a guy who asked me at the end of the call if he needed a computer to use it!!!

Now, using those 3 reasons as to why I buy things in the first place, we can look at why I buy (or don’t buy) from affiliate links.

1) I NEED IT! There is no avoiding the fact that there are a number of programs out there that you absolutely need if you are serious about making money online, the bookmarking demons and keyword elites of this world for example.

2) I WANT IT! You have probably done searches for products that you hope will solve a problem or save you some time and effort. Unlike the real world example you want a product not beacause everyone else has one but because you want it to so something for you.

3) I AM SOLD IT! This is the biggest factor in buying from affiliate links and whereas I do not get sold products in the real world, I do tend to online. So it is this I want to look at in more detail.

When I am sold something through an affiliate link it is because I have read a post (or number of posts) about the product which created both a need and a want for me. The interesting thing about this is that I have a strict set of rules about the actual purchase. Say I have read a post about a product I will of course do my due diligence on the product but, if I decide in my mind that I want the product, I will more often than not go back to the person who wrote the best post about it to complete my purchase. Another final once over on that post and then…..a sale!

Like our terrible sales assistant above, if you pitch is rubbish I will leave. If I read a post that offers me no value I will leave. If you don’t sound like you have even used it yourself I will leave. If you cannot tell me a single fault about the product….you guessed it!

It takes either great copywriting skill or personal experience to write a great product review and I strongly believe that no product is faultless so why the hell are you trying to tell me otherwise? I’m not saying that you should tell me it’s rubbish to get me to buy but at least point out it limitations too. Let me know of your own personal experience, in a manner that shows some effort on your part, and I will REWARD you with a purchase.

Granted, many people on the internet know not what they do and yes, I am aware that I could clear my cookies and go direct to the products webpage to buy without earning anything for anyone but like I said, it is about the reward; I may never have known about certain products if I did not happen to stumble upon some random but truly informative blogs. It’s a form of personal recommendation (a huge factor in sales) but for example, if someone tells me I should buy the new Ford Focus because it’s the best thing since sliced bread then I would ask the question ‘Then why haven’t you got one?’

Don’t push your junk on me… or anyone else for that matter! Because I will leave you quicker than the sales assistant and won’t even bother with the pleasantries. Write an honest review on a product (THAT YOU ACTUALLY USE), give it your full endorsement and I will come back to reward you with a sale!