In Merchant Communication, I wrote about the importance of merchants being accessible to affiliates and maintaining open communication. The flip-side of this is affiliate communication and accessibility. Just as affiliate program managers need to communicate with and have up to date contact information, affiliates need to maintain current contact information and communicate when needed.
If you need help or have questions about a program you should not hesitate to get in touch with the manager. You do not need to be a super affiliate or a top performer. Any good affiliate manager will answer your questions and be willing to help you. If you cannot get an affiliate manager to answer your emails or phone calls – it might be time to move on to another program. There are plenty of great programs and managers.
You should feel comfortable emailing a program manager. The first few times you reach out to a program manager for assistance you may feel awkward but just do it. In fact, I suggest that you practice by taking a few moments right now to choose a couple of your affiliate program managers and shoot them an email. Ask for a list of hot products or a special coupon code. Most program managers will welcome your email; if they don’t, move on!
If you have generated a few sales and you really think you could do more, ask for a commission bump. It never hurts to ask for a commission raise, even if you think you are just a small affiliate. Even if you have made just a few sales, you may be one of their better performers. Never underestimate your value or your ability.
Many problems can be fixed by simple open communication between affiliates and managers. Last week, an affiliate emailed me with a question regarding a merchant. It seemed that this merchant had two links on their website that led to two other stores that they owned. The affiliate asked me what I thought of the links and if they would be paid on sales. I took a look and decided to get in touch with the merchant.
I emailed the merchant. In my email I indicated that I saw links to these two other stores and was wondering if sales made through these stores earned an affiliate commission. I added that if commissions were not earned, those links would be considered a leak. It took a day or so to get an answer but the manager replied they would look into it and promised to follow up. A day or so later the program manager notified me that tracking was now in place on the other two stores. I have verified with the network that tracking was indeed in place.
There are many other cases where affiliates have reached out to merchants about a problem or situation. Earlier today I heard the story of a coupon affiliate who noticed a problem with the coupon codes being used by a merchant (the merchant is well known and well respected). The affiliate got in contact with the merchant and the merchant immediately corrected the problem. Prior to the affiliate contacting him, the merchant was unaware of the problem.
Of course, not every problem will be solved to your satisfaction. Sadly, not every affiliate manager will be as accessible or as accommodating as the two examples I have given. But many do get it, good managers are out there and so are the good programs; you just have to look. Set standards for their performance and judge them.
Time after time problems are solved with open and respectful communication. Keep your contact information current and try to make it a habit to at least scan emails, there may be important information or offers. If a merchant or program manager contacts you, try to respond in a timely fashion. If the emails are excessive, let them know.
As an affiliate, you are generating income for yourself, the program manager, the merchant and the network. You deserve answers and help when you ask. Anything less is not acceptable.
Ask for help, make a suggestion, ask for commission bumps or just say hello. Whatever it is, communicate.
