How To Negotiate with an Affiliate Manager Part 2
How To Negotiate with an Affiliate Manager Part 3
Many affiliate companies (like CJ, AzoogleAds, or ShareaSale) mandate that an affiliate of theirs (like eBay, Zappos, etc) have a contact that is dedicated to the affiliate market.
Some of those affiliates require so much time that a dedicated team is necessary. Others unfortunately have a single person who works 3 hours a week on the affiliate program. This person usually don't answer emails promptly and can't negotiate anything. We won't be talking to this person.
The person you want to talk to is the person who actually has control of the affiliate program. This person is the person listed by CJ in their Affiliate Details page. For AzoogleAds you should contact your account executive. If you don't have an account executive, contact mine. His name is Jai Rajkumar, email me or post a comment and I'll give you his email address.
Once you find the right person and want to negotiate for a better payout, or a different payout structure, follow these rules. (payouts are easier to negotiate because they can change that within the affiliate software, different payout structures are more difficult and you'll have to have a lot of leverage to get this done)
1. Have some leverage.
If you don't have any leverage why would they want to give you more money. A good example of leverage is, for example, already having an established track record with a similar program selling similar items.
If you are selling 500 widgets a month for WidgetWorld.com then you can approach WidgetHeaven.com and offer them your business. If WW pays you 5% then you can tell WH you need 7% to switch. That is one type of leverage.
Another type of leverage (my favorite) is to explain to the affiliate manager that you have a budget for PPC, (over $5,000 will draw attention) and every month you spend it with an affiliate. Tell them you would like to try their program, but the standard 5% won't allow you any room to grow. Then you can negotiate for a higher rate.
Don't try this unless you genuinely have the budget and haven't already committed it to another program. That is just bad ethics and will burn you in the end. Your name or website will get around and you won't be arranging anything with anyone.
Check back later for Part 2 of this 3 part series!
Looking for more information? Read about Affiliate Marketing, ClickBank and eBay Affiliate.
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