How Super Affiliates Think

Sell with Relationships

A customer of mine used to be a sales person for a medical equipment company. She sold everything from rubber gloves to high end items like wheelchairs.

I convinced her to stop working for someone else. That she’d be happier being her own boss, and selling the same gear as an affiliate marketer.

Like many affiliates, she struggled at first. She liked writing blog posts, and selling online, but she really missed the daily human contact.

I suggested that she take her affiliate business offline. She could rekindle the old relationships and not just rely on strangers trolling the web.

I told her to get proactive. Go where the customers are. Don’t wait for them to come to you.

Now she’s thinking like a super affiliate. She gets a flyer printed every two weeks and a catalog once every quarter.

She goes and visits all the retirement homes and long term care facilities in her city. They’re far more likely to buy from her, because they know her and trust her.

She belongs to a dozen different affiliate programs. That lets her offer a massive inventory, with more makes and models than any competitor.

She set up an arrangement with the suppliers, so that she uses her own affiliate link when placing orders. How smart is that?

She went from struggling hopeful to super affiliate, by walking away from the web and knocking on doors. Good old fashioned face to face selling.

Both parties get what they want. The long term care facilities get a flyer they can look at and order from. She gets to visit the people she missed and multiplied her income by 20X in the process.

Sometimes you just need to think different. If you spread your advertising across different types media, you can make a mountain of affiliate revenue.

Sell at the Right Time

Another customer of mine is an established public speaker. He gets paid a decent sum for the speaking gigs, but he wanted to increase his back end sales.

I suggested that he set up a computer at the back of the room. That way, people could sign up for his newsletter, or order his products, right after the talk, and all through lunch.

Now he’s thinking like a super affiliate. He tripled his back end sales, because he sells other people’s courses and books, in addition to his own. He also allows the attendees to book him for future talks on the spot.

How cool is that. Triple the sales and he’s never out of work. Just by capturing people at the right moment.

Sell in Bulk

Another customer of mine, used to sell individual items to consumers. He worked very hard for small commissions.

The packaging, serving and cleaning supplies he sold, were also used by caterers, restaurants and hotels. I suggested that he try selling to businesses instead of consumers.

Now he’s thinking like a super affiliate. Sell by the caseload. Same amount of work. Much bigger commissions.

Now he’s got customers in all corners of the hospitality industry. Everything from motel chains to food factories.

Things are going so well, he’s considering setting up a warehouse and importing the goods. Then setting up his own affiliate program.

I told him to keep in mind… that businesses, governments and organizations are run by people. Those people source product suppliers on the internet, just like you do.

No matter how big the company, it all boils down to one person. They make a purchase decision and place an order online, just like anyone else.

Consumers order a quantity of one. Businesses order case loads and pallets. Which would you rather get the commission on?

Sell the Niche

Another customer could be called the original spice girl. She knows more about cooking spices than anyone I’ve met.

She didn’t think she could compete in the space though. It was the usual excuses of… too many people already doing it and not enough confidence.

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I told her to swallow her fear and doubt. Just do it. She started blogging and selling spices, but not the usual stuff, because I told her to ultra niche it.

Now she’s thinking like a super affiliate. She’s selling dried peppers flakes and hot sauces, everything from Szechuan to Sassafras. Other people sell spices, but she knows how to thicken your gumbo.

If you know a lot about something, there are people who want to learn. When you help them by telling, not by selling, they’ll automatically want to buy from you.

Sell Your Passion

Another customer of mine owns a small hobby brew place. He helps you make wine and beer on his premises. You bottle it and take it home when its done.

He wanted to take his “dirt world” business online. To go beyond what he could reach with local advertising.

He took my advice started putting videos online. He shows you how to mix up the batch, attach a fermentation lock, sterilize and fill the bottles. Short 2-3 minute clips with one key concept in each.

He uses a basic no-frills hand held video camera. Then dumps the recording into iMovie for a quick edit before uploading them to Youtube.

He’s positioning himself as the leader in beer making knowledge. That makes people subscribe to his newsletter, shop in his store, and trust him.

Now he’s thinking like a super affiliate. Instead of stocking massive inventory, he uses affiliate links to sell everything from hops to brewing kits online.

The videos do the “cold calling” for him. Because of the knowledge he gives away freely, people know they can trust him when it comes to product recommendations.

So when there’s no customers in his retail store, he’s in the back room on the computer. Busy building an affiliate empire around his passion for beer.

What are you passionate about? What do you love to do? If you have confidence, you can transfer it to others. That’s a key secret to making a sale.

Learning How To Sell

None of these people started as super affiliates. The difference was having someone to talk to. Someone who understands advertising, sales and marketing.

If you’d like to know more about advertising, sales and marketing, give me a call. Once you’re a Dynamic Media member, I’m just a phone call away.