Building a Dream Affiliate Marketing Team

What does my dream team look like?

Honestly, they look a lot like me.

They are probably in their 40s and 50s, since that will likely be the bulk of my readers.

They are active, or want to be. They have made some mistakes in life, but they recognize their failures and see them as stepping stones to success.

Why sell my stuff?

Primarily because they have grown to know, like and trust me and they have used my products to help in their own success.

These are real people. People who aren’t afraid to speak their mind. People who value honesty, integrity, and value for their dollars. When they give their word, they mean it.

How will I ensure my Affiliates help build my business?

Here are 3 really good ways:

1. I will not release a product unless it is something that will really help people.
2. I will do everything I can to support my affiliates, with excellent product details to help with sales, testimonials from satisfied customers, and videos or other media to help promote the product.
3. I will pay my affiliates a great commission and always on time.

How Many Affiliates?

I don’t envision a huge affiliate team. What I envision is a small, focused group of people who love what I do and want to share.

These are people with large, loyal followings of their own. People who take them at their word when they promote a product or service of their own or one produced by someone they follow and appreciate.

Pat Flynn Has It Right

If you haven’t heard of Pat Flynn, you probably haven’t been online very long. Pat has only been online for about 5 years, but he has achieved a great deal of success in that time. His main website is called Smart Passive Income.

Since Pat believes in transparency, he actually publishes his income in monthly earnings reports. And a big share of his earnings come from affiliate sales, where he promotes products for other people or companies.

Pat’s “secret?” He won’t promote a product unless he has used it and he feels comfortable telling others about it because of his positive experience. That’s integrity. And that is exactly the kind of affiliates I want to work with.

Affiliate Marketing. What’s That?

In a nutshell, it’s a way for anyone who makes or sells a product or service enlists the service of others to help them do the selling.

Why? Here are two really good reasons:
1. They use the product, like what it does for them, and want to tell others about it. “Word of mouth” advertising is one of the best, if not the best, methods of advertising on the planet.

2. They want to earn some cold hard cash. “Affiliate programs” allow people to recommend other people’s or company’s products and earn a commission when someone buys based on their recommendation.

How To Find the Best Affiliates

The best way to attract the best affiliates is to sell products and services they want to buy and use for themselves. If they own it, use it, and benefit from it, they will want to share that with others.

Another way is to offer a good commission for sales. “Good” is a relative term, but a strong commission draws more attention.

The Bottom Line

Once I produce my first product, I will need to decide if affiliate marketing is the best approach for sales. This won’t always be the case, but it is a solid model that could really help with sales.

This is especially true if my affiliates follow the Pat Flynn model: Don’t sell it unless you have used it and you feel good about recommending it.

This is my response to Day 18 of The 30 Day Blog Challenge. What does your dream sales team look like and how will you ensure they help you build your business?