See if you can spot the similarity.
What do the following three statements have in common?
1. I cant do it right now, but maybe later.
2. Ive already got my mailings scheduled.
3. Let me get back to you.
Got the similarity spotted?
These are all typical responses that most people get when asking partners and affiliates to promote their offers.
Chances are youve gotten answers much like these, right?
Dont despair ... there are ways around the barriers of reluctance and passiveness.
Let me share some simple ideas for getting affiliates to take action on your promotions quickly. I use the acronym N.O.W. to describe three ways to get others to promote you now...
N - News
In journalism, no one wants to be scooped when it comes to newsworthy items. Sharing some big story that another network or publication broke days ago is a big no-no. You always want to be first when it comes to getting the word out.
That same philosophy applies to what Ive labeled The Principle of First. The idea is simple: being first to market aids in responses. Those who let their contacts know about your news promptly will generate the greatest results. If they wait, someone else will break the news.
So, to apply this principle, you simply need to create some newsworthy buzz that your affiliates and partners cant pass up on sharing with their network of influence.
**CASE STUDY**
Several months ago I decided that I was going to remove the archives from one of my membership sites. This announcement served as a strong motivator to get my affiliates to promote my site promptly before someone else did. The result was almost 500 new members paying monthly fees!
If you make dramatic changes to your offer, or create some other kind of story or news that warrants discussion promptly, youll find you can get many fence-setters active in promoting you.
O - Occasions
Another great way to motivate affiliates to get active is to use occasions that have a real deadline involved.
Some examples include
* Product launches
* Firesales
* Live events (teleseminars, workshops, etc.)
* Contests
* Special offers
* Limited quantities
This is what might be referred to as The Principle Of Force. That is, you MUST promote the offer now or miss out simply because the offer will no longer be valid. You force participation.
For example: If you have a 3-day firesale set for a specific date, then anyone interested in earning commissions for referring customers to the firesale would be forced to promote it during your pre-determined timeframe or theyd miss out because the event will end.
My recommendation is that you schedule some kind of occasion every quarter. That should give you four significant spikes in your revenue each year, which can be a tremendous boost to your bottom line.
W Wants
What do your partners and affiliates want? Seriously, stop and think about that for a moment. In fact, go one step further than that and ASK them a simple question...
What would it take for you to promote this offer this week?
Make it happen.
I want you to remember the intangibles here: the sales of your initial offer arent really all that important. (Dont freak out, hear what I have to say :-) Its building a lead list, an affiliate list and a customer list along with ADDITIONAL offers over time that makes the real money.
Consider this
Option A:
Miss Ima Guru ignores your request to promote your offer as it currently stands.
Option B:
Miss Ima Guru accepts your modified offer which includes giving her 100% of the revenue she generates. You make nothing off her promotion...but in the process of her promotion she adds 500 new subscribers to your list, 75 new affiliates and 60 new customers.
Which would you rather have?
Whatever it takes to get people to promote your offer now, make it happen.
*** NOTE ***
Now, let me make a simple suggestion here: The deal you make should be directly proportional to the potential results the partner represents.
Some affiliates and partners bring more to the table and should be offered more in order to get them to participate.
That being said, you can get virtually any affiliate to promote you now if you make it worth their while. So, ask them, what will it take?
This is what I call The Principle Of Fear. That is, a feeling of This is such a compelling offer, I cant afford to miss out on this deal.
All of this adds up to more involvement and participation among your affiliates and partners...
N News +
O Occasions +
W Wants =
-------------------
Other people promoting you NOW!
What do the following three statements have in common?
1. I cant do it right now, but maybe later.
2. Ive already got my mailings scheduled.
3. Let me get back to you.
Got the similarity spotted?
These are all typical responses that most people get when asking partners and affiliates to promote their offers.
Chances are youve gotten answers much like these, right?
Dont despair ... there are ways around the barriers of reluctance and passiveness.
Let me share some simple ideas for getting affiliates to take action on your promotions quickly. I use the acronym N.O.W. to describe three ways to get others to promote you now...
N - News
In journalism, no one wants to be scooped when it comes to newsworthy items. Sharing some big story that another network or publication broke days ago is a big no-no. You always want to be first when it comes to getting the word out.
That same philosophy applies to what Ive labeled The Principle of First. The idea is simple: being first to market aids in responses. Those who let their contacts know about your news promptly will generate the greatest results. If they wait, someone else will break the news.
So, to apply this principle, you simply need to create some newsworthy buzz that your affiliates and partners cant pass up on sharing with their network of influence.
**CASE STUDY**
Several months ago I decided that I was going to remove the archives from one of my membership sites. This announcement served as a strong motivator to get my affiliates to promote my site promptly before someone else did. The result was almost 500 new members paying monthly fees!
If you make dramatic changes to your offer, or create some other kind of story or news that warrants discussion promptly, youll find you can get many fence-setters active in promoting you.
O - Occasions
Another great way to motivate affiliates to get active is to use occasions that have a real deadline involved.
Some examples include
* Product launches
* Firesales
* Live events (teleseminars, workshops, etc.)
* Contests
* Special offers
* Limited quantities
This is what might be referred to as The Principle Of Force. That is, you MUST promote the offer now or miss out simply because the offer will no longer be valid. You force participation.
For example: If you have a 3-day firesale set for a specific date, then anyone interested in earning commissions for referring customers to the firesale would be forced to promote it during your pre-determined timeframe or theyd miss out because the event will end.
My recommendation is that you schedule some kind of occasion every quarter. That should give you four significant spikes in your revenue each year, which can be a tremendous boost to your bottom line.
W Wants
What do your partners and affiliates want? Seriously, stop and think about that for a moment. In fact, go one step further than that and ASK them a simple question...
What would it take for you to promote this offer this week?
Make it happen.
I want you to remember the intangibles here: the sales of your initial offer arent really all that important. (Dont freak out, hear what I have to say :-) Its building a lead list, an affiliate list and a customer list along with ADDITIONAL offers over time that makes the real money.
Consider this
Option A:
Miss Ima Guru ignores your request to promote your offer as it currently stands.
Option B:
Miss Ima Guru accepts your modified offer which includes giving her 100% of the revenue she generates. You make nothing off her promotion...but in the process of her promotion she adds 500 new subscribers to your list, 75 new affiliates and 60 new customers.
Which would you rather have?
Whatever it takes to get people to promote your offer now, make it happen.
*** NOTE ***
Now, let me make a simple suggestion here: The deal you make should be directly proportional to the potential results the partner represents.
Some affiliates and partners bring more to the table and should be offered more in order to get them to participate.
That being said, you can get virtually any affiliate to promote you now if you make it worth their while. So, ask them, what will it take?
This is what I call The Principle Of Fear. That is, a feeling of This is such a compelling offer, I cant afford to miss out on this deal.
All of this adds up to more involvement and participation among your affiliates and partners...
N News +
O Occasions +
W Wants =
-------------------
Other people promoting you NOW!
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