4 Mistakes That Are Scaring Away Affiliates and JV’s

If you are in the business of coaching or selling products, you know that affilliates and Joint Venture partners are a huge asset for your company.

They are, in a way, your evangelists. And what does evangelists do for a company or a brand?

They bring the good news about how a product or service improves people’s lives!

They’re the ones who are out there singing your praises, spreading the word and helping you reach a larger audience than you could on your own.

Not only that, but they generously lend their good name and reputation to your business, so it makes sense that you want to treat them as well as possible. Right?

The last thing you want to do is frustrate them and turn them away.

4 most common mistakes that make Affiliate and JV’ s run away

1. Slow or Delayed Payment

Do what you say you will do. If you promise to pay monthly, then you must make that a priority.

No excuse is ever good enough for failing to pay your affiliates on time. It’s never okay to “borrow” from your affiliate payments to cover an unexpected bill or take advantage of an opportunity. To do so is bad karma, and will impact negatively on your reputation. You do not want to be perceived as unreliable.

Your JV partners and affiliates are some of your most precious assets. Treat them as such, and they will return the favor with increased sales, more leads, and plenty of social love.

2. Not Making Public Your Promotional Calendar

Entrepreneurs are busy and they also are obsessive planners. They know they need to produce content, mail their lists, create products, speak at events, and all the other marketing tasks that go with owning a business.

They very likely maintain a calendar that helps them stay focused and on track. If you want them to promote you, it’s a good idea to publish your own promotional calendar so they know what’s coming up.

This doesn’t have to be anything fancy, and it doesn’t have to stretch for weeks or months ahead, but it should give your affiliates and JV’ s a bit of notice about upcoming launches so they can work your products into their schedule.

3. Launching Without Them

Got a big product launch coming up? Excellent!

But don’t even think about launching without your affiliates on board. Your lists most likely have some overlap, and promoting to your list before you allow affiliates to mail will result in lost sales for them—and angry JV s who won’t be anxious to promote you again.

4. Stealing Their Sales

This should go without saying, but if you’re considering creating your own affiliate link for your products, stop.

Mailing your list or posting on Facebook with your own affiliate link will—in most systems—result in your promotions overriding those of your affiliates.

In short, you’ll be stealing their sales, and no JV partner will want to promote you after that.

If you need a tracking link, there are far better ways to go about it than to create an affiliate link in your own system.

Came across other mistakes that resulted in scaring away affiliates and JV ‘s? Share your thoughts and experience in the comments below!

To your prosperity!

Janice Dugas
Your Online Visibility Trusted Advisor