Much to some peoples’ annoyance… I don’t do affiliates.
And lately, people have been asking me why.
Is it because I’m crazy? Do I like losing out on more of the green stuff? Don’t I know everyone online who makes lots of money uses affiliates?
So I thought it high time to set the record straight.
Here are some reasons I don’t do affiliates:
1. Physical products
My products are all (with one exception) physical. And, after dabbling with affiliates a while back, I realized what a headache it’d be if there were returns from their customers, etc.
2. FTC
Due to recent FTC rules (and by all means, correct me if I’m wrong), I would have to watch what my affiliates say when selling my products… or I could be held liable for any false claims.
Not very appealing.
3. Crappy manager
I hate managing money owed to others. It throws off my accounting mojo, and gives me a headache just thinking about it. Not to mention the freaky trend of anti-capitalism state sales tax laws emerging (i.e. “Amazon Tax”) that could soon make it extremely burdensome for any publishers using affiliates.
4. I preach to the choir, not the uninitiated
This is the most important reason:
The sales letters for my products are intended for people who are “pre-sold” on me, and are on my list already. They’re not intended (or written “to”) cold or even luke warm prospects — which makes them unsuitable for most affiliates or JV deals.
Now, this COULD all change someday.
I never say “never.”
But this is how it is for now.
Fact is, there are many pros and cons to having affiliates, and I would not tell anyone they should or should not use them. (Contrary to popular opinion, there are many high income earning marketers who do NOT use affiliates.)
For some it makes perfect sense.
For others… not so much.
There’s no “one size fits all.”
But that, my friend, is a subject for another time.
Ben Settle
P.S. Despite the above, I actually think affiliate marketing is pretty cool, and even sell a product (using affiliates — via clickbank) on the subject.
It’s called The Affiliate Trump Card.
If you’re interested, you can read about it at:
