Business If you can NOT afford a decent affiliate manager, then...

[Marshal]

If you can NOT afford to hire a decent affiliate manager, then please close your fucking affiliate programs! Thank you!

Most of affiliate managers are literally wasting your affiliates' time.

After speaking with hundreds of affiliate programs, there were only very few people actually being responsive and helpful. Kudos to them!

Avoiding to reply to emails, giving stupid replies which exists to waste your time and are not of any help, giving false promises (I'm not talking about money here), all makes you lose business. Don't want to add any names here, but I'm sure most of you had similar experience.

[ContentPimp]

Right on point man!
Good for someone express it out!

[CurrentlySober]

OK, I'll close my aff program... Sorry....

[~Ray]

Sometimes it makes you wonder how they even got that job in the first place

[BigFurry]

Yep.

I think the problem many times is that they don't have a dedicated affiliate manager. Someone who has many other tasks gets this role as an extra task. And of course they won't have time to properly deal with the affiliates.

Program owners, you need to have a real, dedicated affiliate manager, who does this, and nothing else.

[ilnjscb]

How much does a good one generally cost?

[NatalieK]

Originally Posted by Marshal

After speaking with hundreds of affiliate programs, there were only very few people actually being responsive and helpful. Kudos to them!

Hoping I can achieve this goal with my program Marshal. At present, still awaiting ModelCentro to add a clips area for affiliate download as asked for by you a month ago. However, I've updated the webmaster area with zipped image and more FHG.

Hoping we can do business very soon. You seem a very good guy & knowing your position well

[Marshal]

Originally Posted by GspotProductions

Hoping I can achieve this goal with my program Marshal. At present, still awaiting ModelCentro to add a clips area for affiliate download as asked for by you a month ago. However, I've updated the webmaster area with zipped image and more FHG.

Hoping we can do business very soon. You seem a very good guy & knowing your position well

Thanks Natalie! I appreciate it! You were very helpful and responsive all the time.

[Marshal]

Just got an email reply from a person supposed to be of some help. Oh, man! When you just think you could not get pissed off more, they simply keep surprising you!

I just had a ridiculous situation where an affiliate manager demanded (?!) to implement their "iframe" banner on a high traffic website, in order to get access to their promo content. Did anyone mention "security concerns"?

It is funny when you had in mind that their company had some shady background (bells and whistles here ). Never heard of someone being able to promote a program without a decent promo content, and they had demands in order to provide it. Yes, you've heard it right: "they had DEMANDS". Ironic, isn't it?

My advise if you ever had an experience with some unrealisting expectation from a delusional affiliate program: just ask them politely to fuck off! Their affiliate program can not live without webmasters' traffic, it's not the other way around.

[Struggle4Bucks]

[plaster]

Originally Posted by ilnjscb

How much does a good one generally cost?

More then the program makes... hence the problem.

[Klen]

Originally Posted by Marshal

Just got an email reply from a person supposed to be of some help. Oh, man! When you just think you could not get pissed off more, they simply keep surprising you!

I just had a ridiculous situation where an affiliate manager demanded (?!) to implement their "iframe" banner on a high traffic website, in order to get access to their promo content. Did anyone mention "security concerns"?

It is funny when you had in mind that their company had some shady background (bells and whistles here ). Never heard of someone being able to promote a program without a decent promo content, and they had demands in order to provide it. Yes, you've heard it right: "they had DEMANDS". Ironic, isn't it?

My advise if you ever had an experience with some unrealistic expectation from a delusional affiliate program: just ask them politely to fuck off! Their affiliate program can not live without web-masters' traffic, it's not the other way around.

Actually.. they can live without affiliates, they can buy traffic or just having big shoot affiliates like manwhich and xvideos.

[j3rkules]

So this is why I work only with a few sponsors...

[Chris]

IMO affiliate programs now rely mostly on inhouse traffic so the focus is finding good media buyers for their internal sales.

[BigFurry]

Originally Posted by Chris

IMO affiliate programs now rely mostly on inhouse traffic so the focus is finding good media buyers for their internal sales.

It's fine if they say no to a request, because it's not worth their time. But they should at least reply to emails.

It's hard to get a response from many even if it's a really simple question. There is no excuse for that.

[Andreweb]

Well I prefer to not talk with those morons and when is necessary to ask them something they ussualy don't have a clue of nothing , most of them are uselles !

[The Porn Nerd]

There ARE no "affiliate managers" anymore, just some hack employee who answers emails and tries to help but usually does not. Now with MY Program I could afford to hire a full-time AM but why bother? There are only about ten affiliates worth dealing with these days anyway (ok, maybe 20 tops).

So I am supposed to pay someone FULL-TIME so they can what? Send you banners? Show you where the FHGs are? Help you dump videos to your tube? If you are that lame (as an affiliate) then chances are you won't send sales anyway, right?

I have literally hundreds of affiliates who I contact and try to help with promotions and sales. I just checked - know how many actually send traffic/sales? 23.

Also, affiliates (except for the big ones) are in NO position to demand jack squat these days. The 'demands' I get from affiliates are insane! Can I re-watermark, upload, re-direct traffic, get Mem Area access....sure ok....for 2 sales a month?

Sorry but I work ALL the time and the number ot serious affiliates who contact me for help, advice, special issues, etc is so tiny it makes me wonder what all these people signing on as affiliates (on a DAILY BASIS) are actually doing. So no, no full-time $ waster for me thanks.

[Klen]

Originally Posted by The Porn Nerd

There ARE no "affiliate managers" anymore, just some hack employee who answers emails and tries to help but usually does not. Now with MY Program I could afford to hire a full-time AM but why bother? There are only about ten affiliates worth dealing with these days anyway (ok, maybe 20 tops).

So I am supposed to pay someone FULL-TIME so they can what? Send you banners? Show you where the FHGs are? Help you dump videos to your tube? If you are that lame (as an affiliate) then chances are you won't send sales anyway, right?

I have literally hundreds of affiliates who I contact and try to help with promotions and sales. I just checked - know how many actually send traffic/sales? 23.

Also, affiliates (except for the big ones) are in NO position to demand jack squat these days. The 'demands' I get from affiliates are insane! Can I re-watermark, upload, re-direct traffic, get Mem Area access....sure ok....for 2 sales a month?

Sorry but I work ALL the time and the number ot serious affiliates who contact me for help, advice, special issues, etc is so tiny it makes me wonder what all these people signing on as affiliates (on a DAILY BASIS) are actually doing. So no, no full-time $ waster for me thanks.

If you can handle usual requests by yourself then there is no need to hire anyone. Plus affiliate managers are not just for support, they are also for finding new affiliates so that is what it should be considered as well.

[The Porn Nerd]

Originally Posted by KlenTelaris

If you can handle usual requests by yourself then there is no need to hire anyone. Plus affiliate managers are not just for support, they are also for finding new affiliates so that is what it should be considered as well.

Absolutely! For me I am always working so can easily be reached by email or ICQ (see sig).

Finding new affiliates tho is a challenge since there are so few with any real traffic. Getting existing affiliates to promote my stuff more is the #1 thing for me.

[Marshal]

Originally Posted by The Porn Nerd

Absolutely! For me I am always working so can easily be reached by email or ICQ (see sig).

Finding new affiliates tho is a challenge since there are so few with any real traffic. Getting existing affiliates to promote my stuff more is the #1 thing for me.

Don't get me wrong, but there's much more affiliates out there than you could imagine, believe it or not. They just try to stay low profile.

Oh, and you should start using Skype, as well, since there's a lot of mainstream guys entering this market and they never heard of ICQ.

[plaster]

Originally Posted by Marshal

Don't get me wrong, but there's much more affiliates out there than you could imagine, believe it or not. They just try to stay low profile.

Oh, and you should start using Skype, as well, since there's a lot of mainstream guys entering this market and they never heard of ICQ.

Icq is really an awful way to communicate.

[Nancy M00re]

Hey Marshal,

If you need anything, you know where to find me ;-)

[Colmike9]

How AMs are hired these days..

(Except me, ofc)

[Marshal]

Originally Posted by Nancy M00re

Hey Marshal,

If you need anything, you know where to find me ;-)

Could not agree more! Nancy is one of very few people in this business responding in no time.

[BigFurry]

Yup, Nancy is great.

And The Porn Nerd, you're even here every day writing posts, it's clear that you're available when you're needed.

Unfortunately many program owners / affiliate managers disappear for weeks sometimes.

[Forkbeard]

Originally Posted by BigFurry

Yep.

I think the problem many times is that they don't have a dedicated affiliate manager. Someone who has many other tasks gets this role as an extra task. And of course they won't have time to properly deal with the affiliates.

Increasingly I believe this is the case. Even huge programs no longer staff their affiliate support with any sort of expectation of being responsive. Case in point: Kink.com. They have an affiliate manager, but I sent in four affiliate support requests last Thursday about different stuff that seems broken after their huge rearrangement of all their sites. Two of these were follow-ups about stuff that's been broken to one degree or another for more than a year, including one that's more than fourteen months old. To date, no response except the automailer letting me know my requests were received. First thing I did this morning (Thursday again, week gone by) I pinged the affiliate manager and the marketing director to ask what my expectations should be about a response time on those questions. You guessed it: I got no response today.

Admittedly I'm not doing $3k a month with them any more like I was back in 2007-2008. But I've been an affiliate of theirs for fourteen years. I'm not sure anybody who actually works there has been with them that long except maybe Peter himself. If they're not answering me, it's hard to believe they are answering anybody.

[Phoenix]

Damn affiliate managers messing things up

[The Porn Nerd]

Originally Posted by Marshal

Don't get me wrong, but there's much more affiliates out there than you could imagine, believe it or not. They just try to stay low profile.

Oh, and you should start using Skype, as well, since there's a lot of mainstream guys entering this market and they never heard of ICQ.

Absolutely, and they do contact me. But my Program is a CCBill one so that brings with it its own pluses and minuses. As in, many affiliates prefer NATS and PPS offers.

(I use Skype for Adult but do not post the info in my sig here. Otherwise I get "Hey baby want to chat?" pings all damn day. LOL)

Originally Posted by BigFurry

Yup, Nancy is great.

And The Porn Nerd, you're even here every day writing posts, it's clear that you're available when you're needed.

Unfortunately many program owners / affiliate managers disappear for weeks sometimes.

Sad but true, which is why many affiliates just give up trying to ask for help in the end. Also because of things like this:

Originally Posted by Forkbeard

Increasingly I believe this is the case. Even huge programs no longer staff their affiliate support with any sort of expectation of being responsive. Case in point: Kink.com. They have an affiliate manager, but I sent in four affiliate support requests last Thursday about different stuff that seems broken after their huge rearrangement of all their sites. Two of these were follow-ups about stuff that's been broken to one degree or another for more than a year, including one that's more than fourteen months old. To date, no response except the automailer letting me know my requests were received. First thing I did this morning (Thursday again, week gone by) I pinged the affiliate manager and the marketing director to ask what my expectations should be about a response time on those questions. You guessed it: I got no response today.

Admittedly I'm not doing $3k a month with them any more like I was back in 2007-2008. But I've been an affiliate of theirs for fourteen years. I'm not sure anybody who actually works there has been with them that long except maybe Peter himself. If they're not answering me, it's hard to believe they are answering anybody.

Many Programs are generating their own in-house traffic, buying traffic or closing their Programs to invite-only. So if a Program is going to think of affiliates in this way they should just close contact forms, put their Affiliate Program site on auto-pilot and not send the message they are still working with affiliates. Then at least you would know not to bother. Sorry man, that sucks. Hope you get a response from Kink.

[Struggle4Bucks]

Originally Posted by The Porn Nerd

(I use Skype for Adult but do not post the info in my sig here. Otherwise I get "Hey baby want to chat?" pings all damn day. LOL)

Hey baby... we can also chat here if you prefer?

[Klen]

Originally Posted by Phoenix

Damn affiliate managers messing things up

I added you on skype as i wanted to ask about those offers which you mentioned in thread which you created, still no sign from you after like a week.

[Klen]

Originally Posted by The Porn Nerd

(I use Skype for Adult but do not post the info in my sig here. Otherwise I get "Hey baby want to chat?" pings all damn day. LOL)

Strange, i have my skype id listed in my profile for ages and nobody ever contacted me till recently when i was contacted by AFF media buyer.

[Klen]

Originally Posted by The Porn Nerd

Absolutely! For me I am always working so can easily be reached by email or ICQ (see sig).

Finding new affiliates tho is a challenge since there are so few with any real traffic. Getting existing affiliates to promote my stuff more is the #1 thing for me.

That remind me to following common problem - it seems most of programs, regardless what they sell, are more oriented to get new traffic sources and new affiliates then bothering with current affiliates. I mean, you could have a millionaire,philanthropist,innovator,playboy as affiliate but he just need to be informed how stuff works to get things going. But for most programs is easier to delete inactive/low level traffic affiliates.

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by KlenTelaris

Strange, i have my skype id listed in my profile for ages and nobody ever contacted me till recently when i was contacted by AFF media buyer.

What skype did you add? because i do not see any request from you...i have added you

[Tjeezers]

Originally Posted by Marshal

Could not agree more! Nancy is one of very few people in this business responding in no time.

I forgot, you emailed me last year...
Working on it

Should be ready by December...

[Tjeezers]

Originally Posted by Andreweb

Well I prefer to not talk with those morons and when is necessary to ask them something they ussualy don't have a clue of nothing , most of them are uselles !

sorry to hear this
I was an affiliate myself for 16 years, and have to agree that some off managers were not that helpful, but it made me figure things out for myself more and more. I focused on learning to not need them anymore

[trevesty]

Originally Posted by Nancy M00re

Hey Marshal,

If you need anything, you know where to find me ;-)

Unfortunately she ^ (Nancy) is one of the few good AMs left around.

[anexsia]

I'm happy with just programs that have a decent amount of content I can use to promote with...banners and all that jazz I can do/design myself as long as I have some material to work with.

Whenever I contact Ama Kings/Web Clicks they have always responded within an hour (sometimes even minutes on a weekend!) so they're one of the better programs I have dealt with.

[Marshal]

Originally Posted by Tjeezers_Brokerbabe

sorry to hear this
I was an affiliate myself for 16 years, and have to agree that some off managers were not that helpful, but it made me figure things out for myself more and more. I focused on learning to not need them anymore

You are right, Harry! A funny thing is that with all those useless guys you get used to figuring out things on your own, and you learn a lot, so they non-responsiveness basically comes as a favour to you, no matter how weird it might sound.

You've always been one of those people with whom it's always a pleaesure to talk to. Too bad there's not more affiliate managers like you...

[The Porn Nerd]

Originally Posted by Struggle4Bucks

Hey baby... we can also chat here if you prefer?

OK baby...what are you wearing?
(Probably leather.)

:D

[Struggle4Bucks]

Originally Posted by The Porn Nerd

OK baby...what are you wearing?
(Probably leather.)

:D

[Marshal]

Today I've had the same problem with an AM of a huge adult company. They have this "supremacy" attitude, which really pisses off, yet at the same time, they are clueless about everything. And yes, they don't even have a decent promo content...

[Colmike9]

Originally Posted by Marshal

Today I've had the same problem with an AM of a huge adult company. They have this "supremacy" attitude, which really pisses off, yet at the same time, they are clueless about everything. And yes, they don't even have a decent promo content...

I'm the opposite, I try to be normal.
If there's something I don't know, I'll tell you but I'll also figure it out.

(I know a few programs like that, no fun to work with..)

[Nicky]

I wonder where all the affiliate manager rock stars making deals 24/7 are

[bmwracer41]

Marshall

Trans500 would love to talk and work with you, we do everything possible to assist Affiliates....

We understand the concept of making money together

hit us

[email protected]

[plaster]

Originally Posted by bmwracer41

Marshall

Trans500 would love to talk and work with you, we do everything possible to assist Affiliates....

We understand the concept of making money together

hit us

[email protected]

I'm sure all zero of your affiliates will 100% vouch for you. Do you send bot traffic to affiliates as well as a bonus?

[TheLegacy]

Sadly I do agree - affiliate managers have simply become pawns to the company and lack imagination, knowledge and skills - only serving as a good drinking buddy with a CC at trade shows. Getting affiliates is easy - keeping them is a skill left best to the managers that aren't drunk or high on something.

[Forkbeard]

Quoting myself:

Originally Posted by Forkbeard

Even huge programs no longer staff their affiliate support with any sort of expectation of being responsive. Case in point: Kink.com. They have an affiliate manager, but I sent in four affiliate support requests last Thursday about different stuff that seems broken after their huge rearrangement of all their sites. Two of these were follow-ups about stuff that's been broken to one degree or another for more than a year, including one that's more than fourteen months old. To date, no response except the automailer letting me know my requests were received. First thing I did this morning (Thursday again, week gone by) I pinged the affiliate manager and the marketing director to ask what my expectations should be about a response time on those questions. You guessed it: I got no response today.

It took four emails (September 1, September 6, September 14, September 26) to get a response about my broken links. And the response from the affiliate manager is "I wish I was able to expidite your requests, but our marketing and IT objectives are set by Peter Acworth who ultimately has say over resource allocation and projects across departments in this building."

Yeah, there's no affiliate program left there. I'm sure they're still happy to track new links and pay out for sales, but supporting a fourteen-year installed base of promotional links? No, they don't do that any more.