Thursday 6 January 2011

Comimg home to roost

As the last years trading figures for various companies are being released I've noticed with interest that some have had a really tough time.

I have little sympathy.

Is that uncaring of me?

 It might be if those very companies hadn't been really arsey about their affiliate programs over the last year or so and made stupid decisions that have meant their online selling teams (affiliates) have been put off, gotten rid of, unfairly treated and worse!

One company now having trouble balancing the books was giving one particular voucher affiliate a MASSIVE discount voucher. Clearly this mean that affiliate did really well. However the scores of other affiliates all suffered as a result.

This meant many affiliates pulled the links never to bother adding them again.

One other affiliate program decided in it's wisdom to cull most affiliates and then cap sales - what a stupid idea is that? A huge one!

My advice to affiliate program managers is to not give silly exclusive voucher deals to any affiliate. It antagonises the rest of them! Have unique codes by all means but don't give one an unfair advantages.

And don't cull affiliates.