adictoaloshombres: Manager

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Dear Affiliate Manager, Women Are From Venus

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Question: My target market is women, and I’m having a hard time getting them to promote my products. They just seem unmotivated. I don’t get it. Does my affiliate program stink or am I recruiting bad affiliates?

Dear Affiliate Manager:
This just goes back to basic psychology. Women and men value different things.

Car salesmen are taught this in their training. When a husband and wife walk into a car showroom, the car salesman will face the husband when he talks about things like … horsepower and engine stuff. Then, he’ll turn to the wife and talk about safety and color options. Is this condescending? Yes. But, it’s also effective. My eyes glaze over when it comes to horsepower, but I want to know what I’m going to look like in my car! Sunroof? Radio? Now we’re talking.

So, what does this have to do with your affiliate program? Simple. Although I can’t speak for all women, obviously, I can tell you the things I value in an affiliate program.

Quality. I value my newsletter subscribers and am building a relationship with them. (According to recent studies, women go online to find relationships and support.) If your product or service is junk, then you could offer me 99% commission with a 99% conversion rate and I’m still not going to sell it to my visitors.

Affordability. I can’t promote a product that I, myself, would not buy. If you’re overpriced for what you offer, I can not promote your products to my subscribers.

Dollars and Cents. Of course money is a factor. It’s just not the #1 factor, as you may be surprised to know. 20% commission vs. 40% -- I’m not as concerned about that as I am the other items in this list.

Tools: Yes, tools. This is really big, and so few affiliate managers “get it”. I think I’ve finally pinpointed why this is such a big thing (at least for me). This scenario happens way too often: I find a product I am really excited about and I eagerly sign up for their affiliate program. I log in so I can start telling everyone I know about this great product or service. I can’t wait to see what they have in the “links” section. Will there be articles, or a rebrandable e-book maybe? Or even an informative video? It’s like Christmas morning… what will I find? And, then the affiliate section opens and there’s one measly link and a button.

My initial gut reaction is “They’re not even trying!” And now, I don’t feel valued or motivated in the least bit. You just succeeded in turning your biggest fan into someone who stuck a lousy button on her page and knows it’s not going to sell at all.

I know what you’re thinking. It’s the affiliate’s job to sell. Yes, you’re right. As an affiliate, I know that writing reviews and recommendations is the best way to sell a product. No doubt about it. All I’m saying is that you’ve got to give us at least an indicator that you’re interested in building a working ‘relationship’.

Is it hokey to want a relationship with an Affiliate Manager? Yes. It is. But, I can tell you that any affiliate program where I get some attention and appreciation is going to get a lot more loyalty from me than an Affiliate Manager who sits on the couch drinking beer and watching football while I’m running around working my butt off... (Hmmm.... did I say that?)

So, yes, women are from Venus. You can decide to embrace it and reap the rewards, or ignore it and wonder why your affiliates aren’t motivated. It’s your choice. As an affiliate, I’m challenging you to embrace this information and run with it.

Dear Affiliate Manager, Can You Make That Brandable?

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Question: Why are my affiliates asking for brandable reports? How am I supposed to manage that?

Dear Affiliate Manager,
What tools are you providing to your affiliates? If it’s just a standard button or text link, you’re only doing half your job. Not only is it less productive for you to have a group of affiliates half-interested in promoting your product, but it’s just irresponsible to have an affiliate program without helping your affiliates to make money.

You heard me. I’m sick and tired of it and I’m speaking my mind.

Help me… to help you. Affiliate marketing is supposed to be win-win. So, let’s work together on this to make us both some money.

My favorite affiliate programs provide many free tools. All things the same, I’ll promote an affiliate program that looks like they care more than one that isn’t even trying, because, to me, it is a reflection on their overall quality.

Perhaps it’s because I’m a woman. I like to build relationships. I like to feel appreciated.

And, of course, I’m in affiliate marketing because I want to make money! So, when I find an affiliate program that offers a brandable free report that I can share with my subscribers, promote a great product and make money in the process? Score!

Now, don’t insult my intelligence by packaging up some random articles that have nothing to do with anything and telling me it’s an ebook. Don’t give me junk. First of all, you’re representing your quality, and I’m representing mine. So, give me something good. A quality report or ebook, with a great preview of your product and what you offer.

My readers will be loyal, and so will I.

Do you want a loyal army of affiliates? Walk a mile in their shoes. Why did they sign up for your affiliate program? Because they believe in your products. Treat them well, and you’ll have loyalty that you can’t buy at any price.

Dear Affiliate Manager: Are You Hoarding Your Articles?

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Question: My affiliates keep bugging me about my articles. Why do they want my articles and should I let them have them? What do I get out of it?

Dear Affiliate Manager,
You hit on my pet peeve. Stop hoarding your articles already! Do you want your affiliates to promote your program repeatedly to their lists and on their sites or don’t you? Isn’t the goal to get your website exposure all over the internet? The more sales your affiliates make – the more money you’ll BOTH make.

My favorite affiliate programs are the ones which provide me with articles or brandable ebooks. These marketers understand what it’s like to be an affiliate who wants to make money. Make it easy for me to promote your product repeatedly. Give me quality articles I can use on my websites, in my newsletter and in my blog with my affiliate link included. Don’t just shove a link at me and say “good luck”. It’s not exactly motivating me to go sell your product. Hey, if you don’t give me the tools I want, your competition will.

And, let me clarify something. Providing free affiliate articles with links to your other websites in it, bypassing your affiliates – that’s just wrong. Please don’t make the article leaky by adding several self-promoting links in the body of the article. As an affiliate, I don’t want to promote your other programs and send you leads out of sheer generosity. Although I am a nice person and I’m happy to promote good products, I’m not donating my time to promote your products. First, the products have to be good. Secondly, all things equal, I have to be able to feed my family in the process. Stealing commissions from your own affiliates is just wrong on many levels.

So, what can you do to start building a loyal army of affiliates today? Put yourself in their shoes. They’ve signed up for your program because they believe in your products and in your reputation. Show them that you view your affiliates as partners and you’ll have loyalty that you can’t buy at any price.

Business Marketing Mistakes: 3 Biggest Marketing Mistakes Every Business Manager Makes

Your idea of marketing may be costing your business big bucks. Learn what the three biggest marketing mistakes every business manager makes. By avoiding these pitfalls, you will make your marketing efforts more meaningful and effective.

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marketing mistakes, marketing, business manager, marketing budget, help or hinder, business, 7 Marketing Mistakes, Terri langhans

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Who hasn’t let a typo slip by or misspelled the CEO’s name or printed the wrong phone number somewhere? Those marketing mistakes don’t warrant an article. In fact, just one word of how-to-fix-it advice is sufficient: proofread!

Here are a few more important marketing mistakes that just about every business manager out there makes, along with a recommended fix that will help you attract more business and get better results from your marketing, regardless of how big or small your marketing budget is.

Mistake #1: We think that marketing is something we 'do'.

"We need to do some marketing." It’s the first thing you think when you need to boost business. Problem is, when you think of marketing as something you 'do', you’re usually thinking about publicity, direct mail, flyers, email, ads and promotion. Marketing is much more than merely promotion, and it’s rarely a quick fix.

The real fix is to expand your definition of marketing. Instead of thinking of it as something you 'do', think of marketing as anything that helps or hinders the sale or use of your product or service. This includes: your location, the attitudes of the person who answers the phone, your name, pricing, policies, proposals, personality and more.

Before you write a promotional word, do a 'help or hinder' once-over. Make a list of what’s helping you attract business and what’s getting in the way. Figure out what obstacles you can quickly fix or remove? What 'helps' can you enhance or spotlight? Until the help-or-hinder homework is done, working on promotion is premature.

Mistake #2: We breathe too much of our own exhaust.

We are such big believers in our businesses that we can’t wait to show it off. We admire our attributes and inhale our excellence. Then we exhale it all into our marketing communications. The problem is, when you do that, your marketing is all about you. And people don’t care about you. They care about themselves.

If your marketing is going to get any response at all, the first thing it must do is connect to something prospects care about. Connect before you convince. Try this four-step exercise:

1. Describe your products and services. Get the exhaust fumes out.
2. Identify one or two attributes or attraction factors.
3. What is the benefit, the need or the want, that is satisfied by those attributes?
4. Why is that benefit important, personally, to the target audience?

For example, Joy dishwashing liquid (descprition) has real lemon (attribute) that cuts grease and leaves dishes shinier (benefit). What a nice reflection on you! (Connects to what a mother cares about.) Connect to what people want. Not to what you do.

Mistake #3: We all look alike.

A bank is a bank is a bank. Realtors, lawyers and consultants are a dime a dozen. The list goes on. But here’s the good news: the more two businesses look alike, the more important each difference becomes, and the more impact even the tiniest difference will have on setting you apart. Why?

Consider identical twins. What’s the first thing you do when you meet a pair? You try to find a little something to tell them apart. The same is true for your business. Your prospects are looking for a point of difference (just about anything )they can use to set you apart from your competition.

To find your points of difference, start with your points of contact, or 'touch points' in your company. Make a list. Business card, fax cover sheet, invoice, phone greeting, front door, home page, etc. Then look at what the competition does and ask yourself how you can do it differently. Just a little bit will make a big difference, because your prospects are looking for them.

For now, try the Help or Hinder, Connect Before You Convince and Find Your Points of Difference tools to make your marketing more meaningful and effective. Be wary, too, of unrealistic expectations, faulty research, deadly bullet points and lack of follow through-- four other common marketing mistakes.

Dear Affiliate Manager, 7 Ways To Tell If Your Affiliate Program Stinks

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Question: Why aren’t my affiliates promoting my affiliate program? And, how do I get more to sign up?

Dear Affiliate Manager:

I can tell you in a heartbeat whether or not your affiliate program is attracting loyal, motivated affiliates. It’s easy. Just put yourself in your affiliate’s shoes. If you’re not creating loyalty in your affiliates, they’re going to look for a better program to promote, and you’ll be left in the dust.

Now that I’ve got your attention, let’s go through some key components of making your affiliate program attractive to affiliates, so they don’t start shopping around.

1. Reputations are on the Line.
Of course, number one is quality. Do you have quality products and customer service? An affiliate’s reputation is on the line every time we consider promoting a product or service. If your products are junk or you’re making our referrals upset in any way – we’ll drop you faster than something *really* hot.

2. Lay the Money on the Table.
It’s not just about the percentage commission. That won’t motivate and make loyal affiliates, but, it is a start. Are you talking 5%? Then, unless you offer millions of products at great prices and have a solid reputation, you’re not going to be getting a whole lot of affiliates.

3. Who’s getting credit?
Show your affiliates that you value them by setting long cookies and they’ll keep sending you traffic. How long are your cookies? The longer the better.

4. Closing the Deal.
If your affiliates are sending you traffic, I hope you have a newsletter (or ecourse) on that sales page for two reasons. 1. It means you’re smart and know how internet marketing works, and 2. It means that the affiliates get more than one chance to close the deal, because you’re going to be following up with the lead and closing the sale for us. This shows us that you take your business seriously – a very important indicator.

5. Like Frosting on the Cake.
Assuming all things are equal, if your program is two-tier or residual, you’ll have affiliates lined up to promote you.

6. Are you even trying?
There is nothing more frustrating than joining an affiliate program that you’re really excited about, logging in and seeing … nothing but a couple of links. No content, no ebooks, no videos. Zip. This is especially disappointing if you know the author or owner is sending out a weekly newsletter. Share your articles with your affiliates, allow them to be rebranded, and I guarantee you’ll get loyalty.

7. That’s just Rude.
Almost more insulting than not providing any content is providing ‘leaky’ articles. Yes, I have seen affiliate programs that so “generously” provide articles for their affiliates. But, the articles had plugs for their other programs in the body of the article. Now, I’m not naming names, but I do feel that’s pretty cheap to be stealing from your own affiliates.

Those are just a few ways to tell if your affiliate program stinks.

I hope you read and reread this advice. Treat your affiliates like partners and they’ll plaster your link all over the web. You’ll have affiliates lined up to promote every new product you offer, and they’ll sing your praises every chance they get.

Career Test - Are You A Crisis Creator And Manager?

Management by crisis has become one of the most popular terms. These people allow a crisis to develop and then act upon it.

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career,manager,time,management,success,

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Management by crisis has become one of the most popular terms. These people allow a crisis to develop and then act upon it. They never try to anticipate a crisis, but act only when the full-blown crisis arrives. Why do they manage like this? They behave in this way because they subconsciously enjoy fighting crisis, and for that they manufacture one.

A good manager has few important tasks. To set goals, to achieve them, to manage resources effectively, to anticipate problems, to fight them if they come un announced, to think and plan of future and to prepare the organization to stay ahead. Some managers ignore the problems when they are small. Instead they pay their total attention to achieving given work. They sometimes believe that a problem may get solved in the course of time. Some times that does happen, but most of the times, it does not. At that point they have a crisis with them that needs immediate attention. They then leave all other work and put all the resources of the organization to fight the crisis. After fighting the crisis they present the case study to top management about how they fought the crisis successfully. Most of the top managers don't ask - why was the problem not tackled in infancy, but applaud the manager for doing excellent fire fighting.

If you know that the electrical wiring in your building is old and needs immediate repair, why ignore it? Why not get it replaced in time? But that will never be recognized. That will be classified under general maintenance. If afire engulfs the building and you are able to save most of the precious papers, you will be applauded. This looks very improbable, but look around you and you will find a person with these characteristics.,

Empowering Your Manager

Managing is often equated with controls rather than leading and developing a business. The manager feels more comfortable and secure when they are able to put in strict controls on everything that happens in a business organization. This is so especially of Senior Managements where the controls and directing becomes so severe that it erodes any creative freedom for the middle managers to work towards achieving the goals set out for them.

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managerial effectiveness,managing by empowerment, managerial controls

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"So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work."
- Peter Drucker

Managing is often equated with controls rather than leading and developing a business. The manager feels more comfortable and secure when they are able to put in strict controls on everything that happens in a business organization. This is so especially of Senior Managements where the controls and directing becomes so severe that it erodes any creative freedom for the middle managers to work towards achieving the goals set out for them.

Here are a few simple prescriptions to get the best out of your managers.

Avoid Centralizing Decision Making

This is perhaps one of the best ways to achieve totals control. You feel by centralizing decision making you will be able to avoid wrong decisions. While this may be so to some extent who is to prevent your own wrong decisions. Unless your managers are able to make mistakes and learn from them you will never be able to develop expertise through experience. Centralizing decision making is also the surest method to kill your business growth.

Provide Working Space

The top management often entrust tasks and responsibilities to their subordinate managers. More often than not any specific time frames which are comfortable to achieve the given responsibilities or tasks are discussed. However in their anxiety or aggressiveness and sometimes over enthusiasm you start chasing your subordinate for action and results. If you do it too soon and too often you are severely limited the working space of your managers. They may be spending more time in complying with your commands rather than focusing on operational priorities and important tasks.

If you are not providing sufficient working space for your managers you are surely heading towards disaster as important tasks may be getting neglected to escape from your frequent and aggressive follow ups.

Listen to Your Managers

While experience is an asset it also makes one arrogant and conceited. Sometimes one tends to believe because he is the superior, he always right. The Boss Is Always Right principle looks good only on posters. It doesn’t work if you want to build a Professional organization.

Cultivate the ability to listen to the voice of your managers. Most times they know better as they are more familiar with the ground realities. If you decide on their behalf and just issue orders, you will have clerks in the guise of managers as you have killed their initiative.

Don’t Get Into the Nitty Gritties

Once broad goals and objectives are set with specific time frames and key results are outlined leave your managers to perform. If you get into too many details and meddle with the execution at every stage, you may be sure to mess up the entire process and ultimately the results.

The key to managing effectively is to empower people across the management structure so that they feel part of the responsibility and ownership.