One of the more positive results of the NY Affiliate Tax is that I have had a chance to work with some very amazing people. I’ve profiled a few of these amazing people in “Stories of NY Affiliates” including the stories of Kevin, Herb, Jannis and others. Working with people on any project often gives you a chance to see the inner person.

For many reasons, getting to know Kim Salvino has been an honor and a privilege.  Before the Albany NY July 28 meeting I had met Kim a time or two, at that time she was the affiliate program manager for 4Checks. With all the initial confusion over the tax law, 4Checks had to reverse its stance and made a last minute decision to remove NY Affiliates. That decision hit many NY affiliates hard; it hit Kim equally hard. As we began to plan the July 28 meeting to work on a solution, we invited Kim to attend. We did this because we needed to understand her company’s position; we also need merchant input. Inviting Kim was one of the best moves we made. (Please note, as a result of a lot of effort from everyone, 4Checks reinstated NY affiliates in early August.)

Kim’s bravery in attending a meeting to face the very same affiliates she had removed from her program and the dedication with which she worked on implementing a solution, demonstrates some of the many qualities that make her an asset to the industry. It also speaks volumes about her dedication to her affiliates and to her merchant.

On a personal level, when my strength was faltering it was her dedication and her refusal to sit back that was a source of encouragement. After all was done, I learned that it was our passion that kept her going.  I think it was a very symbiotic relationship; we inspired and encouraged one another. We - affiliates, merchants and network, worked together towards a common goal. As I have gotten to know Kim it has become clear that Kim truly understands and believes the phrase “valued partner”. Just as Kim values her relationships with merchants and affiliates, I value her, both as a friend and a business associate and she has most certainly earned my trust. 

I asked Kim why she fought so hard on behalf of her NY Affiliates; it would have been much easier to just sit back. Kim confesses that she was crushed when forced to discontinue working with NY Affiliates. Though nervous, Kim was eager to be a part of the meeting in Albany. At the end of the meeting, like us, she left with a renewed spirit and an understanding of the action needed. Kim continued, 4Checks “recognized the value of our affiliates and were willing to do what was needed to move forward. How could anyone sit back and do nothing is what I would like to ask. A passionate group took the initiative to spearhead a discussion with a lawyer, well versed in NY tax law, to seek a way to comply. I was just lucky enough to be invited.”

Kim continues, “The biggest brand name, the largest inventory – none of that matters in the affiliate space if trust is non-existent. My affiliates trusted me to pay them for the traffic they referred that converted to sales, and they invested a lot of time and energy into building sites and promoting my brands. They trusted me to advocate on their behalf internally and I wasn’t about to sit back and watch so many lose their income.”

In my opinion, the actions of 4Checks and Kim’s passion and dedication to both merchant and affiliates has helped reestablish some of the trust that was shattered in May and June of last year. Although no longer with 4Checks, the 4Checks program has shown that they still have the same standards and values. The 4Checks program is a NY Affiliate Friendly merchant with programs located at ShareASale network and Kowabunga (MyAP)

Kim is now at Buy.at network and holds the position of Senior Delivery Manager. Kim Salvino is a great addition to the Buy.at team, bringing many strengths and talents to a growing and quality network. Kim explained her position, “I work on the account management side, overseeing a team that provides full service program management to Buy.at’s merchants. Right now, I am concentrating on two major initiatives – strengthening and growing our existing programs on the buy.at network and seeking new merchants that will make a good fit for our growing affiliate base.”

Kim continued, “At Summit, I was asked what makes buy.at different. I could say the interface and reporting is flexible and accurate. I could tell you that we offer proactive account management and that we pioneered the “open network.” I could tell you that as a team, you will be hard pressed to find more passionate individuals who want the best for this industry and who give 125% every day.”

But it is more than that.  Buy.at’s open network policy and their dedication to both advertisers and publishers is a strong foundation, but as Kim says, “At the end of the day though, it’s about trust and value, two things our team holds sacred and strives to be worthy of and provide every day.”

It is that very philosophy that leads me to believe that great things lie ahead. 

Trust and value, flowing both ways; just what many are looking for.

One of the nice things about January is that sales are usually still pretty strong.  Good sales might be due to merchants having clearance sales, the spending of holiday bonuses or people simply buying what they didn’t get. What ever the reason, I find January is a little less stressful, not as much pressure to sell yet sales come easier. I always take advantage of this quiet yet busy time to really evaluate my merchants. Even though it is an ongoing practice during the year, I always do a stricter examination at least twice a year.

This January I am being even more critical.  I am setting the bar a little higher and enforcing additional standards. Why? It is because I deserve better.

It is no secret that I and thousands  of NY Affiliates lost a significant number of merchants around June 1 when the NY Affiliate tax took effect. Many merchants decided to terminate NY Affiliates. In some cases, a merchant termination had little effect on me from a financial standpoint. In other cases I lost a significant amount of income. Since the number of merchants I had to replace was large, I was not as particular as I should have been. As I scrambled to find new merchants I found myself taking any merchant just to fill the holes. I lowered my standards, and that’s not something I will ever do again.

Why? I deserve better.

In fact, I have raised the bar higher than ever.  I have decided that I will not accept poor conversion. I send quality traffic and if it does not convert there is a problem with the relationship between my visitor and the merchant. In my opinion, there are three main reasons the relationship fails.

The first reason might be that my visitor and the merchant are simply not a good fit. It is just like even though everything is the same, I prefer to shop at the small deli on Main Street while my husband prefers to shop at the deli on Elm , different strokes for different folks. Just because a merchant converts for another affiliate, it doesn’t mean it will convert for me and vice versa. Not much I can do about. If my links are good and tracking properly, if a merchant doesn’t convert it is time to move on. Just like a failed relationship, there comes a point when even though it is no one’s fault, you say goodbye because you believe “I deserve better”.

The second reason a merchant might not convert is that there is something wrong. Maybe it is broken links, major leaks, a problem tracking, no stock, poor customer service or something else. If there is a problem and it has not been fixed it is time to move on. I deserve better.

The third reason is far more serious; something is interfering with the relationship. This interference can occur in different ways. If a merchant is affiliated with parasites there is great chance I will not get credit for sales. If a network or merchant does not provide a level playing field, my sales will suffer.  If there are too many distractions and leaks on the merchant site interfering with the customer relationship, my sales will suffer. When any of this interference exists, it is time to move on. It is time to move on because, I deserve better.

I deserve to get paid for my efforts. If I drives sales I should get paid, not someone else even if paying another party is done under the pretense of doing a good deed. Whether it is a glitch or intentional diversion  I deserve better.

My advice? Set your own standards, do not rely on the standards I or anyone else apply. As you evaluate each of your relationships ask yourself this – Do you deserve better?

In my last post, Finding New Merchants Part One, I listed some of the criteria affiliates might want to look at before they sign up to promote a merchant. I realized I should start at the very beginning. Before you can evaluate a merchant you have to find them. This can be accomplished in two main ways. You can either start a general search from your browser bar or you can search from within your favorite network.

You can search via a search engine in one of two ways. Let’s assume you are looking for a merchant who carries a particular product or service. The first way is to visit your favorite search engine and type in the product you are looking for plus the words “affiliate program”.  That should turn up several affiliate programs that at least carry the product you are looking for. A similar way is to search just for the product, without the words affiliate program. Your search results will be just merchants selling the product. Visit the merchant’s website and then search for their affiliate program, there should be a link somewhere. Many times there will be a link in the footer or in their site map that leads to their affiliate program information page. You can also look at their FAQ’s, About Us or even Careers/Employment pages. If that method does not work you can also use a search engine and this time type in “merchant name” + “affiliate Program” or “merchant name” affiliate program.

Many affiliates prefer to start at a merchant level rather than the product level. They find a merchant first and then find products within that merchant’s program. Use either approach or both, but always have a back up source for your products. That will help you be prepared for a merchant closing their program or deciding to terminate their relationship with you. In May, many NY Affiliates were caught unprepared when merchants decided to remove all NY Affiliates. Always remember to have a backup plan in place.

An alternative is to begin your search for products or merchants within your favorite network. Each network’s setup is a little different but the basic idea is to search by product name or keyword. Sometimes you will have to search by category to find merchants that might have the products you are looking for. Take the list of merchants and visit their sites to see if the exact products you are looking for is carried.

If you have relationships with some out sourced affiliate program managers, consider asking them for a list of the programs they manage or visit their website and check out their managed programs. Some program managers are more assertive in reaching out to affiliates so you may not have to ask. Others tend to wait for their affiliates to reach out to them. If you have formed friendships with other affiliates you can also talk with them but remember it is best not to just ask for a list of merchants. Instead ask for opinions of a merchant or if they know of a merchant who carries whatever product you are looking for. Most importantly, remember to share with them, reciprocate and don’t just take.

Also be sure to watch network announcements, most have a way of announcing new programs. ShareASale has a RSS feed announcing new programs and also allow you to search specifically for new programs in their merchant search function. Many networks and merchants will also announce their new programs at ABW and other forums.

Forums, blogs and even Twitter can be great source of information regarding merchant programs. Join and participate.

Whether you are searching by product or by merchant the real work begins once you have identified a potential merchant to promote. You will now have to evaluate the merchant and if you find them suitable you can begin testing them. Remember, don’t just stop with one merchant for any product you wish to promote. Be prepared and find a second merchant.