I think I first met Andy Rodriguez, of Andy Rodriguez Consulting, at the very first ShareASale Think Tank in 2006. I was a bit nervous to meet one of the most successful and knowledgeable people in our industry but Andy immediately made me feel at ease. Since that first Think Tank I have met with him several times and I consider each moment precious. His confidence and positive approach to life is contagious.

Andy is one of the most respected and most successful Outsourced Program Managers (OPM). Just in case you are not familiar with the term, an OPM manages a merchant’s affiliate program, maximizing the performance. The services of a quality OPM add immense value and success to a program, benefiting everyone. Andy Rodriguez offers merchants a free program evaluation, details on his website, Andy Rodriguez Consulting.

Many try to emulate both the style and results of Andy Rodriguez but Andy sets a very high standard. He achieves success while maintaining integrity and strong ethics. For Andy it is not just a style or method of conducting business, it is a way of life. As Andy says “I have been very blessed both personally and career wise. I attribute much of that to serving God and always doing “the right thing”, and taking the high road. It’s the way I was raised and the way I run our business.”

Andy quietly gives to the industry in many ways, sharing knowledge and offering support wherever he can. Back in May when we announced we were planning a meeting to work on the NY affiliate situation, Andy Rodriguez not only stepped forward to help cover the cost of meeting venue, he offered, more importantly, to attend the meeting. We welcomed Andy’s participation because we knew we would get thoughtful and honest feedback. His support and participation at the meeting was an integral part of our success.

A few moments with Andy will show you some of the reasons he is successful; he not only has the knowledge and expertise he also helps others be successful. Andy explains, “After close to 8 years working in the affiliate space, the most important thing I have learned is that in order for me to be successful, I have to help other people become successful. This is not only the basis of performance marketing but the basis of life in general. We are here to serve and help others as much as we can.”

Those are not just words; they are proven with his actions and with results. Andy helps others not for fame, but because he believes he should. It is that very approach that leads to success of everyone. As a result, his programs are usually in the top 100 PowerRank at ShareASale and his affiliates among the most successful. Andy’s approach of helping others succeed has another result that is equally important; the valued partnership or relationship that develops. This relationship is one based on open communication, honesty and integrity benefiting everyone. Andy treats everyone with respect and values each of these relationships.

Andy Rodriguez, proving that ethics and success do go together.

As a result of a question from John, a new NY Affiliate, I will be writing a couple of posts on how to select new merchants. Every affiliate has a different method of finding and evaluating merchants to promote. I really don’t think there is a right or wrong way, it is just important that you do it. Many new affiliates just sign up and start promoting every merchant program. Although that will work, there are more effective ways to select merchants to promote.

Before you evaluate a merchant you have to decide what is important to you. Everyone has different criteria based on their business model so experiment to find what you are comfortable with. The following are some points you may want to consider.

• do they accept NY Affiliates
• what is in the affiliate terms of agreement
• does the merchant have products you need
• is the merchant on an ethical network or a network you feel comfortable working with
• does the merchant have a leak free site
• does the merchant have a quality site
• what is the commission rate and is it comparable to similar merchants
• what is their cookie length - is it comparable to similar merchants
• what is the return days – is it comparable to similar merchants
• do they offer a data feed and how often is it updated
• do they track phone orders
• do they offer coupons
• do they allow pay-per-click
• are they parasite free
• do they have a dedicated program manager - in house management or do they outsource
• is the program manager or merchant responsive
• what is the current industry buzz on the merchant
• is there questionable history for merchant, program manager or network

The last two points are not included to dissuade you from joining a program that has had or is having problems. There have been several programs that had problems early on but managed to clean up. By the same token there are programs that sour.  I have included these two criteria to remind you of the importance of keeping your eyes and ears open. Always be aware of how your merchants are regarded and use it as a guide but always decide for yourself based on results.

In future posts, I will explain these points in further detail and might even add on to the list. Some steps are so automatic I may have forgotten to list them.

In a couple of posts I have commented on the silence that is sometimes too common in the affiliate industry. My opinion is that silence and lack of action is detrimental. Silence, whether due to apathy, fear of speaking/acting or simply a lack of a sense of urgency, the result is the same. Things will not improve and may, in all probability, get worse. A large part of the problem in dealing with the NY situation was the overall silence. Everyone was afraid to ask questions in public, many more were afraid to answer in public. That fear continues to this day as we still fight for answers or actions that some aren’t willing to give.

On Saturday, I was working on an article when the Twitter of a friend alerted me to an interesting blog post. The post, written by Chris Sanderson, is titled Crossing the Line and it appears on the AMWSO marketing blog. AMWSO is an outsourced affiliate program management company (this means they manage affiliate programs for multiple merchants). In his post Chris writes about the problems that arise when networks who are supposed to be a “neutral trusted third party” cross the line and become affiliates, especially when using a questionable toolbar. I urge everyone to read it, he touches on several excellent points.

His post on this issue is probably one of the most outspoken posts from a program manager that I have seen and I have to confess to being surprised. It is more common to hear silence. His post is the way it should be. He wrote without fear and gave his opinion.

I hope that his post is simply the first of many others and that other program managers, network representatives and affiliates step forward. We need people stepping forward and publicly asking questions and voicing opinions. It is from those questions and opinions that we will get answers and steer the industry in a positive direction. The industry needs to address many issues; for that to happen we must first acknowledge that there is a need.