Commitment, or lack thereof, makes or breaks relationships and affiliate partnerships. We spoke with affiliate program savant, Amber Spears, Co-Founder of East 5th Avenue, to get a fresh perspective on how to take your affiliate program to the next level.
Early last year when the pandemic started to really settle in and amidst unprecedented uncertainty, Amber invited her community to a group call to try to alleviate some fear and build some hope. Out of the success and relationship building power of this call, the Traffic Tribe was born.
Traffic Tribe has grown into a structured community under the East 5th Avenue leadership in which they host regular calls for 200+ businesses. These calls are designated containers that allow everyone a chance to pitch, and where everyone is expected to help out. The networking opportunities are invaluable: members are reaping benefits to the tune of their best launches ever and closing larger deals than ever before with their dream partners.
Amber breathes authenticity and genuine passion into her business, and it shows. Check out the full fireside chat for truly palpable inspiration.
Below are a few golden nuggets of advice that can be applied to any affiliate program:
Don’t be complacent. Call your partners. Check in with how they are doing, and make sure you’re on the same page. Have conversations with them about your numbers. Go over last year’s numbers, and propose increasing those totals by 20% this year. Use this time when people aren’t doing much traveling to sit down with your partners and review. Remind them where you started, and paint the picture of where you’re headed.
Not being complacent might mean being very specific, and definitely means being very honest and direct. Ask your partners who promoted your product eight times last year to promote it ten times this year. You’ll then need to step up to the plate with whatever that partner needs to make that happen. Don’t be afraid to hash out what went wrong, too. This can help both sides to identify blind spots which are nothing more than opportunities to improve.
Dream big. And do it together. Referrals can transform your business. Consider looking at the vendors and complementary businesses in your space that satisfy a common need amongst your customers. For example, East 5th Avenue clients almost always need reliable tracking for their offers. Therefore, the partnership with Everflow is key, but the referrals that result from the partnership are simply invaluable. There is an ever-flowing (see what I did there?) fountain of referrals generating from the companies’ separate strengths. Imagine the possibilities if you have 5-10 relationships like this, where you’re not competing with, but complementing each other. And committing that you send business to each other.
Look at the companies that are able to help your target customer demographic. Sit down and have a conversation with them about how you can commit to helping them grow your business. And make sure that the commitment is a two-way street. Get your dreams down in writing, and have regular meetings about how it’s going. And bring full-on honesty so that you can hold each other accountable.
Understand your people. Behind every offer or product are human beings. Different people are motivated by different things. Amber reminds us that simply having a “hot offer” is not as appealing as one might think. If you need something from someone, make sure you’re willing to offer them something they need. Or at the very least, something they’re interested in.
Being offered a generic second tier type of partnership puts Amber to sleep. When a prospect comes to the table committed, vowing to send weekly reports and new Traffic Tribe members on a regular, ongoing basis – well, now you’ve got her attention. Make sure that your offer is motivating to the people that can actually move the needle for your business.
East 5th Avenue serves companies primarily in health & wellness, financial, personal development, and education spaces. If you have a business in one of these areas, are interested in joining the Traffic Tribe and are an Everflow client, you don’t want to miss these limited time offers:
- For 50% off your first month, enter Coupon Code: EVERFLOW
- To join a Traffic Tribe call as a guest for FREE, send an email to academy@east5thavenue.com using the Subject Line: EVERFLOW VIP Guest. Calls take place every other Wednesday from 11am - 1pm PST.
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