How To Promote Affiliate Programs With Much More Success - Part 2: Better Downline Performance

Copyright 2005 Jim Boere

In Part 1 of this training article series I showed you several ways you can create your own, unique promotion material and use it to bring in more affiliates and grow your downline.

But that's only part of your 'success formula'. Most people focus only on bringing in new affiliates, and stop there. I say that's a mistake. It's crucial to realize that you will have much more success when you assist and coach your downline!

You want to actively help your affiliates. Follow up with them regularly and give them tips. Ask if they have any questions. This will be the key to your success... Why?

Well, you can have a large downline but if your affiliates aren't building a downline of their own and/or selling the retail products, how are YOU going to earn any commissions?

Right...you're not.

So don't forget about people once you got them to join. That's only half of the 'success formula'.

Here's a few tips for 'coaching' your downline:

1) Ask them every now and then if there's anything you can help them with.

2) Make sure they know how to contact you. Make yourself available. Ideally you should give them your phone number, alongside your email address. Even though most people will never actually pickup the phone to talk to you in person... Just knowing that they CAN, will instantly create a higher level of trust. Because most people online 'hide' behind their websites and email addresses. If YOU don't, you already have an edge over your competition. It's another opportunity for you to stand out from the crowd.

3) Share what is working for you. You could create a small eCourse with all your best tips, for example. Or you can add a training page to your
site. If your tips improve your affiliates' results - your own results will improve too!

There are Internet marketers who make a very nice living online just from promoting affiliate programs. They understood this concept and acted on it. After putting in the extra effort, they reap the rewards...

Strangely enough, most affiliates still neglect this part of affiliate marketing, and it is - without a shadow of a doubt - hurting their business.

The whole idea is to build a relationship with the people

in your downline. Think of them as your staff if you had an offline business. It's the same principle, really.

*) You want your 'workforce' to keep working and stay motivated. If they have some success they automatically will. So you genuinely do want them to have that success, because it's in your own best interest! Their level of success directly influences YOUR level of success. So by investing in your 'workforce' you are effectively investing in your home based business.

*) You want them to pay attention whenever you make a recommendation. You want people to really take note of what you're saying and act on your advise and recommendations. They will only do that when they 'know' you, and 'trust' that you will only recommend a product or program to them that is useful. That will be beneficial to them.

By staying in touch with your downline, by making yourself available to answer their questions, by giving them good tips and by recommending only useful products, you will build that trust naturally.

Then when you find for example an eBook, a software program, an advertisement program or something else that you purchased or joined and that is helping you...you can recommend it to your downline.

This is where all your hard work starts to really pay off! Since:

1) Your affiliates will be tempted to buy the product or join the program, because it's YOU who's recommending it.

2) If this product or program has an affiliate program of its own (which you joined of course), you've just created a second stream of income for yourself.

In both cases your income grows.

I could go on and sum up many more ways to help your downline, and many more ways you can capatalize on that...but I think you get the picture. I hope you will try this. Because it will work for you like it's working for me.
Jim Boere is a published author and fulltime online (affiliate) marketer. Visit http://www.onlinebizpromotion.com/RecommendsSFI.htm to join the affiliate program he recommends for building a residual income. To (re-)read Part 1 of this article series, please visit: http://www.onlinebizpromotion.com/homebiz.htm

Written by: Jim Boere